I don't think I've ever smiled so much while reading a book about murder.

The premise of a school that teaches you how to get away with the perfect murder and has published a guide based on previous students' experiences gives literal dark academia vibes, only make it funny and somehow wholesome? I can't say I've read anything like this before.

The author does a great job of making you empathise with aspiring murderers, skillfully revealing their backstories while building three perfect mystery stories in which you already know who the killer is, you just don't know how and if they'll carry out said murder deletion successfully. I was anxiously rooting for them the whole way through.

If you like boarding school settings but for adults, dark humor, the 1950's, and satisfying... endings, welcome to McMasters!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a charming & delightfully dark read! I loved the Poison Ivy League college and seeing the students learn the practical & theoretical ways ways they could end the life of their chosen target. I thought the setting of an undetermined place & era just added to the mystery of the story. The case studies we follow, from the same class, were really different - the motivations for our heroes to carry out their deletions, the villains, the methodology, and even the characters themselves. I thought the characters were well written & fully fleshed out, and I was cheering them on. While the pacing in the first half is slow, I feel that it’s mostly justified as there’s a lot of background that needs to be supplied. The pacing does pick up in the second half when we see the practical side of the thesis’s being carried out, and this had me eagerly turning the pages to see who was successful. This was an engaging tale & I hope that there is a second.

This book had one of the best opening chapters I have ever experienced. It drew me in and made me laugh. It’s funny and original, but at times a little long and the narrative feels a bit old fashioned. The end was spot on thought!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5⭐️

At McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, you won’t find your typical subjects being taught there…and you won’t find your typical students either. A “Poison Ivy League” campus dedicated to the homicidal arts is what awaits Cliff Iverson, McMasters newest student. Here he will be carefully taught how to execute his thesis - the successful deletion of his employer.

I can honestly say I have never read anything like this before. I loved that the majority of it was Cliff’s journal entries to his sponsor. The ending made me literally squeal with joy, which is not something I thought I would say after reading a book with such a title as this one. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that parts of it felt like drug out. I would have also liked more from Gemma’s character/storyline. Hers felt like kind of an afterthought with how much focus was placed on Cliff and Doria. Regardless, I really enjoyed this

Great idea! Just a tiny bit too long, too complicated and too slow. Otherwise a highly recommended, funny and smart book. We get to follow the antics of not one, but three students of the art of murder, including their adversaries, their proposed “deletions” of same , the careful planning and execution. And yet the best parts of the book happen at the McMasters school, where an assembly of teachers and students makes for a very fun exploration of the curriculum.

This was such a unique book that I'm not really sure what genre to call it. Imagine a mystery/thriller where you're following the potential murderer leading up to their attempted crime, but a) you're generally on their side and b) you don't know if they're going to succeed. It had slight "character gets whisked off to magical school" vibes except that there's no magic it's just... murder techniques. It's historical fiction, taking place in the 50s, but tbh I think that was mostly to avoid the issues that modern technology would have brought into play. I had a great time reading this.

Murder Your Employer is darkly funny and original. I was attracted to the story of a school that trained everyday people to commit a murder of that one person that just needs to be “deleted”. The schools hidden location and very existence is held completely secret. Written as a guide as well as a narrative, the world that the author creates is creative and detailed.

The story is satisfying and I liked following the individual narratives of three of the students as they train and then embark on their final thesis, which is to successfully complete their murder. I was not sure where the story was going though out much of the book but the ending was pleasing and fit perfectly.

Thank you Avid Reader Press for the advanced reader copy to review

Thank you NetGalley/the publisher for allowing me to review this book!

So I have been back and forth on how to go about this review....because well I DNF'ed this book. What I read was great don't get me wrong butttt I wasn't in the headspace for this one and haven't been. It is definitely a book I will revisit in the future due to what I had enjoyed so far.

I can't give an actual review so far but what I read gave me the same vibes that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy does. It is comprehensive and gave great background while building up a great story. I think this has the potential to be a 5 star so I will give it that for the part that I did read.

I loved this!! The premise is so unique and I haven’t read another book like it before. I love how fancy and classy the author makes murder. The characters were amusing and I could understand why they were doing the things that they were. I may have even rooted for them a time or two.

If you’ve ever wondered if the world would be a better place if one particular person no longer inhabited said world, and you have an ethical reason to eliminate that person, the McMasters Conservatory might just be the educational place for you. Here you will learn how to – literally – get away with murder. But beware – you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate. And your mandatory graduation thesis is unlike that of any other.

I have had employers that I disliked, although none that I wanted to remove from the world, but the title of this book caught my eye. When I saw that it’s written by Rupert Holmes (yes, *that Rupert Holmes! "If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain..."), that made the book even more appealing.

The book was a little strange, but so was the entire premise, so I guess that’s to be expected. It started slowly, but once the characters and their backgrounds were established, it picked up considerably and was hard to put down. It was difficult to accept that I was rooting for the success of the three primary characters, because their success meant getting away with murder, but there it is.

If there is a Volume 2 to the McMasters Guide to Homicide, I will certainly read it.

education, murder, overt-humor, planning, read, sly-humor, tongue-in-cheek-art,*****

The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts brings you The McMasters Guide to Homicide Volume One: Murder Your Employer.
We follow several students as they apply what they've learned in class and study to their real world application to "delete" the person on their list (thesis). A reversal of the usual murder (mystery), but lots of good fun and interesting writing style. All of the characters are well done and the "execution" of their plans is intriguing. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. Thank you!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes, a new author I found on NetGalley, is a 2023 mystery novel. Set on a campus where the institution teaches undergraduates how to murder someone without getting caught, the story was an original and filled with fun characters. Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the plot, and the descriptions were very imaginative. I found myself eager to see where the tale would go, as it's both a mystery and an instructional guide of sorts (thru journal entries and educational prose). It follows 1 main character and 2 other potential murderers as they take their courses and learn how to correct past mistakes. The beginning very much felt like a Harry Potter-esque tale (minus the fantasy elements) where you are whisked away to an unknown place by someone claiming to be your sponsor / secret guardian. And when it all unfolds, you think... wow, what type of craziness is this! Mostly, the content was interesting but it was about 20% too long, which I only mention because there were pages of background that while helpful and important detracted from the pace and action. Also, sometimes it got too wordy and technical, which had some charm and merit but it also caused a reader to feel tossed out of the imaginary world and forced into a sense of... "wait, what is going on here and who is this person again?" I think it would make a very cool movie or television series for that reason tho, so kudos to the writer for the concept and execution on many levels.

Great concept, but way too much in love with using as wide a vocabulary as possible, which likely contributed to its nearly 400-page length. I enjoyed the arch attitude, but I just couldn't commit that much time to what ultimately moved very slowly, particularly given that I wasn't very interested in the first case premise. The characters were too familiar and not individual enough.

The plot had me intrigued and invested the whole time. I loved the setting of the school, from classes to the assignments given to through the eyes of our main characters. Witty dialogue and banter helped the book to maintain a consistent flow instead of feeling stunted. A story with humor that's not overdone, details and "twists" were logical and keeps you on your toes along with characters that aren't the ordinary papier-mâché stereotypes.

The writing drew me in from the beginning and the personalities of the characters were established rather quickly and easily. These are the morally grey characters that are fun to read about. Cliff was definitely my favorite. He was a gullible doofus at times but I was rooting for him the whole time and felt proud of him as his skills approved. It's a little odd to say this when murder is involved but there was a wholesome nature to it. Also, it was a bonus that I kept imagining the schools dean as Keith Michell's character of Dennis Stanton in <i>Murder, She Wrote.</i> 😂 It just made sense. 🤷🏾‍♀️

If this were to become a duology or series then I'll definitely read it. I would consider this to be a dark academia novel that fits more along my tastes. I genuinely had a fun time from beginning to end.


Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for providing a copy for an honest review.

I cannot confirm or deny any ulterior reason for reading this book, or whether or not I took notes.

What I can confirm is that this is a very funny, dark look at "involuntary suicide" and the thinking and preparation that goes into it. We follow three students through their time at McMasters and while working on their theses, and only at the end do we learn if they passed or failed. There is one twist that I guessed, but only shortly before it was revealed (the best type: not too early for me to get annoyed, and guessable).

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the opportunity.

Release date: 21st of February 2023.

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Murder Your Employer as a concept, sounds very interesting. However, when it comes to execution, I find myself not as interested to continue past the first few chapters.

And I didn't.

To follow someone in what is basically a guide of how to get murders done, in the cleanest ways possible; I need to care about the individual/s in question. And that in itself, is my bane when it comes to this book.

I didn't care, nor like anyone I met so far. I skipped a little later and saw that more point of views get added, but it's a bit too late for that when the first point of view kind of kills off all of my interest.

To be totally fair, I don't consider it a bad book. It's written pretty well, and the school is very interesting, while feeling a bit on the eccentric side at first glance. Maybe, I will come back to it one day because I do see potential for fun, or catch it in another medium, but for now, it just didn't work out all that much for me.

Fans of Lev Grossman's The Magicians will find this plot a bit familiar. A secret college in a secret place where you learn secret things....instead of magic though you learn the fine art of murder, for the good of society of course. We couldn't have amateurs out there trying to murder people and have innocent persons getting hurt as well. Trust me this is a very charming read with three interesting characters to follow. I look forward to more books like this.

The premise of this book is that it's a nonfiction book provided by the McMasters school so we can learn some of the school curriculum without needing to attend the secret school. The book starts with a very dry introduction (which worried me the whole book was going to be like this, but did help establish that this was a nonfiction book since my eyes usually glaze over during nonfiction intros). Then, we follow 3 students as they attend McMasters and go back into the world to complete their thesis (murder their employer or be murdered by the school). After the intro, the story was much more engaging, so I would suggest to reads like me - don't be put off from the intro if it's not your style.

The book was really well written and entertaining. I loved the world of the school where learning how to murder (called "deletion") was a common, normal thing. I appreciate how the school was creating the thoughtful deletionist to commit one deletion vs training someone to be a serial killer. It was also strange when our 3 students were back in the real world and I was rooting for them to commit murder ("complete their thesis") so they would pass.

There obviously is some dark humor in the book - I was chuckling throughout. I was engaged throughout the book. The students Cliff and Doria had the stronger stories, where Gemma's was a bit weaker. The book primarily focused on Cliff - he was an unwitting student and had to keep a journal for his sponsor (the person paying the tuition), which is how we got the details for the nonfiction how to book.

The book does a great job of creating a believable narrative as well as an engaging story. It was also minimally gory so if people are worried - you'll likely be okay.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

To say that this is reminiscent of a Harry Potter book would be an understatement. Think Harry, Ron, and Hermione, then add a sideways slant. Stir in a few oddly named professors and students, and you will have a Hogwarts for adults wanting to refine their homicidal expertise.

Not everyone is born with the right set of skills, and that is where McMasters comes in. The book was written tongue-in-cheek, yet there is a darker side. Once you get past the humor -- which I don’t think you really can -- the curious way of looking at quotes, and the end game, you will find a book that you will keep on your shelf, much like the Potter books, since each time you reread it, you will notice what you hadn’t before.

As the narration slows, Rupert Holmes will add a few eyebrow-raising comments that have the reader, once again, fully engaged.

The humor throughout is what will keep the reader turning pages. Unfortunately, the ending leads the reader to believe this will be a one-and-done novel. But then again, one never knows.