I'm purposely leaving out almost all plot details because it's way more fun to go into this one knowing almost nothing and just let the book happen to you. (I'm sure it would also be fun to try and figure out what's going to happen, but I'm not that kind of reader.) Despair set a place for itself at the table. Was it always this easy to catch a murderer? One sentence in and we were already at the opportunity stage. “At the newsreel movie theater in Grand Central.” Even though this book largely takes place in an academic setting and the entire plot is about learning how to properly murder, I wouldn’t classify this book as dark academia at all since it’s actually pretty lighthearted and there’s not really any mystery element involved.

Prepare for an education you'll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you'll ever read. I have to be honest, I went into this with low expectations and was absolutely blown away. Murder your Employer follows the stories of three McMasters students as they prepare to, well, murder their employers. There are multiple POVs and an omniscient narrator, which I don't see a lot of but thought was the perfect choice for this book. A new novel from the man who wrote Swing (2005), Where the Truth Lies (2003), and “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”

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When Cliff Iverson finds himself wanting to kill his employer, he tries to execute what he feels is the perfect plan. He soon discovers that his thinking is anything but perfect and the police show up on his doorstep moments later. Thinking that he is headed to the slammer, Cliff prepares himself, only to find himself at the gates to the elusive McMasters Conservatory. This is where his life changes forever. This is the front desk, Mr. Williams.” (Williams had been the blandest name I could think of after Smith or Jones, easily forgettable unless one’s first name was Ted.) “Some detectives from the police are on their way up to see you. They said not to tell you, but I’m doing so as a hotel courtesy. Should they ask, I didn’t tell you.”

The second portion focuses on three graduates: Iverson, Gemma Lindley, and Dulcie Mown. Having mastered all of the skills required to "delete," they are now seeking out their prey. While I found this more engaging than the first half, I think I might have preferred to focus on just one of their stories. Reaching the book's conclusion felt tedious, but I pushed through if only to see who Iverson's mysterious benefactor was.Please understand that by nature I oppose all senseless killing… but in Fiedler’s case, murder makes perfect sense. I showed him my shield and explained there’s been a rash of subway shovings,” said Dobson. “Told him we were hot on the heels of the perpetrator.” It’s still a safety,” said the sergeant, adding, “Oh, and Cliff? The gun isn’t loaded. But the captain’s is.” Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide, Vol. 1 is the clever brainchild of author, playwright, composer, and singer-songwriter Rupert Holmes. Full of endless puns, dry humor, and nostalgia for a bygone era that evokes the early 1950s, Murder Your Employer chronicles the experiences of students at McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a finishing school that teaches one how to “finish” people off.