Rating: 5/5 stars
I can’t remember how I heard about this book, but I preordered it at the bookstore where I work, and when it arrived and I went to check out, my employer saw the title and asked, “Um, should I be concerned?” And I responded with, “Probably.” But maybe the cause for concern is more that I’ve enticed six coworkers to also purchase the book. I told my manager that we were going to have a book club in the break room and I invited him to join us and he said, “No because I’m scared.”
In all honestly, I do actually like my employer, so it’s a good thing this book is fiction.
The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts is a Posion Ivy League university that teaches the art of assassination, or “deletion” as they call it. Students learn all the ways to kill and to avoid being killed, and the mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder.
“If sensible people can kill themselves because life no longer seems worth living, then I suppose a sensible person might kill someone who makes other people’s lives unlivable, or who risks the lives of others.”
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.
Murder Your Employer is quite funny (and punny) and clever, and definitely satirical at times. The narrator’s voice was unlike any other writing style I’ve read, and I loved it.
I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone whose interest is even slightly piqued by the book’s title or concept. This was an immensely fun read with a richly fleshed-out setting and lovable characters and incredible writing. I will be picking up more books by Rupert Holmes in the future because of how much I loved this one.
