A review by sarai0410
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Having really only picked the book up because I thought the title was funny (who need synopses anyway?), I was very happy to find that I thoroughly enjoyed this book - and it was indeed funny inside as well! The writing style and way in which the story was told felt unique; while we technically had three main characters to follow in their journey (Cliff, Gemma, and Dorie), each perspective was done differently in both style and personality, so I was never bored of the writing. While the middle section (around 45-60%) was a little slow and could be considered drawn out, I was still quite fascinated to find where the story would take us. The humor throughout the story was amazing and I was constantly giggling with the little puns and jokes that were tossed around. 

Couple spoilery thoughts about the ending: 
  • When we were introduced to the characters by our narrator, we were told that not all of them will be successful in their thesis/deletion. Because of this, I was expecting their failures to be more traditional and for McMasters to ensure they were deleted themselves. However, I was very happy with the way in which the 'failures' were handled - specifically with Gemma coming on as a faculty member (McMasters really does value their morals!).
  • I liked how each character came to a different conclusion with their thesis also, nothing felt repetitive and each student had their our unique outcome and sense of purpose following their thesis'.
  • Learning who Cliff's sponsor was, Jaeck's wife Lilliana, felt so good as well - that she had such faith in Cliff and really valued him as a son was a wonderful way to do justice for her husband.
  • Finally, the last few pages of the book and the Dean's letter - I'm so curious to see if he actually survived or if there will be a new Dean for McMasters.

When I bought this, I hadn't realized it was the start of a series, and now I can't wait for the release of Murder Your Mate (according to the snippet at the end of the book) - I haven't found any publishing information, but hopefully we'll see it sooner rather than later.