Summary
Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live.
Thoughts
If you have ever had a time in your life where you worked for the worst boss ever, or maybe you are currently working for the worst boss ever, Murder Your Employer: McMaster’s Guide to Homicide is the book for you. Before we get into this, I should say I am not endorsing or encouraging any actual homicides to be committed. Murder Your Employer is a funny look at a few students at McMaster’s Conservatory who are learning to kill their employer and not get caught. This book is fiction, and this is just a fun review.
We follow three students at the school and their endeavors to murder their employers without getting caught. One of these students is voiced by Neil Patric Harris in the audiobook format. Honestly, it was the title that first drew me into the book, then seeing Neil Patrick Harris as one of the narrators, I was sold. He narrates the main student we follow from the beginning of the book, Cliff Iverson, who is trying to kill his former employer because the man let him go after he brought to light some fatal flaws in an airplane they were developing.
Cliff’s stay at McMaster’s Conservatory is covered by a mysterious benefactor. This school is not cheap! Cliff ends up doing what he can to help save some of the money his benefactor has so graciously provided for him to live off. This comes in handy when Cliff puts his final exam to the test. The final exam is actually to kill your target.
There is a bit of suspense, funny bits, and scary bits in the story. Suspense from wondering if and how Cliff and the others will murder their targets. Funny bits in some one-liners, or Cliff’s first attempt to take out his target when the book starts. Finally, some scary bits from the student’s last test at the school, and then while they are carrying out their final exam.
While this wouldn’t qualify as a cozy mystery, it is something similar. This was a nice, short, fun read, and it made me laugh and smile as well as gasp at some bits in true mystery fashion. I loved this so much I gave it 5 stars out of 5.
