ksrousseau's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Three people want to murder their boss for very good reasons. Cliff has already tried once and failed. So, along with Gemma, Dulcie and assorted other potential murderers, he is enrolled at McMasters, a Hogwartian style college, where the art of murder is taught. After finishing courses in physical education, poisons, alibis and other necessary skills and competing in the "track meet", all that remains for each to graduate is completion of their thesis - the successful murder of their boss. Their plans are clever and they all succeed, in one way or another.

Set in the 1950s, this is old school murder mystery with no fancy technology in use. The premise and the plot are clever and the book is entertainingly written, sometimes narrated by way of Cliff's journal, and sometimes by the school's dean.

bethan_clifford's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

kaora4's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The humor was exactly what I was looking for since some of my other reads have been a bit heavy. It was a breath of fresh air.

So glad I picked this up and I will read any others in the series!

qabitas's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I tried, I really did, I made it to 30% of the audiobook but it's just not for me. The writing is good, pacing is a bit slow for me and there wasn't really any aspect of it that made me want to keep reading or want to keep turning the page. It's just not for me.

edwina_philpot's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Clever, well written, but world building and pacing could have been better.

christinebev's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I was told this book was a great read for those who enjoyed “A Series of Unfortunate Events” as a child (which I very much did). I can see why the comparison was made, this book is definitely quite morbid in a quirky way. The story is pretty detailed with a lot of surprise twists, using clever language and point of view to engage the reader. While it was at times a bit corny, it was overall a fun and unique read!

mel5290's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

A little long but the audiobook version is narrated some by Neil Patrick Harris! The ending made it a worthwhile read.

leahroth's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this book

drkitkat's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

**DELETION Our preferred term for “murder” [vulg.], although some younger staff have lately adopted “omission” as less austere. Note that while “to delete” is our verb of choice, we do not use “to omit” as an alternative.**

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book but I greatly enjoyed it. There’s a college out there that teaches you how to commit the perfect murder. But only if that murder is justified. The book definitely read slow. It was not fast paced. But I appreciated the humor and the scholarly nature of the story. It was more-so character driven which is not my normal go-to. It’s basically a clever whodunnit where you know the who but not the how. I recommend it!

**Principles of Successful Termination: ‘Do in others as you would have others do you in.’ **

mlsamy's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

So very funny & complex without feeling like it's trying too hard. My favorite book of 2023 so far.