Rupert Holmes's New York Times bestseller, Murder Your Employer (the first volume in his new McMasters Guide to Homicide series), was also a Top Ten on the Indie Bestseller List, the Washington Post, L.A. Times, Houston Chronicle, and Associated Press. Holmes has received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, and multiple Tony(R) and Drama Desk Awards for his Broadway mystery musicals, including Curtains and his Tony(R) award-winning Best Musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His first novel, Where the Truth Lies, was nominated for a Nero Wolfe award for Best American Mystery Novel, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut Novel, and became a motion picture starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. His second novel, Swing, included his own original, clue-bearing musical score. His stories have been anthologized in Best American Mystery Stories, On a Raven's Wing, A Merry Band of Murderers, Dead Man's Hand, and Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop. Holmes has adapted Agatha Christie, John Grisham, and R.L. Stine for the Broadway and international stage. His lyrics have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and EQ anthologies, and he is also the writer/vocalist of several Top Ten hits, including his Billboard #1 multi-platinum classic with a memorable twist-ending: "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)."
"A delightful introduction to the McMasters Conservatory . . . To
better understand McMasters, consider it the Harvard of Homicide,
the Stanford of Stabbing, or the Princeton of Poisoning. . . .
Holmes' newest novel is a satirical masterpiece. His wry wit and
sarcastic sense of humor are on full display. As a mystery writer,
Holmes executes misdirection expertly, leading the reader in
several directions at once. His stabbing commentary on academia is
cut-throat. Holmes kills it in this entertaining tale. For readers
looking for a fast and fun book that will slay your funny bone,
check out Murder Your Employer. All puns intended." --Portland Book
Review
"A funny, fast-paced, flip-the-playbook mystery in which three
ordinary citizens are trained in murder on a luxurious hidden
estate . . . a fantasy academy laid out like a combination of
Hogwarts, Downton Abbey, and a White Lotus-style resort. . . .
Holmes can clearly do anything." --The Los Angeles Times
"How has no one thought of this before? Murders set at an imaginary
academy set up to train murderers . . . Holmes delights in wordplay
that includes puns, literary terms, cultural references, and
twists. . . . As Holmes takes hairpin turns from irony back to
sincerity for his three McMasters pupils, his zany storytelling
will delight fans of The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, all
Sherlock Holmes stories, and even those who love tales of arcane
and Gothic institutions." --Bethanne Patrick, NPR
"If the illustrations of Edward Gorey came to life, they would be
in the same neighborhood as this 'Poison Ivy League' college. . . .
Although this beautifully designed DIY manual is full of twists,
the emphasis is on comedy . . . but the extraordinary Holmes can
pull the heartstrings too. . . . You will love this gigglesome
guide to the graves of academe." --The Times (London)
"Mega-talented Rupert Holmes has mastered just about every
entertainment genre with the awards to prove it. . . . Holmes dips
back into the mystery genre with the droll, tongue-in-cheek Murder
Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide . . . [turning] the
genre upside down by making us root for the killers. . . . The
brisk plot smoothly stays on point while Holmes adds bits of farce,
quirky characters and a style and sense of place that evoke the
1950s. Murder Your Employer is enhanced with illustrations by Anna
Louizos, who designed the sets for the Broadway production of the
musical Curtains." --Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale)
"Holmes is a gifted wordsmith whose latest is a top-notch read that
both entertains and amuses. . . . Delightfully wicked . . . An
amusing and cheeky tale with excellent pacing replete with droll
observations." --Library Journal (starred review)
"This will be one of the funniest books of the year." --CrimeReads,
"Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2023"
"Highly entertaining . . . This clever novel imparts revelations
from the clandestine McMasters Conservatory, which provides
students of all ages with a well-rounded education on the necessary
skills to complete their 'final thesis' . . . Warning: readers
could die laughing." --Shelf Awareness
"Edgar winner Holmes frames this cheeky 1950s-set crime novel as a
self-study guide for those who can't afford tuition to the
McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a 'finishing school
for finishing people off' . . . [the] farcical plotting,
idiosyncratic characters, and witty, stylish prose combine for a
fun, frothy read. Fans of humorous historical fiction will be well
entertained." --Publishers Weekly
"A case study in the droll amusements of homicide, Rupert Holmes's
send-up of higher education and even higher crimes and misdemeanors
will keep you up at night--alternately turning pages and checking
to make sure the front door is locked." --Gregory Maguire, author
of Wicked "With dry humor and an eye for hidden clues, Rupert
Holmes imagines a secret Hogwarts-like school that teaches the fine
art of pulling off the perfect (and perfectly deserved) murder. An
utterly creative and deliciously diabolical read." --Alafair Burke,
New York Times bestselling author of Find Me "A college with a
degree in Homicide? Only Rupert Holmes could make murder
laugh-out-loud funny. This book isn't clever--it's fiendishly
clever. And the twists and tricks and endless surprises make me
want to sign up for another semester!" --R.L. Stine, author of
Goosebumps and Fear Street
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