Most murder mysteries start with the victim and then the rest of the story revolves around trying to discover who committed the crime. This book flips that on it’s head. Instead, we start by knowing who the murderers (or deletists as they are referred to) are from the beginning. The mystery, or the question left to be answered, is whether the three deletists will be successful in their endeavors.
The premise of the book is that Dean Harbinger Harrow of McMasters Conservatory, a secretive and secluded educational institution dedicated to the teaching of the homicidal arts, has endeavored to share the accounts of three of their students as case studies. The reader is invited to follow along with Cliff Iverson, Gemma Lindley, and Doria Maye as they each develop their individual thesis (that is how they plan to murder/delete their subject), attend classes to learn best methods and how not to get caught, and then observe the success or failure of the execution of their plan.
Admittedly, a part of me has some qualms about both the fact I enjoyed this book and am suggesting to others to read it as well. My moral code does not in any way endorse the act of murder. And if I thought that this book would indeed drive someone to consider such an action, I would not heartily recommend adding it to one’s reading list.
The fact is, that it is entertaining, engaging and a creative piece of work. The pages are full of puns and wordplays which elicited a lot of smiles, chuckles, laughter, and the occasional groan – which in my world is one of the highest praises for a well crafted pun. This is all done under the guise of what the narrator is purporting to put forth as a serious, sober, professional, and high-minded account and treatise on the purpose of this particular unique educational training.
Additionally, it it’s own darkly comic way the book does indeed pose questions of morality, friendship, loyalty, and obligations to family and friends. Again, I had to do some soul-searching as I found myself often hoping to see the three murderers/deletists successfully graduate by completing their murder/thesis.
Lastly, the twists and turns that take the reader by surprise are also well-crafted. They are plausible, well-timed, and if they were fore-shadowed (I would have to re-read the book to determine if I missed anything) it was done very subtly. I truly found myself not being able – and something rare for me – not even wanting to try to figure out what was coming ahead. I was able to just let myself drift along wherever to plot stream took me.
If you have found yourself stuck in, or at least gravitating to, a particular genre of reading lately, then I highly recommend adding this one to your list. It was an enjoyable trek down a different reading path for me and may be the same for you as well.
Notes from a Book Nerd 