The Four Enquiries

The story opens with the clandestine McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a secretive institution that teaches the art of "deletion"—their euphemism for murder. Prospective students are guided by the Four Enquiries: Is this murder necessary? Have you given your target every last chance to redeem themselves? What innocent person might suffer by your actions? Will this deletion improve the life of others? These questions are not just academic; they are the moral backbone of the school's philosophy, ensuring that students approach their missions with a sense of higher purpose, not mere malice. The tone is darkly comic, blending the gravitas of life-and-death decisions with a satirical take on academia and self-justification. The reader is drawn into a world where murder is not only taught but rationalized, and the stakes are as much ethical as they are practical.

Cliff's Botched Deletion

Cliff Iverson, a talented but luckless engineer, attempts to murder his sadistic boss, Merrill Fiedler, by pushing him in front of a subway train. The plan is meticulously constructed but ultimately fails, as Fiedler survives and Cliff is quickly apprehended by two ex-cops, Dobson and Stedge, who reveal themselves as recruiters for McMasters. Instead of prison, Cliff is offered a place at the conservatory, where he can learn to perfect his murderous intent. The emotional arc is one of desperation, humiliation, and reluctant hope, as Cliff is swept from the brink of ruin into a world where his darkest impulses are not only understood but cultivated. The chapter sets the tone for the novel's blend of suspense, dark humor, and psychological depth.

McMasters Unveiled

Cliff arrives at McMasters, a sprawling, idyllic campus hidden from the world, where the curriculum is as rigorous as it is lethal. The school's traditions, terminology, and security measures are introduced with a mix of whimsy and menace. Students are taught everything from poisons to alibis, and failure is not just academic—it's fatal. The faculty, led by the enigmatic Dean Harrow, are both mentors and gatekeepers, ensuring that only the most capable and discreet students survive. Cliff's initial awe and confusion give way to a growing sense of purpose, as he realizes that his second chance comes with a price: succeed in his thesis (the murder of his employer) or become a liability to be "deleted" himself.

New Students, New Motives

The narrative expands to introduce two other pivotal students: Gemma Lindley, a British hospital administrator blackmailed by her boss, and Dulcie Mown, a Hollywood actress whose career is being destroyed by a vindictive studio head. Each arrives at McMasters with their own burdens and motivations. Gemma's guilt over a mercy killing and her entrapment by a manipulative superior drive her to seek both escape and justice. Dulcie, hiding her celebrity identity, is determined to reclaim her life and career by orchestrating the perfect deletion. Their stories intertwine with Cliff's, creating a tapestry of ambition, desperation, and the search for redemption.

Lessons in Deletion

Life at McMasters is a blend of collegiate camaraderie and constant peril. Students attend classes on poisons, disguise, alibi construction, and the psychology of murder. Practical exercises—some deadly, some simulated—test their ingenuity and resolve. Rivalries and alliances form, with students like the cunning Jud Helkampf and the affable Cubby Terhune adding tension and comic relief. The emotional tone oscillates between anxiety, excitement, and dark humor, as the students grapple with the reality that failure means death, and success means living with the consequences of their actions.

The Art of Disguise

Disguise and deception are central to the McMasters method. Cliff, Dulcie, and others learn to become unrecognizable, not just physically but psychologically. Dulcie's background as an actress gives her an edge, allowing her to slip into roles and manipulate perceptions. Cliff's engineering skills translate into meticulous planning and improvisation. The chapter explores the fluidity of identity and the necessity of becoming someone else to achieve one's lethal goals. The emotional undercurrent is one of liberation and unease, as students discover both the thrill and the cost of living behind a mask.

Gemma's Guilt and Resolve

Gemma's journey is marked by deep internal conflict. Her previous act of mercy—euthanizing her suffering father—haunts her, and the blackmail by her boss, Adele, pushes her toward a second, more self-serving murder. Despite her intelligence and resourcefulness, Gemma is plagued by doubt and empathy, making her the most morally conflicted of the protagonists. Her struggle is not just with her target, but with herself, as she seeks a way to survive without losing her soul. The emotional arc is one of mounting tension, as the pressure to act collides with her innate compassion.

Dulcie's Hollywood Trap

Dulcie's story is a biting satire of Hollywood's cruelty and hypocrisy. Blacklisted and humiliated by studio head Leonid Kosta, she uses her skills in performance and misdirection to set an elaborate trap. Her plan involves seduction, disguise, and the creation of an ironclad alibi, all while navigating the treacherous waters of studio politics and personal betrayal. The emotional tone is one of righteous anger, dark wit, and a fierce determination to reclaim agency over her life and career. Dulcie's arc is a masterclass in turning victimhood into power.

Rivalries and Alliances

As the term progresses, the students' relationships become more complex. Cliff faces hostility from Jud Helkampf, whose sadism and ambition make him a dangerous rival. Alliances form out of necessity and genuine connection—Cliff and Gemma's tentative friendship, Dulcie's mentorship, and Cubby's comic loyalty. The annual Track Meet, a deadly game of hunter and hunted, tests these bonds and exposes the limits of trust. The emotional landscape is fraught with suspicion, camaraderie, and the ever-present threat of betrayal.

Track Meet: Predator and Prey

The Track Meet is the crucible in which students' skills and ethics are tested. Assigned as hunters or quarry, they must outwit and outlast each other in a campus-wide game that blurs the line between simulation and reality. Cliff's encounter with Jud turns lethal, forcing him to rely on both cunning and luck. Gemma, targeted by a rival, must choose between self-preservation and compassion. The event crystallizes the novel's central themes: the cost of survival, the ambiguity of justice, and the thin line between hunter and hunted.

The Final Theses

As graduation approaches, each protagonist must carry out their thesis—the murder that will secure their freedom and future. Cliff orchestrates an elaborate scheme to frame Fiedler for espionage and drive him to suicide, using every lesson learned at McMasters. Gemma, unable to go through with her plan when she discovers her target is pregnant, chooses mercy over murder, risking her own life. Dulcie executes a flawless deletion of Kosta, blending performance, misdirection, and ignominy to ensure her own exoneration. The emotional stakes are at their highest, as each character confronts the reality of their choices.

Fiedler's Downfall

Cliff's confrontation with Fiedler is the novel's climax—a battle of wits, wills, and ethics. Using a combination of psychological manipulation, forensic trickery, and engineered circumstance, Cliff ensures that Fiedler's death appears both self-inflicted and just. The scene is charged with catharsis and ambiguity, as Cliff achieves his goal but is left to grapple with the aftermath. The emotional resolution is bittersweet: justice is served, but at a personal cost that lingers beyond the act itself.

Gemma's Moral Dilemma

Gemma's refusal to kill her pregnant blackmailer, even at the risk of her own life, is both her failure and her triumph. The faculty at McMasters, recognizing the depth of her compassion, offer her a place on staff rather than expulsion or death. Her arc resolves with a sense of hard-won peace, as she finds a new purpose in guiding others through the moral labyrinth she has survived. The emotional tone is one of relief, humility, and a renewed sense of self-worth.

Dulcie's Oscar Performance

Dulcie's deletion of Kosta is a tour de force of performance, deception, and calculated scandal. By ensuring that his death is shrouded in ignominy and sexual ambiguity, she protects herself from suspicion and secures her future. The aftermath is both triumphant and hollow, as she realizes that victory in the game of murder does not guarantee happiness or fulfillment. The emotional arc is one of pride, exhaustion, and a lingering sense of loss.

Aftermaths and New Beginnings

The novel concludes with the survivors—Cliff, Gemma, Dulcie—each finding a new place in the world, shaped but not defined by their experiences at McMasters. Cliff and Gemma return to the conservatory as staff, ready to guide the next generation of deletists. Dulcie, now a star in Europe, contemplates her next move. The emotional tone is one of closure and renewal, as the characters embrace the possibility of redemption, even as the shadow of their actions lingers. The story ends with the assurance that the lessons of McMasters—both dark and illuminating—will continue to shape lives and destinies.

Characters

Cliff Iverson

Cliff is the novel's central protagonist, an aeronautical engineer whose life is upended by the cruelty of his boss, Fiedler. Driven by a sense of justice and personal loss, Cliff's journey is one of transformation from victim to agent. His psychological arc is marked by guilt, self-doubt, and a relentless pursuit of redemption—not just for himself, but for those harmed by Fiedler's actions. At McMasters, Cliff's analytical mind and innate decency set him apart, making him both a target and a leader. His relationships—with Gemma, Dulcie, and his unseen benefactor—are fraught with longing, respect, and the search for meaning. By the novel's end, Cliff has mastered the art of deletion, but at the cost of his innocence and certainty.

Gemma Lindley

Gemma is a British hospital administrator whose life is dominated by guilt over a mercy killing and the ongoing blackmail by her boss, Adele. Her psychological complexity lies in her empathy and reluctance to harm, even when justified. Gemma's journey is one of self-forgiveness and the struggle to reconcile necessity with compassion. Her relationships—with her mother, Cliff, and her tormentor—are defined by loyalty, fear, and the desperate need for agency. Ultimately, Gemma's refusal to kill when it would harm an innocent marks her as both a failure and a hero, earning her a place at McMasters as a guide for others.

Dulcie Mown (Doria Maye)

Dulcie, secretly the famous actress Doria Maye, is a study in reinvention and resilience. Her career sabotaged by a vindictive studio head, she turns to McMasters to reclaim her power. Dulcie's psychological strength is her ability to inhabit roles, manipulate perceptions, and turn vulnerability into weaponry. Her relationships are transactional but not without genuine connection—her mentorship of Cliff, her rivalry with Kosta, and her camaraderie with other students. Dulcie's arc is one of triumph and emptiness, as she achieves her goal but is left questioning the cost of victory.

Merrill Fiedler

Fiedler is the embodiment of toxic authority—a boss who thrives on cruelty, manipulation, and self-preservation. His psychological profile is one of narcissism, paranoia, and a relentless drive to maintain power at any cost. Fiedler's relationships are exploitative, leaving a trail of broken lives and ruined careers. His downfall is engineered by Cliff, who uses Fiedler's own vices and weaknesses against him. Fiedler's death is both justice and tragedy, a reminder of the corrosive effects of unchecked power.

Dean Harbinger Harrow

Dean Harrow is the heart and mind of McMasters, guiding students through the ethical and practical challenges of deletion. His psychological depth lies in his ability to balance compassion with ruthlessness, tradition with innovation. Harrow's relationships—with students, faculty, and the unseen board—are marked by paternal care, strategic manipulation, and a deep belief in the school's mission. He is both a guide and a gatekeeper, ensuring that only the worthy survive.

Jud Helkampf

Jud is the dark mirror of McMasters—a student who embraces the school's teachings without conscience or restraint. His psychological makeup is one of ambition, cruelty, and a hunger for dominance. Jud's relationships are adversarial, particularly with Cliff and Gemma, whom he sees as obstacles to his own success. His eventual downfall serves as a warning about the dangers of unchecked aggression and the importance of moral boundaries.

Cubby Terhune

Cubby is the bumbling, well-meaning student whose repeated failures and optimism provide both humor and pathos. Psychologically, he is driven by a need for acceptance and a belief in second chances. His relationships—with Cliff, Dulcie, and the faculty—are marked by loyalty, naivete, and a surprising resilience. Cubby's arc is one of survival through luck and kindness, a reminder that not all killers are born, and some are barely made.

Adele Underton

Adele is Gemma's tormentor, using knowledge of Gemma's past to control and exploit her. Her psychological profile is one of insecurity masked by aggression, and her relationships are transactional and predatory. Adele's pregnancy becomes the turning point in Gemma's arc, forcing a choice between vengeance and mercy. Adele survives, but her power is broken, and she is left to face the consequences of her own actions.

Captain Dobson & Sergeant Stedge

Dobson and Stedge are the ex-cops who serve as both gatekeepers and guardians at McMasters. Their psychological complexity lies in their blend of cynicism, loyalty, and a genuine belief in the school's mission. They guide, test, and sometimes rescue students, embodying the paradoxes of law and lawlessness. Their relationships with Cliff and others are marked by tough love, dark humor, and a commitment to the greater good.

Lilliana Horvath

Lilliana is the emotional anchor for Cliff, providing both motivation and support. Her psychological depth is revealed in her quiet resilience, her willingness to sacrifice for justice, and her role as Cliff's anonymous sponsor. Her relationship with Cliff is one of surrogate family, shared loss, and mutual respect. Lilliana's revelation as the benefactor is a moment of grace, underscoring the novel's themes of hidden connections and the power of compassion.

Plot Devices

The McMasters Method

The novel's central device is the existence of McMasters, a clandestine institution that teaches the art and ethics of murder. The school's curriculum blends practical skills—poisons, disguise, alibi construction—with a rigorous moral framework, embodied in the Four Enquiries. The narrative structure alternates between Cliff's journal, third-person accounts, and faculty reports, creating a layered, multifaceted perspective. Foreshadowing is used extensively, with early failures and lessons resurfacing in the protagonists' final acts. The school's rules—success or death, secrecy above all—create constant tension and drive the plot forward. The use of ignominy, disguise, and misdirection as both practical and thematic elements reinforces the novel's exploration of identity, justice, and the cost of survival.

Analysis

"Murder Your Employer" is a darkly satirical exploration of power, justice, and the human capacity for both cruelty and compassion. By framing murder as an academic discipline, Rupert Holmes invites readers to question the structures—corporate, social, and personal—that enable and excuse harm. The novel's central lesson is that the line between victim and perpetrator is perilously thin, and that the pursuit of justice is fraught with moral ambiguity. The Four Enquiries serve as both a guide and a challenge, forcing characters and readers alike to confront the consequences of their actions. The story's blend of suspense, humor, and psychological insight makes it both a gripping thriller and a meditation on the ethics of revenge. In a world where the powerful often escape accountability, "Murder Your Employer" offers a fantasy of redress—but at a cost that lingers long after the final page. The ultimate takeaway is that true justice requires not just skill, but conscience, and that the most dangerous weapon is the one wielded without reflection.

Last updated: August 31, 2025