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Kill Your Boss by Shane Kuhn
Aug. 18th, 2014 11:22 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
If you’re reading this, you’re a new employee at Human Resources, Inc.
Congratulations. And condolences. At the very least, you’re embarking on a career that you will never be able to describe as dull. You’ll go to interesting places. You’ll meet unique and stimulating people from all walks of life. And kill them. You will make a lot of money, but that will mean nothing to you after the first job.
Assassination, no matter how easy it looks in the movies, is the most difficult, stressful and lonely profession on the planet.
Even when you’re disguised as an intern.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Shane Kuhn’s debut novel is a slick and fast-paced comedy thriller with some great lines that kept me turning the pages. I loved Lago’s wry, first person narration and enjoyed the structure of the novel (which is largely presented as a manifesto written by Lago summarising advice for new employees of Human Resources, Inc. together with information from an FBI investigation). I also enjoyed the exchanges between Lago and his boss, Bob, which has a strained fatherly vibe to it. However, the book’s ironic attitude to Hollywood cliché is undermined by Kuhn’s reliance on the same (most notably in a ninja infiltration scene but also in the portrayal of mafiosos), a key twist is far too obvious and its execution sloppily handled and while I loved the ballsy Alice (a fellow intern at the law firm John’s targeting and who he gradually falls in love with), in the final quarter she’s reduced to a two-dimensional harpy whose motivation I didn’t buy into. Despite those reservations, it’s a breezy, entertaining read and I would definitely check out Kuhn’s next book.
Congratulations. And condolences. At the very least, you’re embarking on a career that you will never be able to describe as dull. You’ll go to interesting places. You’ll meet unique and stimulating people from all walks of life. And kill them. You will make a lot of money, but that will mean nothing to you after the first job.
Assassination, no matter how easy it looks in the movies, is the most difficult, stressful and lonely profession on the planet.
Even when you’re disguised as an intern.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Shane Kuhn’s debut novel is a slick and fast-paced comedy thriller with some great lines that kept me turning the pages. I loved Lago’s wry, first person narration and enjoyed the structure of the novel (which is largely presented as a manifesto written by Lago summarising advice for new employees of Human Resources, Inc. together with information from an FBI investigation). I also enjoyed the exchanges between Lago and his boss, Bob, which has a strained fatherly vibe to it. However, the book’s ironic attitude to Hollywood cliché is undermined by Kuhn’s reliance on the same (most notably in a ninja infiltration scene but also in the portrayal of mafiosos), a key twist is far too obvious and its execution sloppily handled and while I loved the ballsy Alice (a fellow intern at the law firm John’s targeting and who he gradually falls in love with), in the final quarter she’s reduced to a two-dimensional harpy whose motivation I didn’t buy into. Despite those reservations, it’s a breezy, entertaining read and I would definitely check out Kuhn’s next book.
