1 1

If We Were Villains Spiral-Bound | 2017-04-11

M. L. Rio

★★★★☆+ from 50,001 + ratings

$29.59 - Free Shipping
If We Were Villains is a smart, upmarket literary page-turner in the tradition of The Secret History.

Oliver Marks has just served ten years for the murder of one of his closest friends - a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the detective who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened ten years ago.

As a young actor studying Shakespeare at an elite arts conservatory, Oliver noticed that his talented classmates seem to play the same roles onstage and off – villain, hero, tyrant, temptress – though Oliver felt doomed to always be a secondary character in someone else’s story. But when the teachers change up the casting, a good-natured rivalry turns ugly, and the plays spill dangerously over into life.

When tragedy strikes, one of the seven friends is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Beautifully written with a thrilling plot, If We Were Villains is a story of friendship, passion, and obsession.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 125009528X
Item Weight: 1.2 lbs
Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars 50,001 + ratings
"This is a rare and extraordinary novel: a vivid rendering of the closed world of a conservatory education, a tender and harrowing exploration of friendship, and a genuinely breathtaking literary thriller. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and can't wait to read what M.L. Rio writes next."
--Emily St. John Mandel, New York Times bestselling author of Station Eleven

"Much like Donna Tartt's A Secret History, M.L Rio's sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship and obsession. Both comic and tragic, this novel asks what people are willing to sacrifice in the name of ambition. Expertly plotted, beautifully written, If We Were Villains will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments."
--Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

M. L. Rio is currently pursuing her MA in Shakespeare Studies at King's College London. If We Were Villains is her debut novel.