M. L. Rio

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.

If We Were Villains

The bestselling author of international BookTok sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story of a group of misfits who meet in the local cemetery each night to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave. Every night, in the college's ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story. One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn't there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom? Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks--and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.
Atmospheric and eerie, featuring an ensemble of misfits that fans will love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M. L. Rio's inimitable style.

A Novella

Graveyard Shift

'Enter the players. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us. Until that year, we saw no further than the books in front of our faces.' On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. Ten years before: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extra. But in their fourth and final year, the balance of power begins to shift, good-natured rivalries turned ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students' world of make believe. In the morning, the fourth years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent. Part coming-of-age story, part confession, If We Were Villains explores the magical and dangerous boundary between art and life. In this tale of loyalty and betrayal, madness and ecstasy, the players must choose what roles to play before the curtain falls.

A Novel

J. T. Ellison

Olivie Blake

Paul Kane

ENROLLMENT BEGINS NOW A beguiling, sinister collection of 12 dark academia short stories from masters of the genre, including Olivie Blake, M.L. Rio, Susie Yang and more! Darkened libraries at elite schools, looming Gothic towers, charismatic professors, the tang of autumn in the air… and the rivalries and obsessions that lead to murder. Within these Hallowed Halls is a chilling, compulsive collection of dark academia short stories.

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia anthology

Oliver Marks is released from jail after ten years and Detective Colborne who put him there is waiting at the door. He wants to know the truth. Oliver was one of seven young actors who played the same roles onstage and off: hero and villain. One day they faced their own tragedy and their greatest acting challenge: convince the police and themselves they were innocent.

Todos Somos Villanos

Non è colpa della luna

A jeśli jesteśmy złoczyńcami

Die TikTok-Sensation der Bestsellerautorin M.L. Rio endlich auf Deutsch. Ein Must-Read für alle Fans von Dark Academia! Sieben Freunde. Rücksichtsloser Ehrgeiz. Ein geheimnisvoller Todesfall. Oliver Marks bekommt immer nur die Nebenrollen. Trotzdem ist der junge Schauspieler glücklich am renommierten Dellecher College, einer abgeschiedenen Welt mit flackernden Kaminfeuern und ledergebundenen Büchern. Die sieben Studenten seines Jahrgangs sind eine eingeschworene Gemeinschaft, besessen von der Schauspielerei und von Shakespeare. Die Rollen, die sie auf der Bühne verkörpern, legen sie auch privat nicht ab: Mitläufer, Verführerin, Held. Der charismatische Richard gibt die unberechenbaren Tyrannen. Doch eines Tages treibt einer der Freunde tot im Collegesee. Die anderen stehen vor einer schwierigen Wahl: Sollen sie der Wahrheit ins Auge sehen oder weiter ihre Rollen wahren?

Roman. Die TikTok-Sensation auf Deutsch

If We Were Villains. Wenn aus Freunden Feinde werden

Das verborgene Spiel

If we were villains. Non è colpa della luna

If We Were Villains - Illustrated Edition: The Sensational TikTok Book Club Pick

Als zeven veelbelovende studenten in de ban raken van het werk van Shakespeare en een van hen onder verdachte omstandigheden om het leven komt, ontwikkelt zich een echte tragedie in hun persoonlijke levens.

M. L. Rio

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