If We Were Villains
A Novel
📘 About This Book
“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest "Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare...Readable, smart.” —New York Times Book Review 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. A decade ago: 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, extras. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn 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. If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle's Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, "A well-written and gripping ode to the stage...A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth."
📖 Summary
M. L. Rio's 2017 debut novel, If We Were Villains, offers a richly layered and riveting story of love, friendship, and obsession set within the secluded world of a classical conservatory. The narrative opens on the day Oliver Marks is released from jail after serving a ten-year sentence. Waiting for him at the prison doors is the very man who put him there: Detective Colborne. Having retired from the force, Colborne is still haunted by the past and wants to know the absolute truth about what happened a decade ago. After ten years of silence, Oliver is finally ready to tell his story. Flash back ten years to Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition, fierce competition, firelight, and leather-bound books. Here, Oliver is one of seven young, intensely dedicated Shakespearean actors. In this cloistered environment, the lines between the characters they play on stage and their real lives begin to blur dangerously. The students live, breathe, and speak in the dramatic cadence of the Bard, treating every interaction as a scene and every rehearsal as a crucible. As their youthful rivalries, unrequited affections, and complex loyalties deepen, the intense pressure of their academic and artistic pursuits pushes the group toward a tragic breaking point. What begins as artistic passion and harmless theatricality gradually descends into something much darker. The book explores how easily obsession can masquerade as devotion, and how the pursuit of dramatic perfection can manifest destructive consequences in the real world. As the boundaries separating fiction from reality dissolve, the tight-knit circle of friends finds itself entangled in a web of secrets, betrayals, and ultimately, a real-life crime that changes all of their lives forever. Through Oliver's long-delayed confession to Detective Colborne, the novel unravels the intricate psychological dynamics of the group over the course of those fateful years at Dellecher. Readers are taken on a tense, atmospheric journey through academia, guilt, memory, and the enduring power of dramatic tragedy. Rio crafts a tale that is deeply infatuated with classical literature while remaining thoroughly grounded in the psychological suspense of a modern thriller. As the truth finally comes to light in the book's electrifying final moments, both the detective and the reader are forced to confront the chilling realization that playing the villain on stage can sometimes have devastating, irreversible consequences in reality.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Richly layered storytelling that keeps readers riveted through its final moments
Deeply intelligent and cleverly infused with the works of William Shakespeare
Compelling psychological dynamics among the tight-knit group of characters
Atmospheric and immersive setting at the Dellecher Classical Conservatory
⚠️ Cons
The dark and intense themes may not appeal to readers seeking lighthearted fiction
The slow-burn nature of the mystery requires patience from the reader
✍️ About the Author
❓ FAQ
Who is the author of If We Were Villains? +
The book is written by M. L. Rio and serves as her sparkling debut novel.
When was the book published? +
If We Were Villains was published in 2017.
How many pages are in the book? +
The novel spans 368 pages.
What is the primary setting of the story? +
The story is primarily set at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a secluded and competitive environment.
Who are the main characters framing the narrative? +
The framing narrative involves Oliver Marks, who has just been released from jail, and Detective Colborne, who put him there.
