Picture this: a moody fall evening on campus, books in hand, chills in the air. Rumors of secret societies and long-buried crimes plague your university classes. Are you freaked—or intrigued?
If you love broody, psychological thrillers with a gothic edge and autumn vibes, these dark academia books will have you spellbound faster than you can say “Freud.”
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A contemporary literary classic and “an accomplished psychological thriller … absolutely chilling” (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch.
“A huge, mesmerizing, galloping read, pleasurably devoured …. Gorgeously written, relentlessly erudite.” –Vanity Fair
“A haunting, compelling, and brilliant piece of fiction …. Packed with literary allusion and told with a sophistication and texture that owes much more to the nineteenth century than to the twentieth.” —The Times (London)
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to View the Reading Guide.
The Ghosts of Harvard: A Novel by Francesca Serritella
TEEN VOGUE BOOK CLUB PICK • A Harvard freshman becomes obsessed with her schizophrenic brother’s suicide. Then she starts hearing voices.
“A rich, intricately plotted thriller . . . Serritella, who is a Harvard grad herself, writes about the campus with an insider’s savvy.”—Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post
“Every time I thought I knew where Ghosts of Harvard was heading, I turned out to be wrong. Part mystery, part ghost story, part psychological thriller, this novel is all entertainment.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
View or Download the Book Club Kit.
The Lake of Dead Languages: A Novel by Carol Goodman
Twenty years ago, Jane Hudson fled the Heart Lake School for Girls in the Adirondacks after a terrible tragedy. The week before her graduation, in that sheltered wonderland, three lives were taken, all victims of suicide. Only Jane was left to carry the burden of a mystery that has stayed hidden in the depths of Heart Lake for more than two decades. Now Jane has returned to the school as a Latin teacher, recently separated and hoping to make a fresh start with her young daughter. But ominous messages from the past dredge up forgotten memories. And young, troubled girls are beginning to die again–as piece by piece the shattering truth slowly floats to the surface. . . .
“Like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History or a good film noir . . . Jane’s low-key narration has just the right tone to keep readers hooked.”–People (Page-turner of the week)
“The strength of The Lake of Dead Languages is a silken prose that lures the reader into Goodman’s . . . story of murder, suicide . . . revenge, and madness.”–The Washington Post Book World
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to View the Reading Guide.
Tell Me Everything: A Novel by Cambria Brockman
“A compulsive page-turner with shades of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History peopled by a new generation.”—Catherine Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water
“Gripping . . . Brockman paints an unnerving portrait of the power people hold over one another—especially as they blur the line between protective and obsessive.”—Time
“At once a complex thriller and antihero origin story, Cambria Brockman’s riveting debut is a true page-turner.”—Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of the Spellman series and The Passenger
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
The Truants by Kate Weinberg
Perfect for lovers of Agatha Christie and The Secret History, The Truants is a seductive, unsettling, and beautifully written debut novel of literary suspense–a thrilling exploration of deceit, first love, and the depths to which obsession can drive us.
“This is a remarkably assured debut, deftly plotted and with vivid, compelling characters that leap off the page. I had no idea where it was going to end up—but I knew I would be satisfied, and I was. I look forward to seeing what Kate Weinberg writes next.”—Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You
“Weinberg’s ‘truants’ are skillfully drawn, compelling and complicated in equal measures….Weinberg is a crackling good writer. The Truants is a novel worth skipping class for, and Weinberg’s writing marks the arrival of a sure talent.”—USA Today
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
The Swallows: A Novel by Lisa Lutz
A teacher at a New England prep school ignites a gender war—with deadly consequences—in this dark and provocative novel by the bestselling author of The Passenger.
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Leda and the Swan: A Novel by Anna Caritj
In a hothouse of collegiate sex and ambition, one young woman mysteriously disappears after a wild campus party, and another becomes obsessed with finding her.
“If you’re a fan of books about ivory towers with dark secrets, consider Leda and the Swan a must-read new entry.” —Harper’s Bazaar, “Best Summer Books of Summer 2021”
“Long on atmosphere, a spooky-bucolic campus setting, and the strong character building of its tough, guarded protagonist . . . Like the myth of its title, Caritj’s novel entangles the vulnerability and agency of young, mortal women.” —Booklist
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Hex: A Novel by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight
A breathtaking and hypnotic novel about poison, antidotes, and obsessive love.
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
A Pick For Teen Listeners
The Ivies by Alexa Donne; Read by Phoebe Strole
Enroll in this boarding school thriller about a group of prep school elites who would kill to get into the college of their dreams…literally.
“The Plastics meet the Heathers in this murder mystery about ruthless Ivy League ambition.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Twisty and thrilling…boarding school murder has never been so much fun!” –Kara Thomas, author of That Weekend
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Download Editions.
