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When We Were Killers
A gripping, shocking dark academia thriller and Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 568 ratings, 173 reviews)
Brief Description
Saltburn meets The Secret History in this gripping tale of alchemy and academia. IAN RANKIN THE WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR MAY 2025 Five friends. One deadly obsession. The salt-scented quadrangles of St Andrews University greet misfit first-year student Finn Nethercott with indifference. This...
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When We Were Killers
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See moreA dark-academia thriller set at the University of St Andrews in Scotland that follows a group of friends fascinated by the ancient hallucinogenic history of Scotland.
A dark-academia thriller set at the University of St Andrews in Scotland that follows a group of friends fascinated by the ancient hallucinogenic history of Scotland.
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Description
Saltburn meets The Secret History in this gripping tale of alchemy and academia. IAN RANKIN
THE WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR MAY 2025
Five friends. One deadly obsession.
The salt-scented quadrangles of St Andrews University greet misfit first-year student Finn Nethercott with indifference. This is a place where only privilege counts, and those from the right backgrounds can get away with murder.
Finn is quickly seduced into a new circle of friends. Four history scholars obsessed with the deepest roots of ancient Scotland. They sweep him away on wild adventures to forgotten castles and faerie lochs.
But he soon discovers the darker sides of his new friendships: deadly rivalries, midnight rituals, and a desperate search for a long-lost hallucinogen.
Then, as Finn is pulled into a world where he can’t always trust what he’s seen each night, the group’s obsession turns deadly…
A shocking fever-dream of a thriller perfect for fans of M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains, Ashley Winstead’s In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, and Ellie Keel’s The Four.
'I was blown away by this visceral roar of a novel: erudite, pacy, and deeply moving. Think The Secret History on acid. Beautifully written and impossible to put down.' J.S. MONROE, author of Find Me and No Place to Hide
When We Were Killers is a splintered gem of a book. Dark Academia at its seductive, shadowy best. MATTHEW HARFFY
Next to impossible to put down... This is bloody brilliant. MICHAEL JECKS
A stylish and darkly evocative thriller that had me racing through the pages. RUTH HOGAN
Readers love When We Were Killers!
'Like a rollercoaster you don't want to get off' *
'The book for you if you're searching for a good Dark Academia' *
'A first-rate mystery novel!' *
'Dark academia at its finest'
'Absolutely fantastic'
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781804545751
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 May 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 432
About the Author
C.F. Barrington was raised in Hertfordshire and now divides his time between Fife and the Lake District. Follow him on www.cfbarrington.com.
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