The wonderful fantasy writer V.S. Schwab recently asked for recommendations on books from her readers.

I was surprised to see a new book I’d never heard of mentioned by many — If We Were Villains, by M.L. Rio.

I promptly purchased the book and it’s been my happiest book find, and the first book I finished in 2019! Reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s classic The Secret History and replete with bookish clues, like The Rule of Four (Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomasen),

Villains tells the story of four Shakespeare-obsessed undergraduates who find themselves obsessed and murderous and in a desperate hunt to find a murderer in their midst.  Like any great Shakespearean tragedy, this novel haunts for a long time, and I absolutely loved the book.

This is my January book recommendation!