If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio
If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio
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If We Were Villains
A Novel

Author: M. L. Rio

Narrator: Robert Petkoff

Unabridged: 12 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/11/2017


Synopsis

“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...If We Were Villains will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.”
--Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Intelligent, thrilling, and richly detailed, If We Were Villains is a captivating story of the enduring power and passion of words.

About M. L. Rio

M. L. Rio holds an MA in Shakespeare studies from King’s College London and Shakespeare’s Globe and a PhD in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her bestselling first novel If We Were Villains has been published in twenty countries and eighteen languages. Graveyard Shift is her first novella.

About Robert Petkoff

Robert Petkoff has won multiple AudioFile Earphones awards for his acclaimed narrations. He was named Best Voice of Fiction & Classics for his reading of The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale. His other narration credits include Oath of Office by Michael Palmer, Gangster Squad by Paul Lieberman, and books by David Foster Wallace.Petkoff has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in theaters across America and Europe.  He has worked in television and film. His theater credits include Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in the Broadway production of Anything Goes, Perchik as part of the Tony-nomianted cast of Fiddler on the Roof, and Hubert Humphrey in the Tony award-winning play All the Way. He has also had numerous roles in television on shows such as Law and Order and Married with Children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Elle on March 23, 2022

You can justify anything, if you do it poetically enough. this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year... almost definitely. I’m saying that now on January 26th because I want you all to know. I genuinely cannot remember the last time I found myself so utterly engaged in a boo......more

Goodreads review by emma on January 18, 2024

Just got word - there's a new set of the coolest possible things you can be. 1) very into Shakespeare (can quote at length in casual conversation) 2) unbearably pretentious 3) complicit in a murder with your group of friends You might think that the coolest things you can be might include traditional th......more

Goodreads review by jessica on March 07, 2022

yet another reread and its good to know that dark academia is still my preferred aesthetic. ____________________________________ this book! this book! my kingdom for this book! this is absolutely sensational, a true work of brilliance. i am so enamoured by this story and everything it has to offer. its......more

Goodreads review by Destiny on October 19, 2023

3🌟 I think this book is super fun, twisty, and dark if you're looking for that vibe then you should pick up this book Unfortunately I think I rated this book a little lower because of how heavily this book is inspired by shakespeare and the impact was lost on me since I know nothing about any of his......more

Goodreads review by Kayla Dawn on August 01, 2019

Uhm.. this was boring? And maybe I'm uncultured or whatever but my god all of those Shakespeare quotes annoyed the hell out of me. I didn't care for any of the characters, I didn't care for the plot and I didn't care who the murderer was (and if we're being honest, there wasn't even really a mystery......more