If We Were Villains

If We Were Villains

By M.L. Rio
Published: Flatiron Books, 2017
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller
Goodreads, Amazon

This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.

About the book

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.

Review

If We Were Villains is a smart, intriguing novel set around a group of friends studying at a prestigious school of theater. 

This book is kind of like a whodunit murder mystery, but the author avoids the normal clique by beginning the novel with the narrator - Oliver - being released from prison and confusing the TRUE story to the now-retired police chief who had worked the crime during the initial arrest. The novel divided into "acts" (aka parts) with Oliver speaking with Colborne then smoothly transitioning to the past.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout the story; While the author placed clever foreshadowing scenes, I didn't guess the "killer" until almost the end. The characters are also very well-written, each with their own vices and virtues. 

The author executed the story beautifully with the works of Shakespeare as the background. Julius Caesar, King Lear, and Romeo and Juliet are key plays studied and performed by the students that also emulates their situations.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, but I'm not a poetry reader and I definitely consulted Sparknotes during certain portions of the novel. Poetry readers/Shakespeare fans will especially like this book. 

RATING (out of five puppies)