Publisher's Synopsis
'Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish' Emma Flint, Little Deaths
'Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive' S J Watson, Before I Go To Sleep
'A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out
*Sunday Times Bestseller*
*Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023*
*Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize*
*Top Ten eBook bestseller*
*One of Cosmopolitan's Best Books for 2023*
*One of Apple's Best of the Month*
*One of FT's Best New Debut Fiction*
*Heat Book of the Week*
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Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate: to find the right people and reinvent herself.
And then she meets Tabitha.
Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly wealthy. Soon Clare is sucked into her enigmatic circle of friends and their dizzying world of champagne on rooftops and summers in France.
Her new life has begun.
Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. It's reckless, possibly perilous and might finally allow Clare to become who she was meant to be...
But how much is an extraordinary life worth if others have to pay?
An intoxicating feminist page-turner with shades of The Secret History and Promising Young Woman, this novel will take youon a journey from Edinburgh's dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.
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'Startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin' Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark
'Perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains' Cosmopolitan
'Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her' Sunday Times
'Dark academia and twisted friendships in gothic Edinburgh - what more could you want?' Cailean Steed, Home
'Creepy yet compulsive, this impressive novel will stay with you long after reading' Heat
'Dark and compulsive, this will have you turning the pages late into the night' Sarah Bonner, Her Perfect Twin
'Themes of obsession, revenge and desire collide in a twisty, dark and delicious feminist thriller' Big Issue
'An intriguing and complex heroine' Phoebe Wynne, Madam
'Darwent keeps the reader guessing. Any time the balance of power appears to settle, the plot takes another twist' Scotland on Sunday
'Such an immersive, surprising, impressive debut' Niamh Hargan, Twelve Days In May
'Power, privilege and the most toxic of friendships. All set against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh' Carys Jones, The List
