When We Were Killers: A gripping, shocking dark academia thriller about toxic friendship set in Scotland
By (Author) C.F. Barrington
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
29th July 2025
1st May 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Drugs and alcohol: social aspects
Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology)
Crime and mystery fiction
823.92
Paperback
432
Width 128mm, Height 196mm, Spine 30mm
300g
Five friends. One deadly obsession.
The salt-scented quadrangles of St Andrews University greet misfit first-year student Finn Nethercott with indifference. It is a place where 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 who sweep him away on wild adventures to forgotten castles and faerie lochs.
But he soon discovers the darker sides of his new friends: deadly rivalries, midnight rituals, and a desperate search for a long-lost hallucinogen. And as Finn sinks into a world where he cant always trust what hes seen each night, the group will learn just how deadly obsession can be
A shocking fever-dream of a thriller perfect for fans M.L. Rios If We Were Villains, Ashley Winsteads In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Ellie Keels 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
'A stylish and darkly evocative thriller that it had me racing through the pages to reach the brilliant and unsettling conclusion.' RUTH HOGAN
'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 *
'C.F. Barrington's tale of obsession, grief, toxic friendships and drug-fuelled violence gripped me in its berserker paranoia, dragging me inexorably towards its heart-achingly poignant conclusion. When We Were Killers is a splintered gem of a book. Dark Academia at its seductive, shadowy best.' * Matthew Harffy *
'A stylish and darkly evocative thriller that it had me racing through the pages to reach the brilliant and unsettling conclusion. Chris is such a natural storyteller and his characters are relatable, yet complex and fascinating. Another absolute corker!' * Ruth Hogan *
C.F. Barrington was raised in Hertfordshire and now divides his time between Fife and the Lake District. Follow him on www.cfbarrington.com.