Dark academia books to read, including The Secret History, Ninth House and The Cloisters.

Reading lists

The best dark academia books

Best books set in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England

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14 books set in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

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Interviews

The Things We Do To Our Friends: Author Heather Darwent on the inspiration behind her hit debut

The Things We Do To Our Friends

'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 
 
Sunday Times Bestseller 
Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023 
Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 
One of Cosmopolitan's Best Books for 2023 
 
------ 
 
In there, them, us, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted, and you’re going to love it. 
I promise. I’ll look after you. 
 
All her life Clare has never fit in. 
 
So when she arrives at Edinburgh University, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself. 
 
Then she meets Tabitha who is everything she’s not: charismatic, dazzling and intimidatingly wealthy. 
 
Soon Clare is sucked into Tabitha’s enigmatic circle of friends, and it’s all she hoped it would be. Until it’s not. 
 
Because they are not all they seem. 
 
And they’ve been waiting for Clare. 
 
With friends like these, who needs enemies? 
 
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 
 
'A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out 
 
'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 
 
Sunday Times bestseller, January 2023

Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive'

Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish

Perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains

Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her'

Heather Darwent is based just outside of Edinburgh, the setting for her Sunday Times bestselling debut, The Things We Do To Our Friends. Originally from Yorkshire, she came to Scotland to study and never quite left. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading chaotic non-fiction about Silicon Valley and swimming in the sea . . . or being unbearably boring in conversation about swimming in the sea. A Sharp Scratch is her second novel.

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?

Heather Darwent

Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her

Heather Darwent reinvents Gothic horror for the Goop generation in this seductive novel about wellness culture, psychological manipulation and the female body

An atmospheric and visceral read, reminiscent of Donna Tartt. Pacy, unsettling and wildly unpredictable, I loved it!

Heather Darwent's deliciously dark second novel has a real bite to it; I'm going to be thinking about THAT ENDING for quite some time. It's a fever dream of a book for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Earthlings.

This book cements Darwent as the best modern thriller writer working today

Kept me guessing until the last page . . . I can't wait to read more from this author

A compelling and original tale of chronic illness and obsession. A wonderfully dark satire on the wellness industry and modern living

So dark, so sharply written, pulsing with tension and weirdness... Unforgettable

A thrill ride of a novel: hugely original and absorbing and packed full of OMG moments

Darkly delicious. I couldn't stop thinking about it

Eerie, intense, claustrophobic and grotesque in the best possible way. I’m a firm fan of Heather Darwent and cannot wait to read whatever she writes next.

Intoxicatingly dark . . . this twisted thriller about toxic friendships makes for compulsive reading

Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive

S J Watson on The Things We Do To Our Friends

Emma Flint on The Things We Do To Our Friends

We can fix you. 
 
It's a promise that Betsy has heard far too many times. From the child psychologist, from her husband, and from the wellness trends that scream at her from her screen. 
 
So far, it's been a lie. 
 
But this time, she believes it. Because Betsy has been offered a place at Carn - a luxurious, unorthodox retreat, where healing really is possible. At Carn, she discovers that her imperfections make her unique, not weak. She isn't broken, just special. 
 
All Betsy has to do is follow the rules . . .

Heather Darwent

Praise for A Sharp Scratch

Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her

A compulsive and unsettling read

Heather Darwent reinvents Gothic horror for the Goop generation in this seductive novel about wellness culture, psychological manipulation and the female body

Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her

A compulsive and unsettling read

Heather Darwent reinvents Gothic horror for the Goop generation in this seductive novel about wellness culture, psychological manipulation and the female body

Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her

A compulsive and unsettling read

Heather Darwent reinvents Gothic horror for the Goop generation in this seductive novel about wellness culture, psychological manipulation and the female body

Books by Heather Darwent

Articles featuring Heather Darwent

The best dark academia books

14 books set in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

The Things We Do To Our Friends: Author Heather Darwent on the inspiration behind her hit debut

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