If We Were Villains

Ten years after his release from prison, Oliver Marks is finally ready to confess the truth to Detective Colborne, the man who put him behind bars. His story begins a decade earlier at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, an elite institution where seven fiercely ambitious Shakespearean actors live and breathe their art. Among them, Oliver and his friends embody archetypal roles both on and off stage: hero, villain, ingénue, tyrant. But as their final year unfolds, the line between performance and reality blurs. Good-natured rivalries escalate into dark jealousies, leading to a fateful night where real violence shatters their insular world. When one of them is found dead, the remaining six are thrust into their most challenging roles yet: convincing the authorities, each other, and themselves of their innocence. M. L. Rio's 'If We Were Villains' is a captivating blend of dark academia, suspense, and tragedy, exploring the profound and dangerous ties of loyalty and betrayal in a world steeped in theatrical illusion.