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The Four

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What to expect

Dark academia perfect for fans of The Secret History and If We Were Villains. Four scholarship students’ dreams come true when they are accepted into an exclusive boarding school, but they will soon be bound by a dark secret that could save one of them… or destroy them all…

'A dark, compelling and beguiling novel of revenge, guilt and love – Ellie Keel is a dazzling new voice’ Kate Mosse

‘An intensely gripping, thrilling and darkly beautiful debut. I was hooked’ Karin Slaughter

‘Sharp, powerful, tragic and addictive’ Chris Whitaker

‘This is The Secret History for millennials' Daisy Goodwin

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We were always The Four. From our very first day at High Realms.

The four scholarship pupils. Outsiders in a world of power and privilege.

It would have made our lives a lot easier if Marta had simply pushed Genevieve out of our bedroom window that day. Certainly, it would have been tragic. She would have died instantly.

But Marta didn’t push her then, or – if you choose to believe me – at any other time. If she had, all of what we went through would not have happened.

I’ve told this story as clearly as I could – as rationally as I’ve been able, in the circumstances, to achieve. I don’t regret what we did. And I would do it all again.

🎓

Reader reviews:

'A shockingly powerful debut… raw and unflinching, not for the faint of heart' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Beautifully written and utterly brutal' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Complex and heart wrenching and oh so gripping' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎓

'Suspenseful… an engrossing read' The Sunday Times

‘Addictive debut… sharp, compelling’ Adele Parks, Platinum

'Darkly disturbing and deeply atmospheric' Heat

‘One warning: clear your diary before you pick up this novel, as once you’ve read a handful of pages you will be hooked' I News

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* A Blackwell's Booksellers' Choice for 2024

* A Fabulous Magazine Top Book of 2024

* Featured in Dua Lipa’s Service95 Top Fiction Trends for 2024

Critics Review

  • ‘Haunting and tragic, a tale revealing the ugliness of adolescence – and humanity’ Cecelia Ahern

    ‘Poignant and tragic, visceral and cruel, it’s about the best and the worst of what makes us human’ Emma Flint

    ‘Dark academia fans rejoice: this should be on your to-be-read pile… At times bittersweet, at others extremely sad, this is a tragically beautiful tale that embraces everything that adolescence offers’ Belfast Telegraph

    ‘Very stylishly done and chilling too’ Georgina Moore

    ‘The Four shakes up A Secret History with Mallory Towers to concoct a horrifically thrilling, emotionally gripping story of adolescent fear, pride, and loyalty’ Louisa Young

    ‘This dark, intense novel is hugely addictive’ Fabulous

    ‘Immersive academic noir set in a boarding school dominated by a toxic ruling cadre, with four teens striving for survival in the baroque horror of that claustrophobic world’ Harriet Tyce

    ‘The Four is a dark, thrilling and deeply atmospheric thriller. Impossible to put down!’ Lucy Clarke

    ‘One of the best debuts I’ve read in a long time’ Caroline Corcoran

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