Book Review: If We Were Villains by M.L Rio

Title: If We Were Villains

Author: M.L Rio

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Adult, Mystery

Pages: 354

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Year Published: 2017

Format: Audiobook

"Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail- for a murder, he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of the seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless."

My Rating: 5/5

I had tried to pick this book up physically. Still, due to the different use of language (Shakespearean quotes thrown throughout), I had a lot of trouble distinguishing who was who and put it down shortly after starting. I saw that my library got an audiobook version and this was the last chance I was giving this novel. Now if you told me that I would have rated this a 5-star book I would not have believed you. I was leaning towards 4.5 stars until the final twist. I wasn't ready for how this was going to finish. I would strongly recommend the audiobook it is EXCELLENT! I hope to read more work by M.L Rio. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny