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Quick answer: If you liked In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, try The Secret History, If We Were Villains, Ninth House, The Maidens, Bunny and The Atlas Six. They share a campus, a close group of friends and a death that never stayed buried.
Ashley Winstead's 2020 thriller follows Jessica Miller as she returns to Duquette University for a ten-year reunion and faces the death of her friend Heather, and the group of friends who may be responsible. It is a twisty dark academia novel. These 15 books offer more campus thrillers, unreliable narrators and secrets that come out when old friends reunite.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Secret History | Donna Tartt | Adult | readers who want the original |
| If We Were Villains | M.L. Rio | Adult | readers who like theater |
| Ninth House | Leigh Bardugo | Adult | readers who like fantasy |
| The Maidens | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like campus murders |
| The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | Adult | readers who like psychological thrillers |
| Bunny | Mona Awad | Adult | readers who like weird fiction |
| The Atlas Six | Olivie Blake | Adult | readers who like moral gray areas |
| The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Adult | readers who like closed-circle mysteries |
| The Hunting Party | Lucy Foley | Adult | readers who like reunions |
| Truly Devious | Maureen Johnson | Teen/Adult | readers who want something lighter |
| One of Us Is Lying | Karen M. McManus | Teen/Adult | readers who like many suspects |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | readers who like unreliable narrators |
| We Were Liars | E. Lockhart | Teen/Adult | readers who like twist endings |
| The Last Housewife | Ashley Winstead | Adult | more by the same author |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Adult | readers who like social satire |
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A group of classics students at a Vermont college commit a murder and cover it up. The book that defined dark academia.
Best for: readers who want the original.
2. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Seven Shakespeare actors at an elite arts college face a death and a decade in prison. Dramatic and quotable.
Best for: readers who like theater.
3. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Alex Stern attends Yale to monitor secret societies that practice magic. Dark and violent.
Best for: readers who like fantasy.
4. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
A therapist investigates a series of murders at Cambridge tied to a secret society. Twisty and fast.
Best for: readers who like campus murders.
5. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Theo investigates why a woman has stopped speaking after murdering her husband. A big twist ending.
Best for: readers who like psychological thrillers.
6. Bunny by Mona Awad
Samantha joins a writing program and is drawn into a clique. Surreal and darkly funny.
Best for: readers who like weird fiction.
7. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Six magicians are recruited by a secret society to a library. Cold and clever.
Best for: readers who like moral gray areas.
8. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A wedding on an island turns into a murder mystery. Told by several narrators.
Best for: readers who like closed-circle mysteries.
9. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
A group of old friends gather in a remote Scottish lodge on New Year's Eve, and one is murdered. Tense and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like reunions.
10. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell investigates a cold case at an elite school. YA, but clever.
Best for: readers who want something lighter.
11. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Five students enter detention, and one dies. A fast YA thriller.
Best for: readers who like many suspects.
12. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears, and her husband is accused. A twisty, cynical marriage thriller.
Best for: readers who like unreliable narrators.
13. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
A rich family spends summers on a private island, and a tragedy changes everything. Short, lyrical and shocking.
Best for: readers who like twist endings.
14. The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
Winstead's later thriller about a secret women's group, with her signature twists and dark themes.
Best for: more by the same author.
15. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Parents at a school hide secrets that come out after a trivia night ends in death. Sharp and funny.
Best for: readers who like social satire.
How to Choose
If you want the genre's classic, start with The Secret History. For group dynamics and theater, read If We Were Villains. For twists, pick The Maidens or The Silent Patient. For more Winstead, try The Last Housewife. This novel includes themes of sexual violence, so check the content notes before reading. Most of the other books here include death, drugs and other dark topics. A simple plan is to start with the genre's classic, then pick one thriller and one lighter YA mystery to balance the mood. If you like group dynamics, read The Secret History next to If We Were Villains and compare how each handles loyalty and guilt.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is In My Dreams I Hold a Knife about a real case?
No. It is fiction, though it draws on real concerns about campus culture and the way groups protect secrets.
Does the book have content warnings?
Yes, including sexual assault, murder and drug use.
What is dark academia?
It is a genre of stories set in schools or colleges, with moody settings, secret groups and a love of classical learning.
Do I need to read The Secret History first?
No, but it is a classic of the genre and many readers enjoy it afterward.
Are these books good for book clubs?
Yes. They raise questions about loyalty, privilege and who is believed, which make for lively discussion.