Wow this book exceeded my expectations. I really didn’t know what to expect coming into this book, other than the fact it was a dark academia murder mystery type book. I immediately was enthralled in this novel and it’s premise.

Oliver has been in jail for the last ten years for murder and those investigating said murder don’t fully believe he was the culprit. With Oliver getting out of jail and Detective Colburne retiring, he asks one final thing of Oliver— tell me what really happened. The book is split into 5 parts, at the beginning of each part you get a glimpse of their current day conversation, then the rest is set back in the school year of 1997-1998. 

I don’t want to go further into the plot, so as not to spoil, but there are twists and turns at every corner. M.L. Rio leaves you wanting more and looking for clues on every page. While the Shakespearean language was hard for me to understand, overall I really enjoyed this book and understood the general point of the words. The ending is left open ended, leaving the reader to make their own conclusion on what happens next. Normally this type of ending makes me furious, but it worked with this story.


The characters all have their own personality and most despise the type-casting they’ve endured the last few years. The layers to their relationships and their characters added to the story’s depth, while also leaving the reader wondering who was capable of murder. Throughout the book you find yourself thinking any single one of them could have done it and it’s not clear until near the end what really happened.

While some parts left me confused, overall this book was a masterpiece and I will definitely be rereading. This is a book that will definitely spark new understanding after each reread. There is so much to unpack and I’m sure there’s even more depth for those who know the plays referenced in this novel.