The debut novel, “If We Were Villains” by M. L. Rio, will have readers on the edge of their seats, by bringing them into the life of Oliver Marks, who is almost done with his 10-year sentence in jail. He is met by Detective Colborne, the lead investigator on the case, who just retired from the police force. Colborne is there for the truth and only the truth. Oliver agrees to tell, but on the request that nothing is to be done with the information.
It’s 1997 when Oliver and six of his friends are starting their fourth year of college at the prestigious Dellecher Classical Conservatory. They are all theater majors, all passionate about every role they take on and all very close to each other. As the last and only fourth years left at Dellecher, tension grows in the days leading up to auditions for “Julius Caesar.” The cast list comes out and is what they expected. Life goes on as normal until the friends become entangled in their characters, on stage and in their personalities, causing one of their own to suffer.
The novel is set up as if it were a play and switches between the present and the past viewpoints. As you continue reading, learning more about the crime, romance and everything in between, you may find yourself siding with one person or trying to solve the mystery. With the shocking ending and plot twists, “If We Were Villains” will leave you wanting to know more.
