I loved the style of writing in this book; it’s intriguing and clever which meant I was quickly drawn into it.
I had to keep coming back to it and found myself finishing it within a couple of days.
It’s a dark and atmospheric read that has been set in a private boarding school. There was a real vulnerability in many of the characters which kept me engaged.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

This is highly readable, well-paced, nicely written and overall very satisfying.

It nods elegantly to multiple classic themes and genres: the British boarding school book, the outsider trope, the locked room mystery and of course today's zeitgeist: dark academia.

I enjoyed it a lot and read it very fast.

My thanks to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

An exclusive school, feelings of isolation and the beginning of a friendship – expect these and more from Laura’s new book. Eve’s husband has been appointed housemaster at Cleeve College and she says goodbye to their London life. It’s his old boarding school so he already feels at home, but for Eve, she is lonely… until Fen, wife of the Classics teachers, sweeps in. There’s just something about her that is intoxicating, and quickly she and Eve become friends. Fen’s devil may care attitude may be what Cleeve needs – a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stuffy institution. That said, once a year the school experiences Hazard Night, a tradition that allows students to play pranks and effectively run wild. Which is all well and good until a body is found… Suddenly it’s clear how much the school keeps to itself, but the things about secrets is that they have a habit of being exposed. Cleverly written, thoroughly enjoyable.

Dark Academia..
Hazard Night - the one day tradition at an exclusive boarding school where rules are abandoned and pranks rule - turns brutal when a body is discovered and it becomes clear that everyone at this protected and cloistered establishment may well have something to hide. With a deftly crafted cast of credible characters and a carefully constructed plot peppered with twists the game begins. Tense and edgy with a dark thread of menace. Dark academia at its atmospheric peak.

Well written, addictive and unpredictable. This is a book I have really enjoyed and devoured. i definitely want to read more from this author. Full Review to follow.

This murder mystery is set in a British boarding school that finds itself at a new stage in its illustrious history: traditionally a boys’ school, girls are now admitted into its Sixth Form. One of the new students who will make their mark on the venerable institution is Eve, the chaplain’s daughter. Also new are several teaching staff whose genuine motives and backstories are gradually revealed as you turn the pages, spellbound by the quality of Vaughan’s writing. Highly recommended!