Rio excels at creating a suffocating, insular world. Dellecher feels like a gothic dream—isolated, rain-soaked, candlelit, and obsessed with beauty and ruin. You can smell the old wood, the stage paint, and the desperation. The dark academia aesthetic isn’t just decoration; it’s the engine of the tragedy.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if The Secret History traded its Greek for iambic pentameter and its Vermont snow for Lake Michigan fog, If We Were Villains is your answer. M.L. Rio’s debut is a love letter to the stage, a murder mystery, and a devastating character study—all rolled into one gorgeously melancholic package. If We Were Villains
The story opens with Oliver Marks being released from prison after a decade. He’s served time for a murder he may or may not have committed. In exchange for his freedom, he finally tells the truth to the one detective who never believed he was guilty. The narrative then flashes back to Oliver’s final year at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a secluded, intense drama school where fourth-year students live and breathe Shakespeare. When a rivalry among seven close-knit actors turns deadly, the line between performance and reality blurs until it shatters. Rio excels at creating a suffocating, insular world