“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession...will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest "Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare...Readable, smart.” —New York Times Book Review On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras. But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent. If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle's Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, "A well-written and gripping ode to the stage...A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth."

The American Villain: Encyclopedia of Bad Guys in Comics, Film, and Television seeks to provide one go-to reference for the study of the most popular and iconic villains in American popular culture. Since the 1980s, pop culture has focused on what makes a villain a villain. The Joker, Darth Vader, and Hannibal Lecter have all been placed under the microscope to get to the origins of their villainy. Additionally, such bad guys as Angelus from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows have emphasized the desire for redemption—in even the darkest of villains. Various incarnations of Lucifer/Satan have even gone so far as to explore the very foundations of what we consider "evil." The American Villain: Encyclopedia of Bad Guys in Comics, Film, and Television seeks to collect all of those stories into one comprehensive volume. The volume opens with essays about villains in popular culture, followed by 100 A–Z entries on the most notorious bad guys in film, comics, and more. Sidebars highlight ancillary points of interest, such as authors, creators, and tropes that illuminate the motives of various villains. A glossary of key terms and a bibliography provide students with resources to continue their study of what makes the "baddest" among us so bad.

When a reader is reincarnated into a hardcore rated-R novel as Estella, the most precious child of the villainous Kartina family, she learns that the life of a cunning archer, deadly apothecary, and bomb maker isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After all, this is a world of violent fiction, and there’s only one ending awaiting her family… death by male lead! Armed with the knowledge of the plot and her family’s regrettable demise, Estella decides to approach the story from an entirely new angle. She pretends to be a helpless and frail sister to her older siblings Kalen, Ada, and Alya—both to protect them from their miserable fates and change the course of the future for their marks. But with the male lead Rodrigo Erhart at the top of their hit list, she has her work cut out for her. Except is saving her family all there is to do? As Estella proves her worth to Rodrigo and gains his trust, are they also catching feelings? Only time will tell in The Obsessed Hero and the Villainous Family’s Daughter!

A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle. Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp--like a beast's! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him?

Disney's Villains meet Gotham in this gritty fairy tale-inspired crime series. Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior by day, but by night she's an intern at the Monarch City police department. She watches with envy from behind a desk as detectives come and go, trying to contain the city's growing crime rate. For years, tension has simmered between the city's wealthy elite, and their plans to gentrify the decaying neighborhood called the Scar - once upon a time the epicenter of all things magic. When the daughter of one of the city's most powerful businessmen goes missing, Mary Elizabeth is thrilled when the Chief actually puts her on the case. But what begins as one missing person's report soon multiplies, leading her down the rabbit hole of a city in turmoil. There she finds a girl with horns, a boyfriend with secrets, and what seems to be a sea monster lurking in a poison lake. As the mystery circles closer to home, Mary finds herself caught in the fight between those who once had magic, and those who will do anything to bring it back. This dark and edgy YA series explores the reimagined origins of Maleficent, Ursula, Captain Hook, and other infamous Disney Villains like you've never seen before.

An iconic figure--a shining light.

✤ Elijah ✤ I'm the one they all fear. The one they whisper about. A faceless ghost. My hands are coated in crimson from souls I've sent to hell - at a price. I've never missed a target, and I always deliver. I'm the Grim Reaper of the Cosa Nostra. Then there's her. The cellist whose music soothes the malignance of my existence. For years I've lurked in the shadows watching her play. Waiting. Anticipating the day I'll come for her. Her innocence tempts me. My blackened heart craves to ruin it, to smother her light with my darkness. She's the nucleus of my obsession... and my next victim. ✤ Charlotte ✤ The day Elijah took me, he vowed to tame me. I tried to fight him. Tried to survive without losing my heart. But in the end, he did what he said he'd do... tame me. He claimed me so unapologetically, and I surrendered willingly. Together we found our place within the darkness. We succumbed to wicked desires and tainted intentions. And with every kiss, every touch, I allowed myself to fall deeper. Drowning within the seduction of a killer's obsession. I was reckless. Blinded by the promises of a man who wanted nothing but me. I should have known better. Guarded my heart more fiercely. After all-nothing good can come from falling for the villain. AUTHOR'S NOTE: ● The Villain is the box set of The Villain's Duet and contains both novels: ➖ The Villain's Captive ➖ The Villain's Beloved You can now read the entire duet as a complete standalone.

Gothic Afterlives examines the intersecting dimensions of contemporary Gothic horror and remakes scholarship, bringing together innovative perspectives from different areas of study. The research compiled in this collection covers a wide range of examples, including not only literature but also film, television, video games, and digital media remakes. Gothic Afterlives signals the cultural and conceptual impact of Gothic horror on transmedia production, with a focus on reimagining and remaking. While diverse in content and approach, all chapters pivot on two important points: first, they reflect some of the core preoccupations of Gothic horror by subverting cultural and social certainties about notions such as the body, technology, consumption, human nature, digitalization, scientific experimentation, national identity, memory, and gender and by challenging the boundaries between human and inhuman, self and Other, and good and evil. Second, and perhaps most important, all chapters in the collection collectively show what happens when well-known Gothic horror narratives are adapted and remade into different contexts, highlighting the implications of the mode-shifting registers, platforms, and chronologies in the process. As a collection, Gothic Afterlives hones in on contemporary sociocultural experiences and identities as they appear in contemporary popular culture and in the stories told and retold in the twenty-first century.

The films of Alfred Hitchcock are appreciated for a variety of reasons, including the many memorable villains who menace the protagonists. Unlike so many of cinema’s wrongdoers, the Hitchcock villain was often a complex individual with a nuanced personality and neuroses the common person might not be able to relate to, but could at least understand. If such figures did not always elicit sympathy from the audience, they still possessed characteristics that were oddly appealing. And frequently, viewers found them more likable than the heroes and heroines whom they victimized. In Hitchcock’s Villains: Murderers, Maniacs, and Mother Issues, authors Eric San Juan and Jim McDevitt explore a number of themes that form the foundation of villainy in Hitchcock’s long and acclaimed career. The authors also provide a detailed look at some of the director’s most noteworthy villains and examine how these characters were often central to the enjoyment of Hitchcock’s best films. Whether discussing Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt or Norman Bates in Psycho, the authors consider what attracted Hitchcock to such characters in the first place and why they endure as screen icons. Intended for both casual and ardent fans of Hitchcock, this book offers insight into what makes villainous characters tick. While serious students will appreciate observations in Hitchcock’s Villains that will enhance their study of cinema technique and writing, general fans of the director will simply enjoy delving further into the minds of their favorite villains.