A Darker Mischief - by Derek Milman (Hardcover)

About the Book

"At the elite Essex Academy Cal Ware, a poor, queer kid from Mississippi, is an outsider, but when he learns about a secret society on campus, he thinks that he may have found a way to reinvent himself--but as the initiation rituals grow riskier he must decide who to trust and how far he is willing to go to belong"--

Book Synopsis

The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other -- a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes...

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus -- the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier -- and increasingly nefarious -- Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex -- not even Cal's first love -- is quite what it seems.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Darker Mischief:

A Cosmopolitan best YA novel of 2024

*"Twisted, enthralling dark academia." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"The central romance is by turns tender and tragic in this satisfying dark academia thriller." --Publishers Weekly

"A tantalizing and addictive novel about identity, class, and first love wrapped in a thrilling, page-turning mystery. Milman's novel is sure to become a favorite for readers everywhere." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas Mystery series

"A Darker Mischief lovingly folds layers of classic country queer kid drama inside its many puzzle box mysteries." --Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons and The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers

"Haunting but quietly romantic. Nearly every page sent a chill down my spine." --Mason Deaver, author of I Wish You All the Best and The Feeling of Falling in Love

About the Author

Derek Milman is the author of Scream All Night (HarperCollins) and Swipe Right for Murder (Little Brown / Jimmy Patterson). A graduate of Yale Drama School, Derek has performed on stages across the country, and appeared in numerous TV shows and films, working with two Academy Award-winning film directors. He lives in Brooklyn.