When We Were Killers - by C F Barrington (Paperback)

About the Book

A dark-academia thriller set at the University of St Andrews in Scotland that follows a group of friends fascinated by the ancient hallucinogenic history of Scotland.

Book Synopsis

'Saltburn meets The Secret History in this gripping tale of alchemy and academia' IAN RANKIN

THE WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR MAY 2025

Five friends. One deadly obsession.

The salt-scented quadrangles of St Andrews University greet misfit first-year student Finn Nethercott with indifference. This is a place where only privilege counts, and those from the right backgrounds can get away with murder.

Finn is quickly seduced into a new circle of friends. Four history scholars obsessed with the deepest roots of ancient Scotland. They sweep him away on wild adventures to forgotten castles and faerie lochs.

But he soon discovers the darker sides of his new friendships: deadly rivalries, midnight rituals, and a desperate search for a long-lost hallucinogen.

Then, as Finn is pulled into a world where he can't always trust what he's seen each night, the group's obsession turns deadly...

A shocking fever-dream of a thriller perfect for fans of M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains, Ashley Winstead's In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Ellie Keel's The Four.

'I was blown away by this visceral roar of a novel: erudite, pacy and deeply moving. Think The Secret History on acid. Beautifully written and impossible to put down.' J.S. MONROE, author of Find Me and No Place to Hide

'When We Were Killers is a splintered gem of a book. Dark Academia at its seductive, shadowy best.' MATTHEW HARFFY

'Next to impossible to put down... This is bloody brilliant.' MICHAEL JECKS

'A stylish and darkly evocative thriller that it had me racing through the pages to reach the brilliant and unsettling conclusion.' RUTH HOGAN

Review Quotes

"Saltburn meets The Secret History in this gripping tale of alchemy and academia" --Ian Rankin

"'I was blown away by this visceral roar of a novel: erudite, pacy and deeply moving. Think The Secret History on acid. Beautifully written and impossible to put down.' " --J.S. Monroe

"C.F. Barrington's tale of obsession, grief, toxic friendships and drug-fuelled violence gripped me in its berserker paranoia, dragging me inexorably towards its heart-achingly poignant conclusion. When We Were Killers is a splintered gem of a book. Dark Academia at its seductive, shadowy best." --Matthew Harffy

"Next to impossible to put down... This is bloody brilliant" --Michael Jecks

"A stylish and darkly evocative thriller that had me racing through the pages to reach the brilliant and unsettling conclusion. Chris is such a natural storyteller and his characters are relatable, yet complex and fascinating. Another absolute corker!" --Ruth Hogan

"A soul-spinning and intelligent thriller... Deeply dark, sharp, and chilling" --LoveReading

"Immersive and compelling... read this in one mad fuelled day" --The Book Trail

About the Author

C.F. Barrington seems to be meandering north. Born in Southampton and raised in Hertfordshire, he moved to Cumbria in his 30s and then Fife in his 40s. He worries that his life now mirrors his spaniel's: running over hills in the mornings; eating biscuits most afternoons; then sleeping in front of the television (though without paws in the air). He is the author of the Pantheon thriller series, which tells of a deadly game featuring a cast of characters battling across the rooftops of Edinburgh.