With Friends Like These - by Alissa Lee (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Harvard promised them everything. Ambitious futures, peers who pushed each other toward their absolute best, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. And though they started out as roommates, Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine soon became family. They had their whole bright lives ahead of them--until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything. Twenty years later, five of the roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they've kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless elimination-style 'killing' game played across the private rooms and hidden alleys of New York City. The game is a nod to their younger selves and a tribute to the sixth roommate they lost too young. But this year, Sara wants out of the game--until she discovers there is a small fortune awaiting the winner of this final round. As the Circus unfolds, Sara begins to suspect that the others aren't playing by the rules, and as the danger turns real and the old friends start pointing fingers, she discovers that even those closest to her harbor secrets of their own...secrets that could kill"--

Book Synopsis

"Deliciously twisty....A heady mix of dark academia, spiraling stakes, and tangled loyalties." --Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author

A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Katy Hays.

Harvard promised them everything.

At eighteen years old, six young women had ambitious futures ahead: bright careers, love affairs, an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. Sara's college roommates were the family she never had: Bee the political hopeful, Dina the academic prodigy, Allie the family girl, Wesley the hard-partying heiress, and Claudine the Southern belle--the closest thing Sara had ever known to a sister. But their senior year, Claudine died, and everything changed.

Twenty years later, the five college roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they've kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless assassin-style game played across the private rooms and secret alleys of New York City. The game is the glue that keeps them close and a nod to the sixth roommate they lost too young, but this time around Sara keeps catching inexplicable glimpses of Claudine. She wants out of the Circus until she discovers a small fortune awaits the winner of this final round and agrees out of loyalty and desperation to play one last time. As the Circus unfolds, Sara suspects the others aren't playing by the rules. When the game heats up and the roommates start pointing fingers, she discovers that even her closest friends have been keeping secrets that now threaten to destroy them all.

Review Quotes

"In this inventively plotted debut thriller, Harvard friends haunted by the death of a roommate turn their secret game into a tradition extending well (and worrisomely) beyond graduation."-- "Shelf Awareness, "Best Books This Week""

"A suspenseful, twisty, fun novel that's a circus--somewhat literally. 'Circus' is what Lee's assortment of characters call their longtime elimination-style "killing" game, and it looks like it's leading to real murder. . . . Read it with the lights on."-- "Local News Matters Bay Area, "Must Read Book Roundup""

"Readers will be clawing their way through this story to find out who is doing the blackmail and how it all ties together. Mystery is abundant and the characters' paranoia will leak into readers' psyches."-- "Library Journal"

"I loved this deliciously twisty tale of friendships unmoored and a game gone way too far for comfort. A heady mix of dark academia, spiraling stakes, and tangled loyalties."--Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11

"A terrific debut, the kind of smart mystery that grows ever more suspenseful as we watch a group of longtime friends begin to confront a haunted past."--Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL RUINS and SO FAR GONE

"Fast paced and tightly plotted, Lee's novel explores the complexities of female friendships against a quietly unsettling backdrop of privilege and ambition. An immersive novel that delivers suspense with style and intelligence."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE hooked me with its stunning prose and kept me up late with its simmering tension. . . . Smart and satisfying, I flew through this debut and can't wait to read more from this breakout author!"--Carinn Jade, author of THE ASTROLOGY HOUSE

"In Alissa Lee's fast-paced debut novel, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, what's supposed to be a game among friends spirals into something sinister when the stakes are raised by a million-dollar prize pot. Fault lines in these friendships are revealed, buried secrets surface, and misplaced trust proves deadly in this slick thriller you'll read in one sitting."--Francesca Serritella, New York Times bestselling author of FULL BLOOM

"An intricate, tightly plotted thriller that explores the complexities of female friendships stretching over decades--and the long-lasting impacts of a dangerous game. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE will enthrall fans of Dark Academia, but at its heart are the relationships that shapeshift with tragedy, time, and distance. Alissa Lee expertly weaves themes of identity, ambition, and regret into her immersive, page-turning debut."--Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, USA Today bestselling author of TILL DEATH DO US PART and THE GIRLS ARE ALL SO NICE HERE

"Readers of Dark Academia, take note: Alissa Lee is a bold new voice to watch. With captivating prose, she spins a tale of privilege, ambition, and buried secrets as former Harvard classmates find themselves caught in a dangerous game long after graduation. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE left me breathless until the very last page."--Lauren Ling Brown, bestselling author of SOCIETY OF LIES

About the Author

Alissa Lee is a writer and former tech lawyer. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, she's fiercely proud of her New Jersey roots, but now lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her family. She does her best work in local libraries and is a longtime board member of the San Francisco Public Library.