What I Told My Friends : An unmissable, gripping dark academia novel perfect for fans of When We Were Silent and The Four

Author: Leigh, Alice

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 26 February 2026 by Canelo (Canelo Crime) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 352 pages
198 x 129 | 0g

A dark academia, coming-of-age thriller about murder, secrets and revenge from an brilliant new voice. A must-read if you love Jo Spain, Samantha Downing and Alice Feeney. High Hill Manor has a secret.The prestigious boarding school attracted the brightest students. But that was before the head girl Emily Asbourne was found dead on the ground below the belltower.

A long list of suspects.Chloe Carter joined in the final year. Things went badly wrong back in London, and she was desperate for a new start. She had her own reasons to hate Emily, but she wasn't the only one.

A much-loved music teacher is charged with murder.Two decades pass, and Chloe greets Mr Aides at the prison gates on the day of his release. She is ready to tell all. But sharing secrets is a dangerous business and comes with a high price.

A dark academia thriller perfect for fans of When We Were Silent, The Four, The Trial and My Dark Vanessa.

Praise for What I Told My Friends‘Between its themes of guilt and growth and its propulsive plotting, WHAT I TOLD MY FRIENDS is a layered, darkly atmospheric thriller… Alice Leigh is an absolute thriller master and I can't wait to see what she does next.’ Sara Ochs‘Beautifully written with a deliciously gothic backdrop, What I Told My Friends, is a haunting and timely slice of dark academia that will stay with you long after the final page.’ Nuala Ellwood