“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. A “terrific” (Jess Walter, #1 New York Times bestselling author) debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Katy Hays.

Harvard promised them everything.

At eighteen years old, Sarah and her five young roommates had bright futures, close-knit friendships, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. They felt limitless—until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything.

Twenty years later, the five remaining 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 they discover a small fortune will go to the winner of this year’s game. 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.