When We Were Killers meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower - a queer Scottish dark-academia thriller about finding your people and discovering they might destroy you.

At an ancient Scottish university where neo-Gothic spires claw at grey skies and fog settles thick around granite walls, eighteen-year-old Felix arrives hoping to outrun the shadows of his past. He quickly falls under the spell of five strangers who will change the course of his life forever: fierce Jess, who becomes his anchor; quiet Julian, with his cutting truths; the Sarah duo, one magnetic, one thoughtful; and Colin—golden-haired, impossible, the kind of boy who makes Felix forget his own name.

For a brief, shimmering moment, it feels like home: Late nights and shared secrets, cheap wine and the dangerous comfort of being chosen. One reckless night that changes everything. A budding connection with Filip, a teaching assistant who notices what others miss. But as Felix learns about the darkest corners of the human mind under renowned Professor Lorna Baird, the world outside grows darker too—the Aberdeen Ripper, a serial killer who terrorised the city years ago, has returned.

When Jess becomes his next victim, her death sends fractures splintering through everything Felix thought he understood. The friends he trusted. The boy he wanted. The person he was trying to become. In the wreckage, Felix begins to realise the danger was never only out there in the dark.

Her final gift: a lighter and three words, “Keep shining bright.” But in the clock tower that becomes his sanctuary, Felix will discover that not every murder is what it seems. And sometimes the real monsters are the ones we let closest.

Request now to read this queer dark academia / literary psychological suspense with strong YA and New Adult crossover appeal!

Freddie Braun is a London-based writer and creative professional whose work spans literary fiction, journalism, satire and brand storytelling. A third-culture kid who grew up between countries and cultures, he studied Psychology at the University of Aberdeen and International Marketing at King’s College London before building a career across publishing, editorial and international brand communications.
His journalism and essays have appeared in British Vogue, American Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, PORTER, Men’s Health and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. His work for Vogue has also been translated and published across international editions including Vogue España, Vogue Germany, Vogue India, Vogue Japan and Vogue Taiwan.
Alongside his writing, Freddie has held senior content and localisation roles across media, fashion, technology and financial services, and currently leads localisation and international content at Monzo.
His work centres on the relationship between language, culture, identity and voice, themes that also run through his fiction.
His debut novel, Golden Boy, was published by NineStar Press in May 2026. Set at the University of Aberdeen, the queer dark-academia novel draws on Freddie’s own years studying psychology in the city and explores belonging, first love, chosen family, obsession and the lengths we go to reinvent ourselves.