The Secret Dinner: A Novel

“Bold and bloody, it's a thriller with real bite.” ―Riley Sager
“Highly imaginative and totally unique.” ―Alex Michaelides
“Wickedly smart…It seizes your breath from the first page and refuses to let go!" ―Lisa Jewell

A masterwork of psychological horror, this shocking tale follows four desperate friends who launch an underground dining club catering to the grotesque appetites of Rio’s ultra-wealthy.

Four childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But when their rent skyrockets, their survival instincts take a gruesome turn.In a desperate bid to raise fast cash, Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo launch a new culinary venture. Their specialty? A secret, high-dollar menu item advertised as “seagull meat.” What begins as a dining club in their apartment devolves into a nightmare of blood-soaked living rooms and roaring chainsaws. As Rio’s most decadent sociopaths develop an insatiable craving for these gourmet meals, the four friends find themselves trapped in a horrifying machine of their own making―where the line between chef, butcher, and prey disappears.

Raphael Montes is the biggest thriller writer in Brazil. His eight novels have sold more than a million copies and have been published in more than twenty-five countries.

Also a screenwriter, Montes is the showrunner of Scars of Beauty―the most watched original show on HBO Max in Latin America―and Netflix’s award-winning series Good Morning, Verônica. He splits his time between Rio de Janeiro and New York and has a strong presence on social media, where he shares his creative process with his readers.