The Secret Dinner

A Novel

By: Raphael Montes

ROMANCE LITERATURE

Description

The internationally acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller, now in English

Four childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But they have no idea of the fate that awaits them there. . . .

Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo are your average students trying to make ends meet with part-time jobs, excited about the bright futures at their fingertips. So when their rent skyrockets, they struggle to keep their new lives and big dreams afloat. They need to make money however they can. In order to keep their apartment, the friends adopt an unorthodox plan and are soon sucked into a dark world of secret dinner parties catering to the twisted fantasies of Rio’s elite.

What starts as a joke quickly spirals out of their control. As the four friends fall deeper into this dark underworld and earn more money, the stakes get higher and the consequences deadlier, revealing the devious depths that lurk within each of them and threatening not only their friendship but also their lives.

The internationally acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller, now in English

Four childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But they have no idea of the fate that awaits them there. . . .

Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo are your average students trying to make ends meet with part-time jobs, excited about the bright futures at their fingertips. So when their rent skyrockets, they struggle to keep their new lives and big dreams afloat. They need to make money however they can. In order to keep their apartment, the friends adopt an unorthodox plan and are soon sucked into a dark world of secret dinner parties catering to the twisted fantasies of Rio’s elite.

What starts as a joke quickly spirals out of their control. As the four friends fall deeper into this dark underworld and earn more money, the stakes get higher and the consequences deadlier, revealing the devious depths that lurk within each of them and threatening not only their friendship but also their lives.

This Edition

Format
Hardback
Pages
352
Published
August 18, 2026
ISBN-13
9781250442413
Language
English
Publisher
Celadon Books
Imprint
Celadon Books

NetGalley Reviews

Elizabeth M, Reviewer

This book was twisted, disturbing, gory, as well as creepy and I loved every minute of my time reading it .

Trade Reviews

"The translator Zoë Alexandra Perry brings Brazil’s top thriller writer to American readers with this fast-paced tale of four broke 20-somethings lured into the world of Rio’s shady elite. What begins as a jokey get-rich-quick scheme — catering exclusive dinner parties — quickly morphs into something much more sinister."
—The New York Times

“This rollercoaster of a novel is highly imaginative and totally unique. I devoured it — no pun intended! — in one sitting. By turns gory, shocking, macabre and often very funny, you won’t be able to put it down. Just be grateful you’re not on the menu…”
—Alex Michaelides #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient

"Dark, compelling, and wickedly smart, The Secret Dinner is a deliciously twisted thriller about friendship and ambition with a mind-blowing end. It seizes your breath from the first page and refuses to let go! Raphael Montes is a spectacular talent."
Lisa Jewell, New York Times Bestselling author of Don't Let Him In

“Four desperate friends. One irresistible idea. But how many survivors? The Secret Dinner is delectable and diabolical, a zesty blend of Parasite, Sweeney Todd, and Fight Club.
AJ Finn, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

"Hustle culture meets cannibalism in this bruising satire from Montes [...] his sense of humor is stinging and he garnishes the novel with a delicious last-minute twist. Readers who can stomach the premise will walk away satiated."
Publishers Weekly

"Well worth the wait [...] A satirical (and literal) evisceration of foodie culture and wealthy excess, The Secret Dinner should be read in public, while eating a very bloody piece of meat, and snickering softly. If everyone around is not freaked out by the time you finish your meal then you are DOING IT WRONG."
- Crimereads

"Montes keeps readers hooked to see just how far the group will go, if their friendship will survive, and what the outcome will be. A top thriller in Brazil, this bold mix of satire and horror is not for the weak of stomach."
- Booklist

"An unsettling exploration of ambition, excess, and moral collapse that blends literary thriller with visceral horror. The tightly paced narrative interrogates privilege and complicity among Brazil’s elite."
- Library Journal

"One of the more successful devices that threads the beginning to the end has to do with one character’s trauma and how that can change a personality. Combined with the overall quick pacing and introduction of twists (some of them red herrings), that device will help the book find readers who will gobble it up."
- Kirkus

"Riveting, page-turning, shocking [...] one of the best books of the year. This one is not to be missed."
- Red Carpet Crash

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