The Secret Dinner

A Novel

By Raphael Montes
A bloody knife rests on a white plate with the title "The Secret Dinner" by Raphael Montes.
Title: The Secret Dinner
Author: Raphael Montes
ISBN: 9781250442413
ON SALE: 08/18/2026

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ISBN: 9781250442437
ISBN: 9781250446787

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 can have no idea of the fate that awaits them there…

Dante, Leitão, Miguel and Hugo are your average students trying to make ends meet with part-time jobs, excited about the bright future at their fingertips. So when their rent skyrockets, they struggle to keep their new life 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.

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

Smiling person with glasses and a beard wearing a blue shirt, standing against a pink background.
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 and New York and has a strong presence on social media, where he shares his creative process with his readers.

Praise for Raphael Montes

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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
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