Synopsis
'Dark, compelling, and wickedly smart, 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, author of None of This is True
'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, author of The Silent Patient
As Dante and his friends leave their small town for the rush of Copacabana, they can only think of the endless possibilities.
But the capital city of Rio de Janeiro is not the easiest place to live in and the rent is due every month. As a kind gesture turns rotten, Dante and his crew have to figure out a way to make money, and to make it fast. They find their answer through a new website, offering authentic dinners to foreign travellers and Rio's elite. How hard can it be?
When a joke addition to the menu sees them make all the money they need in one night, Dante is faced with a question he never thought he would be: how much money is enough to stop cooking human flesh?
'Four desperate friends. One irresistible idea. But how many survivors? Secret Dinner is delectable and diabolical, a zesty blend of Parasite, Sweeney Todd, and Fight Club.' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
'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
'Raphael Montes is a mixture of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense with Quentin Tarantino's black comedy.' - The Guardian
'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, author of The Silent Patient
As Dante and his friends leave their small town for the rush of Copacabana, they can only think of the endless possibilities.
But the capital city of Rio de Janeiro is not the easiest place to live in and the rent is due every month. As a kind gesture turns rotten, Dante and his crew have to figure out a way to make money, and to make it fast. They find their answer through a new website, offering authentic dinners to foreign travellers and Rio's elite. How hard can it be?
When a joke addition to the menu sees them make all the money they need in one night, Dante is faced with a question he never thought he would be: how much money is enough to stop cooking human flesh?
'Four desperate friends. One irresistible idea. But how many survivors? Secret Dinner is delectable and diabolical, a zesty blend of Parasite, Sweeney Todd, and Fight Club.' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
'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
'Raphael Montes is a mixture of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense with Quentin Tarantino's black comedy.' - The Guardian
Details
20 August 2026
9781806172139Imprint: Zaffre
Reviews
Dark, compelling, and wickedly smart, 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.
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...
Four desperate friends. One irresistible idea. But how many survivors? Secret Dinner is delectable and diabolical, a zesty blend of Parasite, Sweeney Todd, and Fight Club.
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.
