“Thornton has married Succession with The Secret History, and the result is an utterly original and deeply affecting novel that lays bare the pressure and perils of privilege.”
- Bret Anthony Johnston, Author of We Burn Daylight
“A crisp, twisting tale in the hands of a writer in the bloom of his abundant talents.”
— Graydon Carter
Author of When The Going Was Good, and former editor of Vanity FairA literary thriller in the tradition of The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Secret History about two students at Harvard who become entangled in the underground world of art forgery.
The son of working-class Czech immigrants, Christopher “Atlas” Novotny is a gifted painter who arrives at Harvard on a full scholarship. Raised amid hardship, he is unprepared for the world of elite Ivy League students introduced to him by his freshman year roommate, Lucien Orsini-Conti.
A child of privilege, born to wealthy European diplomats, Lucien plays the part of the confident, sophisticated bon vivant. Handsome, charming and intellectually brilliant, Lucien thrives at Harvard and quickly establishes himself as a popular, celebrated presence on campus.
Where Lucien is bold and brash, Atlas is timid and introverted. Growing up a lonely outsider, Atlas is insecure, impressionable, and completely in awe of the charismatic Lucien, and quickly falls victim to his charms. But is Lucien all that he seems?
Sensing a willing disciple, Lucien introduces Atlas to a glittering new world of glamorous parties and exclusive social clubs. When Atlas struggles to afford his new lifestyle, Lucien offers a solution, convincing the naïve artist to produce forgeries that Lucien sells on his behalf.
As time goes on Lucien’s behavior turns erratic and he becomes increasingly reckless. He develops a drug problem and pushes Atlas into a spiral of escalating risk.
The boys go from selling forgeries of minor, unsung impressionists to finding themselves on the hook to deliver a fake Monet. When Atlas resists, and tries to find an escape hatch, Lucien turns on his friend and reveals a darker, more menacing side.
Drawing inspiration from the true crime stories of Christian Gerhartsreiter (a.k.a. “Clark Rockefeller”) and Adam Wheeler, LUCIEN is as darkly seductive and addictively readable as The Secret History, Creation Lake, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Praise for LUCIEN
“A cautionary tale of fakery of all kinds… the perils of hero-worship have rarely been demonstrated with such intensity and style.”
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“There’s something special about Lucien Orsini-Conti, the charismatic enigma at the heart of this addictive thriller from Thornton.
…The result is a wild ride readers won’t soon forget.”— Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
__________________“A pin-sharp page turner about what it takes to make it; we’d recommend for almost anyone except parents with students about to matriculate—they should maybe wait until after move-in day.”
— Town & Country
Best Books of Spring 2026
__________________“It is impossible not to fall under the spell of Lucien Orsini-Conti… Lucien is a campus novel, a crime story, and a coming-of-age tale wrapped up in one stellar package by J. R. Thornton, whose gifts for plot, dialogue, and character are considerable.”
— Air Mail
An Air Mail “Best Read”
__________________“The book is already earning comparisons to (Patricia) Highsmith’s work, and for good reason.”
— CrimeReads
Best Thrillers of March 2026
__________________“A crisp, twisting tale in the hands of a writer in the bloom of his abundant talents.”
— Graydon Carter
Author of When The Going Was Good, and former editor of Vanity Fair
__________________“J.R. Thornton writes with precision and honesty about the fragile math of male friendship, where violence and love are pals, and vulnerability is the harbinger of rage.
In a time when men are not supposed to feel anything, Lucien feels everything. It's an explosion of captivating, haunting, and utterly real emotion.”
— Patrick Somerville
Creator of the HBO series Station Eleven and author of The Cradle
__________________“LUCIEN is thrilling in every way—the propulsive narrative, the knife-sharp prose, the nuanced and multi-faceted characters, the unflinching exploration of class, ego, art, and authenticity.
J.R. Thornton has married Succession with The Secret History, and the result is an utterly original and deeply affecting novel that lays bare the pressure and perils of privilege.”
— Bret Anthony Johnston
Author of We Burn Daylight and Remember Me Like This
__________________"Fine art, forgery, young friendship, and the perils of greed—Lucien is a closely observed and finely crafted campus thriller."
— Nick McDonell,
Author of Quiet Street and An Expensive Education__________________
“Emotionally moving… (an) exploration of class differences amidst mystery (that) will appeal to YA dark academia readers"
— Booklist
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“Moments they meet, the titular character of the new novel Lucien christens his Harvard roommate with a new name: Atlas. A titan to hold up the heavens, a character condemned to endure. Employing every conceivable trick—including quoting the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche—to sway his roommate on the name change, Lucien demonstrates how easily identity can be mythologized; the story that follows tackles the consequences.”
— Harvard Magazine
Recommended Books, Spring 2026
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"I was able to get an advance copy of this much anticipated book from J.R. Thornton and it has me hooked so far and it will do the same to you when it’s released on March 17th.”— Habitually Chic
What to Read__________________