They Never Learn
From the author of the “raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless” (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve—perfect for fans of Killing Eve and Chelsea Cain.
Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.
Every year, Dr. Clark searches for the worst man at Gorman University—professor, student, or otherwise—and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself…but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Dr. Clark insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge. Everything’s going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.
Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident—everything Carly wishes she could be—and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay...and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.
“A gorgeously written ragestorm of a thriller” (Wendy Heard, author of The Kill Club), They Never Learn is a razor-sharp feminist serial killer story that you won’t be able to put down.
Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.
Every year, Dr. Clark searches for the worst man at Gorman University—professor, student, or otherwise—and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself…but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Dr. Clark insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge. Everything’s going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.
Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident—everything Carly wishes she could be—and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay...and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.
“A gorgeously written ragestorm of a thriller” (Wendy Heard, author of The Kill Club), They Never Learn is a razor-sharp feminist serial killer story that you won’t be able to put down.
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading They Never Learn!
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *They Never Learn* is a dark psychological thriller with a complex female lead and intertwined dual timelines. Many praise its gripping pl...
I never seen the twist of this!!! It took me to places that I could relate with on many levels and one day hope no one will ever have to relate to again. The beauty of the insight into all of the characters were well developed.
The premise of They Never Learn hooked me right away. The story follows a female Dexter-like English teacher and student, and is set against the backdrop of dark academia.
Scarlett Clark is a brilliant English professor by day and a vigilante serial killer by night, targeting men who hurt women and walk away without consequence. Running parallel to her story is Carly, a freshman navigating trauma and self-discovery, until the shocking midpoint twist reveals that Carly is actually a younger Scarlett. That reveal alone made me rethink everything I had read up to that point. I audibly gasped because I didn’t see that twist coming!
I really liked that Scarlett’s character is unapologetically bisexual, with relationships spanning both women and men, but her truest passion is her ruthless sense of justice. Her rage at the systemic failures that leave women unprotected feels raw and relatable, like she’s living out the revenge fantasy so many of us have secretly imagined. The cat-and-mouse game with the police adds tension, but I especially loved how the final act ties everything together with Scarlett and Mina creating the perfect cover story. The epilogue hints at an even darker future, with Scarlett and Mina in London, poised to continue their work on a larger scale.
While the writing felt a little juvenile at times, the story was compulsively readable. It’s fast-paced, full of tension, and paints an interesting portrait of a bisexual female serial killer operating in a setting usually reserved for gothic academia. Not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I’m glad my book club chose it. If you like thrillers with moral ambiguity, female rage, and a dash of academia, this one is worth the read.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.