Books Where the Main Character is the Villain

Are you bored with typical hero stories and want something more sinister?

Check out these gripping books that explore the minds of villainous main characters:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov's controversial classic "Lolita" will captivate and disturb you.

The book follows Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged literature professor obsessed with and sexually exploiting his 12-year-old stepdaughter Dolores.

Nabokov's beautiful writing and unreliable narrator will make you question your own morals.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Enter the twisted world of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker secretly living as a serial killer.

Bret Easton Ellis's "American Psycho" is a graphic, unflinching look at violence, consumerism, and the darkest parts of the human mind.

Bateman's descent into madness will horrify you.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Tom Ripley, the charming yet sociopathic main character of Patricia Highsmith's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," will make you question the line between hero and villain.

As a con man who murders and steals a wealthy man's identity, Ripley's moral grayness will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Collector by John Fowles

Meet Frederick Clegg, a lonely disturbed man who kidnaps and imprisons a young art student Miranda in his rural home, in John Fowles's chilling "The Collector."

Fowles's exploration of obsession and power will make you ponder the depths of human cruelty.

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

Be unsettled by Jim Thompson's "The Killer Inside Me," following Lou Ford, a small-town deputy sheriff secretly a psychopathic killer and sexual sadist.

Thompson's unflinching portrayal of violence and depravity will make you question good and evil.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

In M.L. Rio's "If We Were Villains," you'll be drawn into a group of Shakespeare actor students, one revealed as a murderer.

This literary thriller will keep you guessing until the end as you navigate complex relationships and motives.

And That’s It

Explore these captivating novels and explore human darkness.

From obsessive love to serial killers, these villainous main characters will challenge your views and leave you craving more.

-Eternal Reads