The Recommended Reading Order and Starting Points
Derek Milman specializes in highly atmospheric, character-driven young adult fiction featuring queer protagonists who are thrown into extreme, often chaotic situations. Because all of his novels are completely standalone stories, there is no strict narrative continuity to follow. You can pick up any of his books in any order you choose. However, your ideal starting point depends on your preferred subgenre and narrative tone.
Option 1: Start with Dark Academia (Recommended)
If you love boarding school intrigue, secret societies, and tense psychological drama, start with A Darker Mischief (2024). It is his most atmospheric work to date and offers a modern, queer spin on the classic dark academia genre.
Option 2: Start with High-Octane Thrillers
If you prefer fast-paced, action-packed suspense with a Hitchcockian flavor, start with Swipe Right for Murder (2019). It reads like a cinematic chase movie, making it perfect for fans of crime fiction and mistaken identity tropes.
Option 3: Start with Dark Comedy and Horror Homage
If you enjoy eccentric characters, movie magic, and family drama wrapped in a love letter to vintage cinema, start with his debut, Scream All Night (2018). It is the best choice if you want something that balances humor, grief, and B-horror aesthetic.
Derek Milman Books in Publication Order
For readers who want to experience Derek Milman’s evolution as a writer, reading his books in publication order is a great approach. To date, all of his published books are standalone contemporary YA novels:
- Scream All Night (Published: July 24, 2018 by Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins)
- Swipe Right for Murder (Published: August 6, 2019 by Jimmy Patterson / Little, Brown)
- A Darker Mischief (Published: July 30, 2024 by Scholastic Press)
Deep Dive: Understanding Derek Milman's Novels
To help you choose which of his novels to pick up first, here is what you need to know about the setting, plot, and themes of each book.
Scream All Night (2018)
Milman's debut novel draws heavily on his love for classic Hammer Horror films. The story follows seventeen-year-old Dario Heyward, a legally emancipated teen who has spent three years trying to distance himself from his eccentric, abusive family and their home—Moldavia Studios, a crumbling castle that serves as the set for low-budget cult horror movies. When Dario is pulled back for a tribute ceremony honoring his late father, a sudden tragedy leaves him in charge of the studio. Dario is forced to choose between running away again to secure his future or staying to save the bizarre home and crew he left behind. The novel is widely praised for its dark humor, original setting, and sensitive exploration of childhood trauma and family reconciliation.
Swipe Right for Murder (2019)
Set in a cold, wintry New York City, this fast-paced thriller is a queer contemporary take on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest. Seventeen-year-old Aidan Jamison is struggling with a chronic heart condition and family issues at his boarding school. During a lonely night in a Manhattan hotel, Aidan uses a hook-up app called DirtyPaws to meet an older man named Benoît. Things take a deadly turn when Aidan wakes up next to Benoît's lifeless body and realizes he has been mistaken for someone else. Suddenly, Aidan is on the run from both the FBI and a cyber-terrorist organization known as "the Swans." This high-stakes thriller is a quick, suspenseful ride that challenges its protagonist to survive while questioning his own moral boundaries.
A Darker Mischief (2024)
Inspired in part by the author’s own experience attending the Yale School of Drama, this dark academia novel introduces us to Cal Ware, a scholarship student from Mississippi who arrives at the prestigious Essex Academy in Vermont. Hoping to escape his past and reinvent himself, Cal instead finds himself isolated by the school's hyper-wealthy, snobbish elite. Desperate to belong, Cal seeks out the school's legendary secret society, the Society of Seven Eyes. As he gets drawn into the intense initiation rituals alongside the charismatic and dangerous Luke Kim, Cal finds himself caught in a web of toxic privilege, secrets, and peril. It is a slow-burn, atmospheric mystery that dissects social class, ambition, and the price of acceptance.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into Derek Milman's catalog, keep the following reader guidance in mind:
- Standalones Only: There are no sequels, companion short stories, or interconnected universes. Every book starts and finishes a complete, self-contained story.
- Queer Protagonists: Every book features a queer male main character (Dario, Aidan, and Cal) navigating their identity alongside the central genre plot (whether horror, thriller, or mystery).
- Content Warnings: Despite being YA, Milman's books deal with heavy themes. Scream All Night explores parental abuse and emotional neglect. Swipe Right for Murder includes violence and death. A Darker Mischief deals with bullying, classism, and dangerous hazing rituals.
- Cinematic Writing Style: Because of Milman's background as an actor and playwright, his novels are characterized by highly visual prose, snappy dialogue, and structural pacing reminiscent of cinema.