Dead Beat (Pre-Order Sept. 15, 2026)

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (Pre-order for Sept 15, 2026)

The explosive final installment in the dark fantasy thriller series that began with Ninth House and Hell Bent.

A supernatural war is coming to Yale—and Alex Stern may be the only one who can stop it.

After surviving the underworld more than once, Alex Stern has returned to Yale University changed—and this time she may have brought something terrible back with her. Demons are slipping into the streets of New Haven, preying on the living and unsettling the dead. The secret societies that once controlled the city’s occult forces are losing their grip, and the gates to hell are threatening to open.

As chaos spreads across campus, Alex and her allies must uncover long-buried secrets hidden within Yale’s elite societies and the shadowy operations of Lethe House. The deeper Alex digs, the more she realizes that the key to stopping the coming catastrophe may lie within her own blood—and the dark magic that has always surrounded her.

With the Lethe Board turning against them and powerful supernatural enemies closing in, Alex won’t face the coming battle alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, Tripp, and Darlington—now transformed by dangerous powers of his own—must stand together as demons descend on Yale and the line between the living and the dead collapses.

Dark, thrilling, and full of Bardugo’s signature twists, Dead Beat delivers a breathtaking conclusion to the beloved occult fantasy trilogy that blends secret societies, supernatural horror, and academia.

Why readers love Dead Beat:

A dark academia fantasy packed with magic, demons, and secret societies
The thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Ninth House trilogy
A haunting supernatural mystery set at Yale University
Complex characters, dangerous magic, and a high-stakes final battle

Perfect for fans of:

Dark academia fantasy, supernatural thrillers, and novels like The Secret History, Babel, and The Atlas Six.

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