What is The Club by Ellery Lloyd about?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd is a murder mystery thriller set at Island Home, an ultra-exclusive celebrity members' club launching on a private island off the English coast. When the glamorous opening weekend attracts A-list guests, dark secrets emerge as CEO Ned Groom blackmails members with incriminating recordings. The weekend spirals into deadly chaos with multiple murders, told through the perspectives of staff members and guests who all harbor dangerous secrets.

Who is Ellery Lloyd and what inspired The Club?

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for London-based husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos. Lyons previously worked as editorial director at Soho House, the exclusive celebrity members' club, giving her insider knowledge of celebrity behavior. Their inspiration came from staying at Osea Island, a privately-owned island frequented by A-list stars, combined with Lyons' firsthand experiences witnessing celebrity culture at elite private clubs.

Who should read The Club by Ellery Lloyd?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd is perfect for readers who enjoy locked-room mysteries, celebrity culture satire, and multiple-perspective thrillers. Fans of The White Lotus, Big Little Lies, and Gone Girl will appreciate the dark humor, morally ambiguous characters, and commentary on wealth and excess. This book suits readers seeking an entertaining, fast-paced beach read with sinister undertones and those fascinated by the hidden lives of the ultra-wealthy.

Is The Club by Ellery Lloyd worth reading?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd is worth reading if you enjoy twisty mysteries with unlikeable characters and satirical commentary on celebrity culture. As a Reese's Book Club Pick and instant New York Times bestseller, the novel delivers entertaining suspense with dark humor. While characters are intentionally unsympathetic and pacing occasionally falters with multiple perspectives, the exhilarating denouement and insider glimpse into exclusive celebrity clubs make it a compelling, addictive read.

What is the plot structure of The Club by Ellery Lloyd?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd uses a multi-perspective narrative structure that alternates between staff members Jess, Annie, Adam, and Nikki, alongside celebrity guests. The novel opens with a fatal car crash on the island causeway, then incorporates fictional Vanity Fair articles describing the weekend's aftermath. The story unfolds across a three-day Halloween launch weekend, gradually revealing how each character's secrets and motivations intersect, building toward multiple murders and shocking revelations.

What is the blackmail scheme in The Club by Ellery Lloyd?

In The Club by Ellery Lloyd, CEO Ned Groom blackmails four high-profile members—Jackson Crane, Keith Little, Freddie Hunter, and Kurt Cox—by secretly recording their criminal activities in Home club rooms. Each receives a flash drive containing incriminating evidence: * Jackson's hit-and-run killing * Keith drugging and photographing unconscious women * Freddie selling celebrity secrets * Kurt's father's sexual abuse of minors Ned demands astronomical membership fees to keep their career-destroying secrets hidden, essentially owning them.

Who are the main characters in The Club by Ellery Lloyd?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd features multiple perspectives: Jess Wilson, the overwhelmed new head of housekeeping with hidden motives; Annie Spark, the membership curator who knows everyone's business; Adam Groom, Ned's brother with family tensions; and Nikki, Ned's personal assistant harboring secrets. The antagonist is Ned Groom, the blackmailing CEO of Home Group. Celebrity guests include actor Jackson Crane, artist Keith Little, talk show host Freddie Hunter, and producer Kurt Cox—all hiding dark secrets.

How does The Club by Ellery Lloyd compare to The White Lotus?

The Club by Ellery Lloyd shares thematic DNA with The White Lotus through its satirical examination of wealth, privilege, and morally corrupt elites at an exclusive resort. Both feature ensemble casts of unlikeable characters, dark humor about the ultra-rich behaving badly, and escalating tensions in isolated luxury settings. However, The Club by Ellery Lloyd incorporates more traditional mystery elements with blackmail schemes and multiple murders, while maintaining similar commentary on class dynamics and reputation obsession.

The Club

A Novel

Ellery Lloyd

Overview of The Club

Reese Witherspoon's thriller obsession: "The Club" plunges readers into a deadly private island resort where celebrities hide dark secrets. This NYT bestseller brilliantly blends Soho House glamour with Fyre Festival chaos - what happens when exclusivity turns fatal?

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Chapter 1

Behind Velvet Ropes: Where Glamour Meets Darkness

The Home Group is the world's most exclusive members' club, where celebrities, artists, and the global elite pay astronomical fees for discretion, luxury, and the chance to rub shoulders with fellow A-listers. When CEO Ned Groom unveils his most ambitious project yet-an entire private island accessible only at low tide-the world's most influential people clamor for invitations. What begins as the party of the decade ends in multiple deaths, a disappearance, and a murder mystery that captivates global media. "The Club" by Ellery Lloyd (the pseudonym for husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos) became an instant bestseller upon its 2022 release, with Reese Witherspoon selecting it for her book club and critics praising its delicious blend of psychological suspense and social satire. As one reviewer noted, "It peels back the glamorous veneer of exclusive spaces to reveal the rot beneath privilege."

Chapter 2

A Playground for the Privileged Few

Island Home represents the pinnacle of exclusivity - a private island sanctuary nestled off the British coast with ninety-seven meticulously designed luxury cabins, three Michelin-starred restaurants, and world-class amenities accessible only via a dramatic causeway that disappears beneath the North Sea tide twice daily. The brainchild of the enigmatic Ned Groom, who masterfully transformed his grandfather's traditional London gentlemen's club from a dusty relic into a global empire of eleven members-only establishments, Island Home commands an eye-watering 5,000 per night with a waiting list stretching well beyond a year. Its Halloween weekend launch party, featuring a carefully curated guest list of 200 global elites, promises to be the social event of the decade. The Home Group's philosophy is deceptively simple yet ruthlessly enforced: "No wankers." Ned's precise definition excludes anyone who flaunts wealth ostentatiously - the hedge fund managers in their matching Ferraris, management consultants brandishing black AmEx cards, and oligarchs who measure success by yacht length. Instead, Home cultivates an atmosphere of effortless cool, catering to a specific breed of wealthy individuals: avant-garde artists, Oscar-winning performers, tech innovators, and cultural creators who shape modern society. The clubs offer understated luxury where A-list celebrities can shed their public personas, where phones are surrendered at reception like weapons at a security checkpoint, and where staff seem to possess an almost supernatural ability to anticipate needs before they're expressed. Behind this facade of exclusivity lies a carefully orchestrated system run with clockwork precision. Annie Spark, the flame-haired Head of Membership with fifteen years of experience in luxury hospitality, occupies a unique and precarious space in members' lives - part super-fixer, part confidante, part therapist, and part servant. She's someone to share espresso martinis with until 2 a.m. in the hidden speakeasy bar, or cry to during a messy public divorce, but also the person they unleash their fury upon when the slightest detail falls short of perfection. Her job requires creating an intricate alchemy of perfect experiences while maintaining the club's sterling reputation through careful curation of membership, rejecting ninety-eight percent of applicants. The staff operates with military precision to maintain the illusion of effortless luxury, with over 300 employees working in seamless coordination. When movie star Jackson Crane destroys his cabin in a cocaine-fueled rage - soaking Egyptian cotton mattresses, smashing vintage crystal light fixtures, and splattering 2,000 bottles of Chateau Lafite across hand-painted ceilings - the housekeeping team mobilizes like a special ops unit, restoring everything within hours, right down to replacing his waterlogged first edition copy of "The Catcher in the Rye." Staff members memorize encyclopedic preference records for each guest: Jackson requires specific Japanese whiskey brands and Mexican Diet Cokes at precisely 3C, while his wife Georgia needs Tasmanian Rain water at room temperature and a 900 weighted cashmere face mask scented with Bulgarian roses. What members don't realize is that beneath the pampering and privacy lies something far more sinister. Hidden cameras disguised as art installations record their most intimate moments, creating an extensive archive of potential blackmail material stored in underground servers. The Home Group isn't just selling luxury - it's methodically collecting secrets that could destroy careers, marriages, and empires with the touch of a button.

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Chapter 3

The Players in a Deadly Game

The Island Home launch weekend brings together a cast of characters whose lives will intertwine with fatal consequences. Ned Groom, the mercurial CEO with a legendary temper, swings between charismatic charm and terrifying rage. When displeased with the manor's interior design, he hurls an art deco vase through a window, swings from a crystal chandelier claiming it hangs too low, and sends a gilt-framed portrait sailing through the air while screaming, "Contemporary vintage was the brief! What have you come up with? Third-tier National Trust property. Suburban hoarder's front room." His brother Adam, Director of Special Projects, lives in Ned's shadow-a once-adoring younger sibling now trapped in a job slowly killing him. At forty-nine, Adam dreads the endless parties and forced smiles through conversations he can barely hear. When he catches glimpses of himself-thinning hair, piggy eyes, untucked shirt-he feels revulsion. His wife Laura has issued an ultimatum: tell Ned he's quitting by weekend's end, or their marriage is over. Nikki Hayes, Ned's personal assistant for twenty-five years, navigates his volatile moods with practiced skill. Her wardrobe is stuffed with expensive apologies-Celine bags, Louis Vuitton boots, Hermes bangles-gifts from Ned after his outbursts. What no one knows is that Nikki harbors devastating secrets about her past with Home Group and its members. Annie Spark, with her Jessica Rabbit-red hair and pink jumpsuit, manages the exclusive guest list, fielding desperate calls from members not invited to the launch. She's cultivated relationships with the world's most influential people, but senses her position growing precarious as Ned's mood darkens. Jess Wilson, newly appointed Head of Housekeeping, arrives on Island Home believing she's landed her dream job. Little do her colleagues know she has a personal connection to one of Home's most famous members-movie star Jackson Crane-and a score to settle from her past. The weekend's VIP guests include Jackson Crane, a globally famous actor who's been a household name for thirty years; his wife Georgia, a British actress; Freddie Hunter, a former boy band member turned successful US talk show host; Keith Little, Britain's most expensive artist; Kurt Cox, a hot young film producer; and Kyra Highway, a singer whose career derailed after a tabloid scandal. As the weekend unfolds, these characters will become entangled in a web of blackmail, revenge, and murder that will leave multiple people dead and one mysteriously disappeared.

Chapter 4

The Architecture of Manipulation

The Home Group's business model extends far beyond membership fees and overpriced cocktails. Beneath Ned's private cottage lies a secret bunker containing banks of screens monitoring every Home club worldwide, with decades of compromising footage stored on servers. What began as crude microphones has evolved into sophisticated surveillance systems capturing members' most intimate moments. This surveillance forms the backbone of an elaborate blackmail scheme. When Jackson Crane, drunk, crashed his car and fled the scene years ago, Ned recorded his damning confession while watching him via security cameras. Adam realized then that his brother had been planning for such an incident all along-this was the blackmail opportunity Ned had been waiting for. The pattern repeats with other members. Keith Little, whose provocative artwork hangs throughout Home clubs, has a disturbing secret: he pretends to get drunk while targeting beautiful young women, secretly remaining sober while drugging their drinks. Once back in his suite, he undresses and photographs them while unconscious, then redresses them before leaving a note making himself seem gentlemanly. His artwork series "All the Women I've Never Slept With" likely features these victims. Freddie Hunter, the successful talk show host, has been blackmailed into leaking stories about his celebrity friends to tabloids. Kurt Cox, the young film producer, discovers footage of his father Ron with various young women in Home suites-girls who look remarkably similar to a younger Nikki Hayes. The weekend's "intimate dinner" hosted by Ned for five select guests serves as the opening move in his latest power play. He informs them they'll find letters in their rooms about new membership status, increased fees, and contracts to sign. When Jackson slams his glass down angrily, Ned ominously warns that "over the next three days, each of you is going to have something else delivered to your cabin..." The implication is clear: Ned possesses compromising material that will ensure they cannot refuse his demands. This architecture of manipulation extends to Ned's own staff. He threatens Adam with revealing damaging secrets that would destroy his carefully curated self-image. Annie discovers her career is ending after Ned sees an interview where she claims credit for ideas he believes are his own. Even Nikki, his most loyal employee, discovers her entire adult life "has been built around an elaborate practical joke."

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Chapter 5

The Breaking Point

By Friday afternoon, the island's carefully maintained veneer of civility begins to crack. The mounting pressure affects each guest differently, but none more dramatically than Jackson Crane. Upon receiving a mysterious package-its contents known only to him and Ned-Crane completely unravels. In a violent outburst that echoes across the island, he demolishes his cabin's interior, hurling furniture through windows and leaving a trail of destruction that speaks to deep-seated rage. His subsequent descent into heavy drinking only heightens the growing sense of instability among the guests. Annie's world collapses when she inadvertently overhears a conversation between Ned and Keith in Ned's study. Through the partially open door, she catches Ned's cruel dismissal: "Annie Spark is fucking history at this company"-followed by calculating discussions about replacing her with someone younger. This betrayal, after fifteen years of loyal service, proves to be her breaking point. Meanwhile, Adam's long-postponed confrontation with his brother about leaving the company turns sinister when Ned responds with carefully crafted threats about exposing Adam's past indiscretions to his wife Sarah-including a series of affairs that would destroy his marriage. The most shocking revelation comes from Jess, who finally recognizes Jackson Crane as the driver who killed her parents in a hit-and-run accident seven years ago. The memory floods back during dinner-his distinctive laugh triggering the traumatic flashback of headlights, screeching tires, and the silver Mercedes that left her parents dying on a rain-slicked road. These individual pressures coalesce into multiple murder plots against Ned. Annie, leveraging her close relationships with Keith and Freddie, convinces them to help her eliminate Ned during Saturday's elaborate masquerade party. The event's dress code-identical black velvet hooded cloaks and white porcelain masks for all guests-provides perfect cover for their scheme. Simultaneously, Jess implements her own revenge plot, methodically crushing sleeping pills into Jackson's favorite whiskey, believing she's administering a lethal dose to the man who destroyed her family. Nikki's confrontation with Ned reveals perhaps the most twisted manipulation of all. She finally forces him to admit how he orchestrated her teenage exploitation-setting up the fifteen-year-old Nikki with actor Ron Cox, filming their encounters, and using the footage for decades of blackmail. But the true horror lies in what happened next: when Nikki became pregnant, Ned arranged for Ron to secretly adopt her baby through his American connections, knowing closed adoption laws would prevent any future contact. Their son Kurt became another piece in Ned's elaborate blackmail scheme against Ron. The Saturday night masquerade descends into chaos as these plots converge. Professional performers stage elaborate mock duels and theatrical executions throughout the grounds, providing cover for real violence. In a tragic twist of mistaken identity, Keith-unable to distinguish between identical masked figures-strangles Adam to death, believing him to be Ned. Jackson Crane, having survived Jess's attempted poisoning, stumbles through the ballroom in a drug-induced haze, shouting accusations at Ned before fleeing with Keith in a Land Rover. Their escape attempt ends in tragedy when the rising tide submerges their vehicle on the causeway, drowning them both. The final confrontation occurs on the jetty, where Nikki corners Ned. Decades of manipulation and the devastating revelation about her son Kurt fuel her rage. When Ned dismissively refers to her as merely a "good PA" he'd skillfully manipulated for years, something snaps. In one decisive moment, Nikki charges forward, pushing Ned into the churning waters below, where he drowns-ending his reign of manipulation and destruction.

Chapter 6

The Aftermath of Tragedy

By Sunday morning, the party of the decade has transformed into the murder mystery of the century. Adam Groom's body is discovered in a Louis Vuitton trunk, brutally strangled with such force that his windpipe was severed and his fingernails torn away in self-defense. Keith Little and Jackson Crane have drowned when their vehicle became submerged on the causeway. Ned Groom has disappeared, his body to be recovered days later by fishermen thirteen miles east of the island. Media coverage explodes worldwide. News channels endlessly replay footage of shell-shocked celebrities huddled under foil blankets as they return to the mainland. Online sleuths spread conspiracy theories while YouTubers scrutinize leaked autopsy reports. Several actors feel compelled to announce publicly they are still alive. In the chaos, Annie Spark emerges as interim CEO of Home Group. She keeps the other eleven clubs open despite Island Home becoming a crime scene, explaining her decision as honoring Ned's vision while providing members a place to grieve together. Membership applications surge after the incident. Annie has mastered telling her version of events so convincingly it feels like truth, manipulating a Vanity Fair journalist into writing a flattering profile. Jess returns to her old job at The Grange hotel, where colleagues are curious about the Island Home tragedy. On her father's birthday, she finally acts on evidence linking Annie to her parents' murder. After visiting her parents' graves, she calls Annie from a phone box, simply saying, "I've seen what you did." She uploads the incriminating footage to YouTube and sends it to police before telling Annie, "It's over." Nikki receives an extraordinarily large severance payment and feels relieved rather than upset-every thought of Home and Ned sends "an existential shudder" through her. While watching an awards show, she sees Kurt giving a speech about his father Ron Cox, who has died. Kurt courageously acknowledges his father's predatory behavior toward young women and the machinery of silence that protected him. Watching him speak truth to power, Nikki decides it's finally time to call her son and have an honest conversation about their past.

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Chapter 7

The Price of Exclusivity

"The Club" ultimately reveals the dark underbelly of exclusive spaces and the corrupting influence of unchecked power. The Home Group's philosophy of "no wankers" proves deeply ironic, as the greatest abusers of power are those running the establishment itself. Ned Groom's surveillance and blackmail operation represents the ultimate violation of trust-members pay exorbitant fees for privacy and discretion, only to have their most intimate moments recorded and weaponized against them. The novel exposes how power structures protect predators like Keith Little and Ron Cox, allowing them to victimize young women while maintaining successful careers. It demonstrates how wealth and fame insulate people like Jackson Crane from consequences, even after causing deaths through reckless behavior. The staff members who enable these systems-Adam through his complicity, Annie through her ambition, Nikki through her silence-find themselves morally compromised and ultimately damaged by their participation. Yet amid this darkness, characters find moments of redemption. Adam finally stands up to his brother, though it costs him his life. Jess pursues justice for her parents years after their deaths. Nikki reaches out to the son she was forced to give up. Kurt Cox uses his platform to expose his father's predatory behavior rather than protecting the family legacy. The novel asks us to consider what we sacrifice for proximity to power and glamour. As Annie reflects while watching the revelry continue even as bodies are discovered: "It could be brutal, this job." The brutality extends beyond the job itself to the moral compromises required to maintain the illusion of exclusivity-an illusion that ultimately costs multiple lives and leaves others irreparably damaged. In the end, "The Club" suggests that true exclusivity comes at a price far higher than the membership fee. Behind the velvet ropes lies a world where privilege shields the powerful from consequences, where loyalty is transactional, and where the appearance of belonging masks profound isolation. The Home Group's slogan-"we are called Home, after all"-becomes the novel's most bitter irony, as the club proves to be anything but a safe haven for those drawn into its orbit.

Chapter 8

When Secrets Come to Light

The brilliance of "The Club" lies in how it gradually reveals the interconnected histories of its characters, showing how past actions reverberate through the present. What initially appears to be a simple tale of luxury and excess becomes a complex exploration of power, manipulation, and revenge spanning decades. Like layers of an onion being methodically peeled away, each revelation forces readers to reevaluate everything they thought they understood about the characters and their motivations. The most shocking revelation comes when Nikki discovers that Kurt Cox, the young film producer, is actually her biological son - conceived when she was fifteen and actor Ron Cox was in his thirties. The truth emerges through subtle clues: Kurt's familiar mannerisms, his unexplained hostility toward Nikki, and most tellingly, the distinctive birthmarks that mirror her own. Ned arranged for Ron to secretly adopt the baby through his American connections, creating the ultimate blackmail leverage. This explains not only Kurt's mysterious birthmarks that Nikki noticed during his swim but also his meteoric rise in Hollywood despite his young age - a career carefully orchestrated by those who knew his true identity. Jess Wilson's vendetta against Jackson Crane stems from witnessing him flee the scene after killing her parents in a car accident when she was eight years old. The trauma of that rainy night haunted her childhood - the image of "Captain Aquatic" stumbling from the wreckage, the sound of tires squealing away, and the devastating silence that followed. Though police dismissed her testimony about seeing Jackson's iconic character at the scene, she spent years meticulously gathering evidence. The memory stick she discovers in Jackson's cabin contains security footage from that fateful night, along with incriminating emails that reveal Annie Spark's role in the cover-up. These interconnected secrets form a web of betrayal and manipulation at the heart of Home Group. Annie helped cover up Jackson's hit-and-run years ago, creating a bond of mutual blackmail that she leveraged to secure her position within the club. Ned, the puppet master, methodically recorded compromising material on all his influential members - from boardroom corruption to personal indiscretions - using it to extract money and favors while maintaining an facade of exclusivity and discretion. Adam enabled his brother's schemes while desperately trying to maintain the fiction that he wasn't equally culpable, his guilt manifesting in increasingly erratic behavior. When these secrets finally emerge, the carefully constructed facade of Home Group collapses like a house of cards. The exclusive club that promised discretion and luxury is revealed as a predatory enterprise built on exploitation, blackmail, and abuse of power. The glamorous party on an isolated island becomes the perfect setting for this reckoning - when the tide rises and cuts off escape, there's nowhere to hide from the truth. The physical isolation mirrors the psychological trap these characters have built for themselves, as decades of lies and manipulation finally come crashing down around them.

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Chapter 9

The Ultimate Membership

"The Club" offers a scathing critique of celebrity culture and the commodification of exclusivity. Home Group sells its members the illusion that they belong to something special-a rarefied atmosphere where they can relax among equals without the pressures of fame. In reality, they're paying for the privilege of being surveilled, manipulated, and eventually blackmailed. The novel explores how institutions protect powerful abusers while silencing victims. Ron Cox's predatory behavior toward teenage girls is enabled by a system that values his celebrity over the safety of young women. Keith Little's artistic reputation shields him from scrutiny about his disturbing pattern of drugging and photographing unconscious women. Jackson Crane's status as a global movie star allows him to literally get away with murder. Yet the book also examines how victims can become perpetrators in turn. Jess attempts to murder Jackson out of justified rage over her parents' deaths. Nikki kills Ned after discovering decades of manipulation. Annie plots Ned's murder to save her career. These characters have legitimate grievances, but their actions perpetuate cycles of violence rather than breaking them. In the end, "The Club" suggests that the ultimate membership-to humanity itself-requires acknowledging hard truths and taking responsibility for one's actions. Kurt Cox demonstrates this when he publicly addresses his father's predatory behavior rather than protecting the family legacy. Nikki shows it when she finally reaches out to her son after decades of silence. Jess embodies it when she exposes Annie's role in her parents' deaths, seeking justice rather than personal revenge. The novel leaves us with a powerful question: What price are we willing to pay for belonging? The characters who survive the weekend must reckon with their complicity in systems of power and privilege. Some, like Annie, double down on exploitation, planning to continue Ned's blackmail operation with new wealthy members, giving them "enough velvet rope to hang themselves with." Others, like Nikki and Jess, choose to break free from these systems, even at personal cost. Behind the velvet ropes of the world's most exclusive club, the novel reveals that true belonging cannot be purchased at any price-it must be earned through honesty, accountability, and the courage to face uncomfortable truths about ourselves and the systems we participate in.

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Key Themes in The Club

exclusive membership clubs
celebrity blackmail
toxic workplace dynamics
wealthy social satire
isolated island mystery

Quotes from The Club

No wankers.
Contemporary vintage was the brief!
The Home Group isn't just selling luxury - it's methodically collecting secrets.

Characters in The Club

Ned GroomThe mercurial and ambitious CEO of Home Group
Annie SparkThe Head of Membership and expert fixer
Adam GroomDirector of Special Projects and Ned's brother
Nikki HayesNed's long-serving personal assistant
Jackson CraneA volatile A-list movie star and club member

About the Author

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for the London-based husband-and-wife writing team of Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos, bestselling authors of the psychological thriller The Club.

This gripping murder mystery explores the dark side of celebrity culture and exclusive social circles, drawing on the authors' insider knowledge of elite worlds. Collette, a former content director at Elle UK and editorial director at Soho House, brings sharp insights into luxury lifestyle and media. Paul, a professor of creative writing and novelist, contributes narrative craft and psychological depth.

Their debut novel People Like Her dissected influencer culture and became a Richard and Judy pick. The Club was selected as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and became an instant New York Times bestseller, cementing their reputation for intelligent, zeitgeist-capturing thrillers that blend social commentary with page-turning suspense.

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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco

LOVED BY

1,000,000+ curious minds.

4.7

avg rating

1M+ learners

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

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@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

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254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

See more on how BeFreed is discussed

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Chapter 5

The Club

OverviewOverview of The Club

One book. Many ways to hear it.

Behind Velvet Ropes: Where Glamour Meets Darkness

A Playground for the Privileged Few

See every word as you hear it

The Players in a Deadly Game

The Architecture of Manipulation

Get more out of The Club

The Breaking Point

The Aftermath of Tragedy

See every word as you hear it

The Price of Exclusivity

When Secrets Come to Light

Get more out of The Club

The Ultimate Membership

You made it to the end of The Club

Key Themes in The Club

Quotes from The Club

Characters in The Club

About the Author

Download Summary of The Club

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1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

One book. Many ways to hear it.

Behind Velvet Ropes: Where Glamour Meets Darkness

A Playground for the Privileged Few

See every word as you hear it

The Players in a Deadly Game

The Architecture of Manipulation

Get more out of The Club

The Breaking Point

The Aftermath of Tragedy

See every word as you hear it

The Price of Exclusivity

When Secrets Come to Light

Get more out of The Club

The Ultimate Membership

You made it to the end of The Club

Users also liked

Discover more

Overview of The Club