In the realm of contemporary fiction, few novels pack a punch as potent as Donna Tartt’s debut work, “The Secret History.” Released in 1992, the novel traces the chilling journey of a group of elite college students who inadvertently slip down a dark path of moral ambiguity and unspoken horror. This sprawling narrative of erudition, beauty, and the haunting essence of guilt is a compelling exploration of human morality and the devastating consequences of unchecked intellectual elitism.