Dead Beat

Alex Stern #3

by Leigh Bardugo

The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here…

Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.

While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won’t have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex’s mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they’re all about to learn that demons don’t play by human rules.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Academia, Fiction, Adult, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Mystery

Unknown Binding

Expected publication September 15, 2026

About the author

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for her newsletter.

She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.

Reviews

[emma]

this is the book equivalent of when you think you've eaten the last cookie and you go to throw away the box and then you see, hiding in the corner, that there's actually been one more bonus magic cookie waiting for you all along.

and now we have a title!

[Megan ❀]

Actual footage of me camped out in hell while waiting however many years it's going to take for this book to come out:

[chai ♡]

I’m just going to go ahead and say what everyone else is thinking:

📢 ALEX AND DARLINGTON NEED TO BANG AND GET OVER IT 📢

[Bea]

*slides leigh bardugo 20$* let alex and darlington fuck

[Vanessa]

An on-page darlingstern sex scene isn't a want its a need

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ *]

why did she title this book after my dad smh

[Megan]

i need alex and darlington to have wild demon sex in this one thanks

[Mirabel]

*chanting*
darling-ton-stern darling-ton-stern

[Vathna]

Please, not another 3+ years 😢

Edit: It did, in fact, take 3 years+

[h i n d]

I have a strong feeling that by the time this book comes out I will have forgotten everything that happened in the previous 2 books

[✭ emilee ✭]

demon f*ckers unite!

[Ricarda]

"Dead Beat" as the title, weird owl cover, 2026 release date. Thrilled about everything so far.

[Ana (Hiatus)]

Alex and Darlington need to get together in this book. It's been way too long. Their tension is too much.

OMG IT'S REAL. WE HAVE A NAME NOW. SEPTEMBER CAN NOT COME SOON ENOUGH

[bushra · Rating 5 out of 5]

the public needs them to use that goddamn glowing dick already

[vaishnave]

please please please ms. bardugo please just give me alternating darlington/alex chapters like you did for ninth house and darlington/alex action scenes against demons and darlington/alex banter and darlington/alex sarcasm and darlington/alex romance and just anything darlington/alex PLEASE

[levi (starboy)]

We got the title reveal and the date !??????!!??! Ongggggggg
_________
I need this book rn😭😭

[ingrid ₊]

BEFORE U CAME INTO MY LIFE I MISSED U SO BAD

[Poppyflowerjj]

This is going to take three years isn't it!! ugh 😢

Dark Romance / Horror / Fantasy?!?!

I needs some damn DARLINGSTERN action damnit.

Let them become LOVERS.

[Sydney | sydneys.books]

So what are we getting first, the last Stranger Things season or Book 3? Or maybe student loan debt relief? Start the timers.

[hali]

[HEAVY BREATHING] 👁️👄👁️

[❀ iro ❀]

THIS BETTER HAS DARLINGSTERN SMUT IN IT OR ELSE

[vi.isreading]

I NEED to read more feral Darlington, he better be frothing at the mouth in this book.

[Akshu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone lock Darlington and Alex in one room with one bed, just saying 🤝

[vyn targaryen ‎♡‧₊˚]

if alex and darlington don't fuck im suing

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

➽ Ninth House ★★★
➽ Hell Bent ★★★


Blog | Instagram | Youtube | Ko-fi | Spotify | Twitch

[manas]

THE TITLE????

MY MANS DARLINGTON IS BACK!!!!

[Lyss Wedge]

THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE?!?!?!!???!?!?!?! thank u leigh, thank u so much

[Rosa]

Darlington said he “wanted to fuck”. Can you please grant the man his wish (w/Alex). 🤗

[Niharika (severely inactive)]

I'm so excited for this ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Mare]

I don't even know when this will be getting into my greedy little hands but I will be eagerly awaiting its presence in my life.