An avid reader and aspiring writer, Raphael began his literary career at the age of eighteen, with short stories in national and international magazines—such as the prestigious Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. His first novel, Russian Roulette, was drafted when Raphael was sixteen and a student at the traditional Colégio de São Bento. The book was published in 2010, after being a finalist in the literary competition of the Benvirá publishing house.

His second book, Perfect Days, was published in 2014 by Companhia das Letras and quickly became a phenomenon, translated into more than 25 languages. In 2025, the book was adapted into a series by Globoplay, starring Jaffar Bambirra and Julia Dalavia.

In 2016, he released The Secret Dinner, a sharp and surprising thriller that sold over 300,000 copies in Brazil and will be released in the United States by Celadon Books in 2026.

In the audiovisual field, he created Casa Montes in 2021, a production company focused on suspense, mystery, and horror stories. He worked as creator, executive producer, and screenwriter on productions such as the series Good Morning, Veronica (Netflix), the films about the Richthofen case (The Girl Who Killed Her Parents), and the telenovela Scars of Beauty, a hit on HBO Max.

Author of eight novels, Raphael also published The Village (2015), Good Morning, Veronica (2016, co-authored with Ilana Casoy), A Woman in the Dark (winner of the Brazilian Jabuti Prize in 2020) and A Happy Family (2024). In 2023, he ventured into children's and young adult literature with The Deadly Magic.

His next book, The Stranger in My Bed, will be released in bookstores in 2026, with a Netflix adaptation already in production. With over a million copies sold, Raphael Montes divides his time between Rio de Janeiro and New York and maintains an active presence on social media (@raphael_montes), where he shares his creative process with fans.