By Alex Michaelides
Goodreads Synopsis
“Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek Tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld? When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.” (Goodreads)
My Take
Character Connection 
While Michaelides weaves a twisty journey, the characters of this one just kind of fell flat. Mariana as our main protagonist is good for “in the moment” action, but I found myself wanting to know more about her backstory, thoughts, and reasoning for her actions. This translated to other characters as well – good but not great (I just really wanted more – add about 50 pages and draw out some character development). I did really enjoy the character tie-in from Michaelides’ first book, The Silent Patient!
Twisty-Turns
The story weaves you in and out and keeps you guessing. I love a good Red Herring and this one was full of them, I was betting on just about every character being the big baddie at some point throughout the reading 😉 Again, I wish the author would have drawn out some more reasoning behind the killing but I don’t mind filling in some assumptions.
Psych-Links
Our main protagonist is a Therapist who focuses on groups and her specific viewpoint and skill were woven throughout the story. Besides the obvious links to psychology, there is also a tie-in with Greek Mythology. Again, I think I needed a little more in terms of basic Greek tragedy review but those of you who are well-versed in the gods/goddesses may be able to pick up on a few more things that I missed.
Cine-ability
This would be a great, suspenseful flick. I’d love to see both The Maidens and The Silent Patient made into movies! Here’s my fan cast:
The Merry Murderino’s Overall Rating
This was my Book of the Month pick for June, I LOVED his first novel and didn’t have to think long before choosing this one as well! I personally enjoyed The Silent Patient, Michaelides’ first novel a bit better than The Maidens but it’s definitely still a great, quick read! I really enjoyed the psychological tie-ins and the twist-filled plot that kept me guessing. Basically, if I had a few more pages focused on character-backstory and a brief overview/explanation of key Greek Tragedy players this one would have been rated higher. Pick it up and let me know what you think!
The Merry Murderino 