From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements “Michaelides as a major player in the field” (Publishers Weekly).

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.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The Maidens

Alex Michaelides, author of the breakout THE SILENT PATIENT, returns with a gothic murder-mystery, rife with dark secrets aplenty.

As in THE SILENT PATIENT, Michaelides features a psychotherapist as its central character. This time it’s 36-year-old widow Mariana Andros, who visits niece Zoe on her Cambridge University campus and becomes embroiled in the case of a murdered student.

The more she digs, and the more bodies are found, the more she’s certain Professor Edward Fosca—Greek tragedy professor—is the culprit. There’s a ritualistic nature to the murders with cryptic calling cards left as clues, and moreover, the victims were all part of a secret group forged by Fosca: The Maidens, named in reference to the cult of Eleusis in ancient Greece. But what did the Eleusinian Mysteries, and Persephone and Demeter, have to do with the killings of these young girls on the Cambridge campus?

Mariana obsessively searches for evidence as the stakes get even higher. Before the end, Mariana herself with be in the line of fire with a shocking culmination I didn’t see coming.

Michaelides weaves an intricate mystery elevated by Greek mythology references and thrumming with a foreboding feel that kept me rapt. While the book felt a little slower paced that THE SILENT PATIENT, I loved the immersiveness and mythological aspects of the novel.

Clever and sinister, THE MAIDENS is a solid atmospheric thriller perfect for poolside reading.

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