The Maidens by Alex Michaelides on June 15, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 336
Format: Audiobook
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“After all, everyone’s entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I’m not. I’m the villain.”
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.
After having read The Silent Patient, yes, I was truly expecting something earth shattering, soul crushing, mind bending, grey cell fryer, unputdownable! I have to say this one never “took off” for me. A rather gruesome murder mystery, with dramatic characters that seemed too over the top. I didn’t care for any of them either. The plot, in general, didn’t have enough cohesiveness to pull off another stunning, shocking surprise twist at the end. The atmosphere was creepy- the feeling of foreboding and dread was thick with apprehension, but it wasn’t enough to hold the story together. Once I made it to the halfway mark, I had already figured out the main piece of the puzzle, despite the author’s attempts to divert my attention away from what was all too obvious, with too many smokescreens and devices.
I rated this novel at 3.5 stars. For me, this book wasn’t anything I had not seen before. It was good enough- average- but not up to the author’s previous standards. All that said, despite my underwhelming experience with this book, in all honesty, it’s not terrible, terrible- It’s just ordinary, like many others in this category, and way too predictable for me. I see the book has been generally well- received, so you may have much better luck with it than I did!