The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
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.
Another thriller on the list for my monthly book club…..cue my giant sigh.
Yall know I am not always the biggest fan of this type of genre….and we literally JUST READ ONE (I gotta read back to back thrillers now????Yall are killin’ me)….but whatevs.
I’m part of the group and I must be a good, cooperative team player…whether I wanna be or not 😆
This book did hold a higher interest level for me than the last one did AND it wasn’t nearly as difficult for me to get thru…. but it wasn’t EASY though by any means.
(I will always struggle with reading for entertainment anything that contains violence or abuse…that just is not a good time for me.)
I do enjoy a fictional writing style that tells multiple points of view from different characters like this one did (Mariana’s and the unknown killer)….I always find that to be more interesting than just one voice used throughout. I did like the way the author did it too….he expertly wove it into the story in a very unique way….which I can’t give specifics on obvi, but trust me…it’s GOOD.
So there were things I liked about the novel, but I definitely can’t say that I loved it…ESPECIALLY the chapters that were told from the killers point of view.
Although, on that note, I did appreciate that their horrific childhood abuse they experienced was not described in graphic detail as I have read in other similar novels.
Because NOPE. That kind of thing I can NOT stomach.
The whole concept of the abused becomes the abuser and the whole “nature vs nuture” idea is addressed in this story, as often is the case with plotlines such as this. What exactly is it that makes someone commit horrible acts against another human being? That is what you ponder the entire time you are reading (and once you are finished as well).
I thought the author’s writing style was perfect for this type of genre (and I remember thinking the same thing when we read “The Silent Patient” last year)….he was GENIUS with all the various webs he spun that had you guessing all kinds of “what if” scenarios.
I TOTALLY thought I had the *entire* mystery allllll figured out and the killer identified and was feeling very smug and proud of myself….
And then got to the end and realized I was 100000 percent WRONG AF.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
When all was revealed, I must say it was HELLA shocking and surprising…so well done on that ending, sir.
But…once all was said and done and the last page was read, there were some segments of the story that I was like “Okay, why did he put this BS in here though? I don’t get the relevance or meaning behind it.”
Some pieces just seem like unnecessary adornment.
This book was better than the last thriller we read….but it still only receives a rating of “It was ok” for me.
Not the worst, not the best….just straight up mid.
Not super into this type of thing, no big.
If you’re a thriller fan, my guess is that you probably WILL enjoy this one. Or at least think more highly of it than me 🤣