I listened to the audiobook of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. It had all the elements I had hoped it would have. The narrators, Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith gave brilliant performances adding just enough intrigue and suspense as the novel was read. It was fast paced and well plotted with short chapters. The characters were well developed and complex. I liked how Alex Michaelides flawlessly managed to reintroduce characters from Silent Patient into this book. The Maidens was dark, suspenseful and gripping. It combined Greek mythology with murder and took on an obsession to convict. There were many clever twists, tense moments and several red herrings. I, for one, did not see the ending coming. It was quite unexpected.
Mariana Andros was a grieving widow and well respected group therapist. She had a brilliant mind but the loss of her beloved husband, Sebastian had left her sad, angry and at a loss of purpose in her life. Then one day, Mariana received a phone call from her niece, Zoe, who was studying at St. Christopher’s college, part of Cambridge University. One of Zoe’s friends, Tara, had disappeared. Zoe feared the worst had happened to Tara and was having a hard time coping with that aspect. Mariana and Sebastian had brought Zoe up together after her mother, Mariana’s sister, and her husband had died in a tragic car accident. There was nothing that Mariana wouldn’t do for Zoe so of course she told Zoe that she would come to the college to try and help Zoe find out what happened to Tara. Perhaps this was just the purpose Mariana was seeking.
It was soon revealed that Tara had been murdered. At her funeral, a group of female students, known as The Maidens, attended the funeral, dressed in all white. Zoe informed Mariana that the girls were part of The Maidens. It was a secret society of all female students led by Edward Fosca, professor of Greek tragedy. Edward Fosca was highly regarded by his colleagues and well liked by the students. Mariana slowly began to suspect Edward Fosca as Tara’s killer, and then even more so when more of the members of The Maidens started to strangely disappear and were later found murdered. In Mariana’s opinion, all evidence pointed to Edward Fosca as the murderer. Mariana was convinced she was right and started to become obsessed with her conviction. The only question Mariana could not justify in her mind was why would a professor want to murder his own students? Could Mariana prove her point before someone else, possibly her niece, Zoe, fell by his hand and Mariana spiraled more out of control with her obsession?
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I highly recommend this book.
Mariana Andros was a grieving widow and well respected group therapist. She had a brilliant mind but the loss of her beloved husband, Sebastian had left her sad, angry and at a loss of purpose in her life. Then one day, Mariana received a phone call from her niece, Zoe, who was studying at St. Christopher’s college, part of Cambridge University. One of Zoe’s friends, Tara, had disappeared. Zoe feared the worst had happened to Tara and was having a hard time coping with that aspect. Mariana and Sebastian had brought Zoe up together after her mother, Mariana’s sister, and her husband had died in a tragic car accident. There was nothing that Mariana wouldn’t do for Zoe so of course she told Zoe that she would come to the college to try and help Zoe find out what happened to Tara. Perhaps this was just the purpose Mariana was seeking.
It was soon revealed that Tara had been murdered. At her funeral, a group of female students, known as The Maidens, attended the funeral, dressed in all white. Zoe informed Mariana that the girls were part of The Maidens. It was a secret society of all female students led by Edward Fosca, professor of Greek tragedy. Edward Fosca was highly regarded by his colleagues and well liked by the students. Mariana slowly began to suspect Edward Fosca as Tara’s killer, and then even more so when more of the members of The Maidens started to strangely disappear and were later found murdered. In Mariana’s opinion, all evidence pointed to Edward Fosca as the murderer. Mariana was convinced she was right and started to become obsessed with her conviction. The only question Mariana could not justify in her mind was why would a professor want to murder his own students? Could Mariana prove her point before someone else, possibly her niece, Zoe, fell by his hand and Mariana spiraled more out of control with her obsession?
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I highly recommend this book.