The sophomore slump claims another...

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The dreaded sophomore slump claims another...

Mariana, head of a therapy group, studied her craft at Cambridge and found her way as a professional ever since. The tragic and untimely demise of her husband Sebastian, however, still haunts her and she can't shake the feeling that one of the patients in her group sessions may have a bit of a deadly obsession with her. All of these fears get put on the back burner when she receives a panicked phone call from niece Zoe, now also a student at Cambridge--there's been a horrific murder.

Compelled by her familial duty and loyalty to her alma mater, Mariana returns to Cambridge to play detective and hones in on Edward Fosca, the debonair and brooding Greek Tragedy professor who has a gaggle of young female devotees known as the Maidens. Mariana's curiosity and suspicion of Fosca leads her to stick around her old stomping grounds, determined to get to the bottom of these mysterious circumstances and prove that Fosca is the mastermind behind the crimes. But when a curious and threatening postcard with a Greek inscription begins making an appearance and the body count rises, Mariana finds herself in possession of one of the cards marking her as a potential victim---and running out of time. Could she be the next female to fall?

The good:
*Yet another page-turning book from Michaelides. In this case, I think that might have more to do with short chapters and less to do with a compelling narrative, however.
*Michaelides is still enthralled (and heavily inspired) by Greek tragedy of all sorts. References abound here, and fans of that genre will certainly enjoy all of the nods. I don't consider myself well-versed in any respect and my basic knowledge of some of the mythology mentioned was enough to keep me interested---especially in the group of the Maidens themselves.
*The final twist is solid enough where I didn't guess it--at least not entirely. A multi-layered approach is what saved this one, or I think the twist would have been somewhat transparent based on the evidence.
*tie-in to Michaelides' first book. Fans always appreciate a call back. Can't say it necessarily added anything to the plot here, but I still enjoyed the references.

The not-so-good:
*This book, pretty much from start to finish, felt very far-fetched. The opening section focuses almost entirely on Mariana's therapy group, but afterwards, we heard very little from any of its members.
*I also found it hard to believe that everyone in the Cambridge community was instantly entranced and intrigued by Mariana. Not only that, all of the characters didn't find it strange that she returned to play detective and everyone was eager to spill any secrets they had to help her investigation. I also found it odd she had so many romantic suitors, or potential suitors, especially Fred. It might have been convenient for the plot, but honestly? Seemed hard to believe.
*The dialogue came off a bit corny at times and had me rolling my eyes a bit. I didn't have that feeling whatsoever while reading Silent Patient, so I am hoping it was specific to this book since Michaelides is normally a solid writer.
*For a book that should have felt like it moved at a breakneck pace, I struggled to stay engaged and it took me far longer to finish than I would have liked.


What do many plot threads make? A giant knot.

While I appreciated the nuance, references, and some of the aura surrounding the Maidens, in this case the bad outweighed the good. I wholeheartedly believe, however, that Michaelides has carved a specific niche for himself in the thriller genre and will hopefully stun us back to silence with his next book!

#TheMaidens #CeladonReads #Partner