The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Louise Brealey

Published June 2021 by Celadon Books

Publisher's Summary:

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.

My Thoughts:

Kirkus Reviews compares this one to a gothic thriller and I'd have to agree (you don't hear me say that very often about Kirkus Reviews, do ya?). Michaelides takes full advantage of his more than 800-year-old setting, throwing fog, deserted streets, men following Mariana who are shrouded in darkness, a lot of bodies, a stalker, and a story line that relies heavily on ancient Greek myths.

Part of what makes this feel more Gothic than current is the university's hesitance to step in when a professor is accused of having inappropriate relations with his female students and their slowness to consider shutting down the campus, even after three students have been murdered. What makes it feel even more a book set 100 years ago is that fact that its heroine is, despite her willingness to step in and try to solve a murder, more or less helpless. Yes, Mariana is deeply grieving the accidental death of her beloved husband and overwhelmed with memories of their time together on the Cambridge campus, so maybe not operating at her highest level. But she's also a Cambridge-educated psychotherapist, hardly the kind of woman readers might expect to find wringing her hands, let alone continuously putting herself into dangerous situations.

I very much liked all of the Greek mythology, the art, the setting, even the outline of the story. But I did find myself wanting to grab ahold of Mariana and shake some sense into her and she wasn't the only character I wanted to shake. 

Still, Michaelides got me with this one. As in "gotcha!" Suddenly a book that I was thinking had an interesting premise but wasn't a very good mystery (because, let's be honest, if I can figure out who done it, it's not a very good mystery) throws a curve ball at me I never saw coming. That might not work for everyone - some might not care for an ending that comes so unexpectedly. But it redeemed the book for me. In the end, I recalled plenty of clues that asked me to look deeper and that was enough for me to come away from this book contented. It had done what it needed to do for me - take my mind away from the heavier things in life for a few hours. 

Source: Audiobook checked out from my local library.