Book Review - The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Title: The Maidens
Series: -
Author: Alex Michaelides
 
Description: 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 is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is murdered in Cambridge. 

Review: When Mariana Andros gets a call from her niece Zoe that her best friend Tara is missing, Mariana leaves her job as a psychologist and travels to Cambridge University. This brings up a lot emotionally not only because of the situation, but also because that is where she and her husband met. As a result, many memories of her deceased love come into play. Once she arrives at the university, she and her niece discover that Tara is not only missing, but her body has been found and she has been brutally murdered. Mariana’s attention is immediately drawn to professor Edward Fosca. 
Soon Mariana becomes obsessed with Fosca. He is a professor of Greek Tragedy at the university and Mariana is sure he is a murderer. Edward Fosca, however, is a very popular man, both with his colleagues and his student. He even has a group of loyal female followers who call themselves the Maidens. Is he capable of killing his students? 
Mariane grabs your attention from page one. He character tells several stories at once. Her past, her relationship with her late husband’s tragic accident, and the present. There layers of her personality are beautifully described by Alex Michaelides and take you well into her obsessive exploration. 
Because of Michaelides writing style and Mariane’s perspective, as a reader you go along with her conviction that the police are on the wrong track and that Professor Edward Fosca must have something to do with the murders. Both the story and the characters are therefore clever and well put together. This book surprises you. 
“The Maidens” has great tension building and Michaelides has an accessible writing style. The chapters are short, which I love. It’s a rock solide mystery thriller and I would recommend this to people who love the genre.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5