Book Review - The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Title: The Fury
Author: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Published: 2024
 
Description: Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex-movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and sped Easter on her idyllic Greek island.
 
I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time, - it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind… and a murder.
 
We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse – a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.
 
But who am I? My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a tory unlike any you’ve ever heard.
 
Review: Lana Farrar leads a reclusive existence, after a tumultuous life as a famous actress. Every year she invites her best friends to her idyllic Greek island to celebrate Easter and escape the English weather. But this year, the seven friends are beset at night by the fury, a local storm that rises suddenly and cuts the island off from civilization. A night that will end in violence and murder. One of them must be the culprit, and old friendships give way to hatred, jealousy and vindictiveness. A cat-and-mouse game ensues
 
I like the setting of a remote location, where retired actress Lana Farrar stepped out of the spotlights and left Hollywood. You quickly learn that there is a lot of drama between all these friends. Jealousy, secrets, secret admiration, revenge, vicious schemes, toxic relationships, poor choices and lots of manipulation. It goes from bad to worse. And I love reading about rich people drama.
 
I’m a big fan of Alex Michaelides previous books: “The Maidens” and especially “The Silent Patient”. So my expectations were really high for “The Fury”. The story is told through the character Elliot Chase, who tells his story as it were to you, the reader. He tells you from the start that he can not be trusted. I really liked this form of narration, it felt fresh. Michaelides has thrown in several plot twists, but unfortunately I found these twist a bit disappointing. In this regard, I found “The Fury” to be nothing like his previous thrillers.
 
The story had a lot of potential, the setting and all the drama felt promising. And I did enjoy these elements. But as the story progressed, I began to realize that the story didn’t really grab me. Although I did like the narrative style very much. This was just an okay mystery thriller for me.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

Book Review - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Title: The Silent Patient
Series: -
Author: Alex Michaelides
 
Description: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....
 
Review: Gabriel and Alicia Berenson have been married for seven years when Alicia shoots her husband in the face five times. She doesn’t say a thing and Alicia is committed to The Grove, a psychiatric clinic. Now, six years later, she still hasn’t said a single word since that night. Theo Faber is a psychotherapist and applies for a job at The Grove. Theo is convinced he is the right person to break Alicia’s silence that will finally unravel the mystery surrounding the drama.
 
“The Silent Patient” is the debut novel of author Alex Michaelides. In the book we follow three storylines: Diary entries from Alicia, Theo’s private life and the contact between Theo and Alicia in the clinic. And the way these eventually blend together is so well-done.
 
Theo is clearly fascinated by the tragedy of Gabriel’s murder and Alicia’s silence. The contact between Theo and Alicia feels very realistic, this due to the background of Michaelides life as a therapist himself. To better understand Alicia, Theo delves into her past and the discoveries he makes in the process, together with the diary, form a clear sketch of the personality behind the mysterious woman. The main characters are well-developed, the other characters add more mystery to the story.
 
“The Silent Patient” is a carefully constructed story that constantly gives the reader the feeling that something is not right. What exactly is not right remains in the dark for a long time, ensuring that the story becomes and remains suspenseful and ominous.
 
This is one of the best debut novels I have ever read, with a reveal and twist I could have never expected. A new all-time favorite, for sure. I also read Michaelides second novel, “The Maidens”, last year, which I also loved. I will now read anything he writes.  
 
Rating: 5/ 5

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