The Maidens

BOOK ∙ 2021

Alex Michaelides 

The ivy-covered buildings of a revered university become a den of mind games and death in this sinister mystery by Alex Michaelides, author of the smash hit The Silent Patient. After her niece’s best friend is horrifically murdered, therapist Mariana Andros rushes to Cambridge University to be by her side. The police investigating the crime seem unconcerned by the strange hold that charismatic professor Edward Fosca has over an all-female secret society called the Maidens—so Mariana vows to discover the truth herself. Michaelides’ lush descriptions of the storied college add great atmosphere to the creepy plot, which weaves in elements of Greek mythology and classic poetry. The widowed Mariana is the perfect main character for a suspenseful story that explores themes of love, loss, and the underworld inside all of us. We couldn’t rest until we knew what was really going on with the Maidens—and who wanted them dead.