The Maidens pdf book is a thriller novel by Alex Michaelides. The Maidens is a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.
The Maidens 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.
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About Alex Michaelides Author of The Maidens
Alex Michaelides Biography
Alex Michaelides author of The Maidens pdf book was born in Cyprus to a Cypriot father and English mother. He studied English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge University.
He studied psychotherapy for three years, and worked for two years at a secure unit for young adults. This work provided material and inspiration for his debut novel The Silent Patient, the novel the silent patient spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and sold in a record-breaking 49 countries. Alex Michaelides lives in London.
Meanwhile, Alex Michaelides has a MA in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and a MA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Alex Michaelides Work
Michaelides’ debut novel, The Silent Patient, was the #1 New York Times Bestseller of Hardcover Fiction in its first week and was the best-selling hardback debut in the US for 2019. It was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller for seven weeks. On Amazon.com, it was the #2 most sold for 2019 in their list of Most Sold Books in fiction and named as their number one thriller of 2019. It also won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller of 2019, was chosen as a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and as a Book of the Month in The Times. It was shortlisted for a Barry for best debut and Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year. Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is developing The Silent Patient as a film.
Michaelides’ second novel, The Maidens, was published on 10 June 2021 by Orion Publishing (UK) and on 15 June 2021 by Celadon Books (US). It is a psychological detective story about a series of murders at a Cambridge college. The novel debuted at number two on The New York Times fiction best-seller list for the week ending 19 June 2021.
Michaelides also wrote the film The Devil You Know, starring Lena Olin, Rosamund Pike, and Jennifer Lawrence, and co-wrote The Con Is On, starring Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Parker Posey, and Sofia Vergara.
The Maidens pdf, Paperback, Hardcover
- Publisher : Celadon Books (June 15, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250304458
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250304452
- Item Weight : 1.2 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.6 x 1.19 x 9.74 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #374 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- #580 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- #786 in Murder Thrillers
- Customer Reviews: 4.1 out of 5 stars 17,220 ratings
The Maidens Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, ‘The Maidens,’ is finally here…the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible.”
―The New York Times
“Fans of The Secret History will fall hard for The Maidens, Michaelides’ dazzling chaser to 2019’s bestselling The Silent Patient, a challenging act to follow…Layered in dreamlike references to Greek mythology and ancient ritualized murders, this clever literary page-turner firmly establishes Michaelides as an unstoppable force in the thriller space.”
―Esquire
“Elegant, sinister, stylish and thrilling, The Maidens answers the weighty question, how do you go about following one of the biggest thrillers of the past decade? You write something even better.”
―Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End
“The author of the critically acclaimed The Silent Patient permanently cements himself as a top modern author with this new work, a masterful, slow burn blend of Greek mythology and a knife-edged plot…destined for the bestseller list.”
―Newsweek
“Michaelides’ stage-setting skills are as masterful here, as they were in The Silent Patient (2019); another tense, cleverly twisted winner.”
―Booklist, starred review
“Michaelides melds mythology and crime into a compelling page-turner.”
―Oprah Daily
“Michaelides has proven that he is no one-hit wonder and is well on his way to becoming one of the world’s most influential and well-read thriller writers.”
―Bookreporter.com
“Stunning… The intelligent, cerebral plot finds contemporary parallels in Euripides’s tragedies, Jacobean dramas such as The Duchess of Malfi, and Tennyson’s poetry. The devastating ending shows just how little the troubled Mariana knows about the human psyche or herself. Michaelides is on a roll.”
―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Tautly plotted and impeccably paced, it’s an intelligent and propulsive second novel.”
―The Observer
“Enticingly dark and compulsively pageturning, this chilling novel takes readers on a suspenseful journey that’s both terrifying and twisted… If you liked The Silent Patient, then you already know Michaelides’s new book will be up your alley. With similar page-turning cliff-hangers, this utterly compulsive read will make you question which book you like better.”
―PopSugar
“Fans of The Silent Patient will love The Maidens… Set in the world of academia, it features Greek mythology, multiple murders and a twist that made my jaw hit the floor.”
―Riley Sager, Parade Magazine
“A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read―with a twist that blew my mind. I loved this even more than I loved The Silent Patient and that’s saying something!”
―Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List
“Alex Michaelides hits a home run in his sophomore effort. The Maidens is a page-turner of the first order.”
―David Baldacci
“The Maidens is an intricately plotted, mystery-thriller for the discerning reader. It’s an atmospheric story set on Cambridge University’s campus merging cliff-hanging twists with artful suspense.”
―The New York Journal of Books
“Combining Greek mythology with propulsive suspense, this gripping, twisty tale is the perfect way to start off your summer reading with a bang.”
―Book Riot
Reviews from Amazon Verified Buyers
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and addictive
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021
There’s always a huge amount of anticipation on the shoulders of a writer when their début novel is a worldwide bestseller. Like many, I’ve eagerly anticipated waiting for The Maidens and for me, this is a very worthy successor to The Silent Patient.
Mariana Andros is a dedicated group therapist and widow. When her Cambridge student niece Zoe, calls and tells her, her friend is missing, Mariana’s instinct is to go to her. Arriving at St. Christopher’s College she consoles Zoe after Tara’s body is discovered but something isn’t right. In addition to helping find the murdered the college backdrop reawakens Mariana’s memories of her beloved husband Sebastian; from the time they spent together as students at the college. When she meets the charismatic professor, Edward Fosca, she is sure he is guilty of murder as the evidence stacks up against him. Only, why would he kill his students?
The beginning was slow however, the pace and my interest soon picked up as the narrative settles into a steady rhythm. Thanks to the short chapters it’s easy to digest the clues; mostly red herrings as they crop up. Intertwined are references to Greek Tragedies and Alfred Tennyson to add weight to the exposed evidence. The author’s writing is clear and succinct, again making it easy for the reader to keep abreast of the proceedings. Therefore, I did manage to pick up on a clue, silently patting myself on the back before getting blind-sided with the reveal of the killer’s identity.
With the cameo appearance of two characters from The Silent Patient, I do wonder if a third novel by the author may tie these two narratives together… if so, I’ll be the first in the clue to read it!
***arc received courtesy of Orion Publishing via NetGalley***
Richard B. SchwartzTop Contributor: Philosophy
2.0 out of 5 stars A Slog With a Howler Ending
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
Alex Michaelides has done it again—written a pedestrian novel that is buried in hype and, presumably, flying off of the shelves. This is not a case of the sophomore jinx kicking in; if anything this is a less successful novel than its predecessor, The Silent Patient.
Mariana Andros is a London psychotherapist who specializes in group therapy. She has recently lost her husband, Sebastian, who has drowned off of the coast of the Greek island where Mariana’s family have a summer villa. Now her niece Zoe is in deep kimchi. Zoe is a student at a fictitious college at Cambridge and her best friend has just been brutally stabbed to death. The victim was a member of the ‘Maidens’, a putative study group surrounding the charismatic but oily Professor Edward Fosca. Fosca teaches Greek tragedy and as the body count increases the victims are found to be in possession of post cards with lines on them from Greek tragedies. However (and this is important) Professor Fosca has alibis for the times at which the murders occur. Mariana sets out to restore her niece’s spirit and psychological well-being by investigating the murders. Her focus falls on Professor Fosca, who seems to be making goo-goo eyes at her (along with all of his female students). She also encounters a mathematics/physics graduate student who is too young for her but immediately wishes to propose marriage, even though they don’t really know one another. She is also being followed by one of her London patients, a needy, troubled, violent soul named Henry. Fortunately she can appeal to an elderly, female, pipe-smoking professor to help her with the translations of the passages on the post cards.
So what do we have here? A ‘university murder story’? Sort of. A psychological thriller? Sort of. A set of love stories? Sort of. A book that holds your attention, has interesting characters, significant themes, a vibrant setting and solid plotting? Unfortunately, no.
I do not want to spoil the plot but I will warn potential readers that they are likely to utter some epithet or cri de coeur aloud if they make it to the book’s end. The revelation does not just come from left field. It comes from a distant left field in a remote county in an adjoining state. And, crucially, the revelation turns on an error in judgment on the part of the protagonist that is so severe that it calls into question any investigatory credentials she might be expected to possess. Since she is the only marginally likeable character in the story, with the exception of the math/physics student (who may be the murderer) and the pipe-smoking woman (who probably isn’t the murderer), this is a serious problem.
The writing has not risen above the workaday prose of The Silent Patient; there are no brilliant one-liners, no insightful reflections on the human condition, and no great evocations of the feeling and ethos of Cambridge. If I hadn’t purchased the novel and didn’t feel an obligation to review readers to actually complete the reading of it, I would not have made it through the first fifty pages.
So why the hype, why the broad readership, why the occasional strong review? I simply don’t know. The crime fiction market is more sparse than it was a generation ago, but there are many, many other eligible choices. I have read at least a dozen regionally-published or self-published novels in the last few months that are of far greater interest. It may just be the marketing. At any rate, caveat emptor. This is a slog with a howler ending that will not leave you hungry for its successor.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
I received my eagerly awaited new novel, “The Maidens” by Alex Michaelides yesterday. I started reading at 7 p.m. and read until 3:45 a.m. Needless to say, I just couldn’t put the book down! It’s a suspense/thriller novel and it held my interest from the Prologue through the Acknowledgements. (I literally read it cover-to-cover.) I highly recommend this book!
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