The Maidens

Author Alex Michaelides
Narrator Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Louise Brealey
Publisher Orion
Run Time 9 hours and 19 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Ancient Greek and Roman literature, Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Classic and pre-20th century poetry, Coping with death and bereavement, Crime and mystery fiction, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Crime and mystery: women sleuths, Groups and group theory, Myths and Legends, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Interior life, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Pathology, Psychoanalytical and Freudian psychology, Psychological methodology, Psychological testing and measurement, Psychological theory, systems, schools and viewpoints, Psychological thriller, Psychotherapy: counselling, Psychotherapy: group, Social groups: clubs and societies, Sociology: death and dying, Thriller / suspense fiction.

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What to expect

We all keep secrets. Even from ourselves.

‘A thrilling, heart-in-throat ride’ STEPHEN FRY
‘An absolute jaw-dropper’ LUCY FOLEY
‘Elegant, sinister, stylish’ CHRIS WHITAKER
‘Grips from start to finish’ HARRIET TYCE

* * * * *

**From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession…**

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.

* * * * *
‘There’s definitely a flavour of The Secret History to Alex Michaelides’s second novel … The Maidens is a compelling read, and delivers its Hellenic thrills in style.’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘A book which screams ‘make me into a TV series’ … his writing, especially his characterisation, possesses a unique sparkle and more promise than most other writers.’ DAILY MAIL

‘Nothing short of genius.’ WOMAN & HOME

‘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, bestselling author of WE BEGIN AT THE END

‘Grips from intriguing start to horrifying finish … A brilliant achievement.’
HARRIET TYCE

‘A page-turner of the first order’
DAVID BALDACCI

‘The greatest campus novel since The Secret History by Donna Tartt … with a climatic twist that you will NEVER see coming.’
TONY PARSONS

‘A stunning psychological thriller … Michaelides is on a roll.’
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Critics Review

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
Alex has achieved the almost impossible and surpassed The Silent Patient in this compelling literary thriller, which grips from intriguing start to horrifying finish … A brilliant achievement.
HARRIET TYCE
What a thrilling, heart in throat ride. A great triumph.
STEPHEN FRY
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
Alex Michaelides hits a home run in his sophomore effort. The Maidens is a page-turner of the first order.
DAVID BALDACCI
A stunning psychological thriller … 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
The greatest campus novel since The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Packed to the dreaming spires with mystery, murder, emotion and a yearning, heart-aching nostalgia for all that we leave in the past – places, lovers and ourselves when we were young. The millions who loved The Silent Patient will be delighted to hear that Alex Michaelides once again mugs you with a climatic twist that you will NEVER see coming.
TONY PARSONS
Michaelides’ stage-setting skills are as masterful here, as they were in The Silent Patient – another tense, cleverly twisted winner.
Booklist
Nothing short of genius.
Woman&Home
[Michaelides’] writing, especially his characterisation, possesses a unique sparkle and more promise than most other writers.
Daily Mail
The Maidens is a compelling read, and delivers its Hellenic thrills in style.
Sunday Telegraph
Stylishly written with a great sense of place, bestselling author Michaelides’ second novel is a compelling and complex psychological thriller of the highest order.
Irish Independent
A thriller that deftly weaves psychology, murder and an understanding of Greek mythology – where do we sign up?
Belfast Telegraph
This atmospheric mystery speeds along at such a pace, Michaelides’ genius for storytelling is clear.
Woman
Michaelides is a stylish writer who seamlessly weaves Greek mythology, psychology and murder into his writing and this atmospheric thriller keeps you guessing till the end.
Independent
It’s a tense, original story set against the luscious backdrop of the ancient university.
Daily Mail, Summer roundup
The Maidens ticks a lot of boxes, particularly if you like a good thriller. It has a fast pace, lots of misdirection, and intriguing backstory and a damaged protagonist.
Sunday Life
Tautly plotted and impeccably paced , it’s an intelligent and propulsive second novel.
The Observer
When Alex Michaelides’ first psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, debuted in 2019, it skyrocketed to the top of best-seller lists. His follow-up is just as twisty-and involves another suspicious killing.
Time Magazine, European edition

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