My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Many thanks to Net Galley, Orion Publishing Group, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
YES! A thumping YES!
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO THE MOST ANTICIPATED THRILLER OF 2021!
Alex Michaelides repose our faith in his ability to churn out mind-boggling thrillers centered around psychiatry and this time adding Greek mythology to ensnare the poor reader in a world gone crazy.
First off, the author’s perfect setting for the story that of St. Christopher’s college in Cambridge was so vivid and colorful that one actually wishes to walk its dark corridors along with Mariana. Grieving and yet to come to terms with her loving husband’s death, Mariana, a group therapist, has her hands full with her own personal demons when her niece Zoe calls in with dreadful news, that of the murder of her best friend Tara. Arriving at the same college where she found the love of her life, grappling with the loss of Sebastian, Mariana finds herself embroiled in the life of Edward Fosca and his special group of girls called The Maidens.
The writing is utterly compelling and addictive and it was with utmost difficulty that I could keep the kindle down to return to the real world. Alex Michaelides creates the college and its brooding menace admirably with every segment of the story pulling the reader in with a fascinating background of Greek mythology. I loved the character of Mariana whose immense empathy for her patients makes her sensitive to the unsaid emotions being conveyed to her. The chapters that give voice to the killer make one cringe and the effect honestly, is quite creepy. There are suspects galore and if you are like me, I would advise in reading it without any guesses to be absolutely gobsmacked at the end.
I am giving this 4.5 stars, instead of 5 only coz I wished for a more adrenaline-fueled tension-packed ending. The twisty end is totally shocking but I just couldn’t feel that pulse-pounding thrill getting there.
I do wonder sometimes about the immense pressure that authors would feel if their debut work had become the rage of the nation. The Silent Patient was such a resounding success across the globe; it is very rarely a book remains in the #1 position in thrillers and suspense in AMAZON INDIA for God knows how many months now (BTW, it still holds the numero uno position), and having read it, there was no doubt why it would be so. So, like most readers, I had my doubts about what would be in store from the author next, and NOW, take a bow, Alex Michaelides, you deserve all the accolades that come your way!
Menacing!
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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I heard this author interviewed this morning, and after reading your review, this book is going on the TBR list. Thanks for the review.
Yeah, Elizabeth, there are mixed reviews for this one as the 1st book of his was spectacular but this one did nail it!