The Maidens

Mariana Andros, a group therapist, receives a phone call from her niece, Zoe informing her that her friend, Tara is missing, and her fears that Tara may have been murdered. Mariana goes to Cambridge to be with her worried niece, to provide support and comfort. When Tara’s body is found, Mariana who is still reeling from the death of her husband, becomes convinced that Edward Fosca. the Greek Tragedy professor is responsible.

But Fosca is untouchable. He is one of the most popular professors at Cambridge, his lectures are full, students and staff look up to him and his ‘special’ study group known as “The Maidens” has provided him with an alibi. When more bodies are found, Mariana becomes obsessed with proving Fosca is the killer despite his alibis.

Throughout the book, readers watch as Mariana attempts to bring down a killer. But are her suspicions correct? Is her grief driving her quest for answers? She appears to take the entire investigation very personally.

There is also an undercurrent of doubt that had me suspecting various characters of being the killer. Speaking of characters, the ones in this book are an interesting bunch. Some likeable, some unlikeable, some odd, some creepy, some arrogant, and some that I did not trust. Plus, there is a nice little tie in to The Silent Patient in this.

There is a lot of talk of Greek mythology, but I did not find it to be overwhelming, in fact, I enjoyed it. For me, this book started slowly and kept picking up speed as the book progressed. I enjoyed how things unraveled. Of course, there were times, I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but I did not mind. Some saw the ending coming, but I did not.

I look forward to his next book! Curious to see if he will continue to use Greek Mythology in his storytelling.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.