The Maidens
"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"--
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Alex Michaelides
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What you might want to know about The Maidens
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
London group therapist Mariana Andros, still grieving her drowned husband, travels to Cambridge after her niece's best friend is found stabbed near the river. Suspicion at St Christopher's points to Greek tragedy professor Edward Fosca and a private group of students he calls the Maidens.
Yes, loosely. The Maidens (2021) is set in the same world as Alex Michaelides's earlier The Silent Patient (2019), with a brief crossover character. Each works as a standalone.
Yes. The Maidens is dark academia thriller set at Cambridge University, with mounting murders connected to a Greek-tragedy-obsessed professor and a secret society of female students.
The Maidens was written by Alex Michaelides, published in 2021 by Macmillan Audio.
The Maidens is 337 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Maidens takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
The Maidens is a standalone novel by Alex Michaelides, not part of a series.
The Maidens is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.