In the span of just a few years, Alex Michaelides has made quite a name for himself. He has seen his first two novels, THE SILENT PATIENT and THE MAIDENS, reach global bestseller status, with each being optioned for film adaptations.

This brings us to his third effort, THE FURY, which is another well-conceived work of psychological suspense. It pays homage to classic mystery/thrillers that surely will bring about comparisons to the writings of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith, among others. In fact, the book shares many characteristics of Highsmith’s THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. I was hooked from page one!

"[THE FURY] pays homage to classic mystery/thrillers that surely will bring about comparisons to the writings of Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith, among others.... Alex Michaelides has penned quite the stunner of a psychological thriller."

Elliot Chase is a playwright who mentions up front that one should “never open a book with the weather.” This is said in reference to “the Fury,” the sharp and deadly winds that strike the Greek islands where the action mainly takes place. Elliot is far from a reliable narrator, which allows Michaelides to toy with readers and keep them guessing right up to the denouement.

While Elliot may be the narrator, Lana Farrar is the star. She was a once-famous movie actress who is married to her second husband, Jason Miller, but she doesn’t fully trust him. Lana decides to have some fun, so she invites Elliot and fellow actress Kate Crosby to a mini-vacation at Aura, the house that she and her first husband own on a private island in Greece. The only other people there are Nikos, the caretaker, and Agathi, the cook and housekeeper.

THE FURY jumps back and forth in time, which only makes the somewhat unreliable narration that much trickier to follow. One thing’s for sure: Jason is having an affair, and all signs point to the other woman being Kate. This should make for a lonely and uncomfortable holiday, especially when the fury of the Greek winds picks up and all are bound to the island without any means of leaving. It’s very reminiscent of Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.

One night, gunshots are heard on the island. Murder has come to Aura. Things get really interesting as the story approaches its second act, especially since Elliot is not to be completely believed about anything. While the small group searches the island for the “intruder” who must have been behind the slaying, the weather worsens as do the temperaments of those who are remaining. Fingers are pointed, no one is to be trusted, and secrets and revelations are sure to spill out.

Alex Michaelides has penned quite the stunner of a psychological thriller. Readers of his first two books should catch the clever Easter egg references to those titles in this narrative, which makes for a nice private fictional worldbuilding. There is not much more I can reveal here without entering spoiler territory. All I will say is that Michaelides has yet another must-read hit on his hands.