Alex Michaelides stormed onto the literary scene with his juggernaut of a debut novel, THE SILENT PATIENT. Like millions of other readers, I had exceedingly high expectations for his next effort, so I am thrilled to say that THE MAIDENS stands on its own as a terrific psychological thriller that is worthy of the high bar he set for himself.

Not only does the book blaze its own path, it reminded me of one of the greatest historical mystery/thrillers ever written, Donna Tartt’s THE SECRET HISTORY. Michaelides begins by dedicating THE MAIDENS to Sophie Hannah, one of the best writers in the world. This truly excited me even before I turned the page because such a connection had to mean that great things were to come. The prologue reveals in the first line that Edward Fosca is a murderer. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this proclamation can do nothing but distract readers and their ability to pick up on the many clues that are dropped throughout the story that may or may not support this claim.

"Michaelides has proven that he is no one-hit wonder and is well on his way to becoming one of the world’s most influential and well-read thriller writers."

Mariana Andros is a talented and complex group therapist who receives a fevered phone call from her niece Zoe, who attends Cambridge University, indicating that one of her closest friends, Tara, has been murdered. To make matters worse, Tara was a member of a group of troubled young women who refer to themselves as The Maidens, all of whom are deeply enamored of their favorite professor, Edward Fosca.

Mariana heads to Cambridge to both protect Zoe and offer her assistance to the local police in apprehending the apparent guilty party, Professor Fosca. She needs some form of diversion as she is still mourning the death of her husband, Sebastian, in a tragic accident while they were vacationing in Greece. Much of these scars would be slowly reopened as Fosca and The Maidens are all about Greek history and tragedy, subjects that hit far too close to home for the ultra-sensitive Mariana.

During her time in Cambridge, Mariana is pursued by Fred, a young man she had met on the train ride there. Although she has no interest in him, she is happy to have someone in whom to confide. Zoe reveals to Mariana who The Maidens are and warns her that it will not be easy to conduct her typical group therapy on these young ladies. Some of the book’s best written and creepiest passages involve Mariana facing off with Fosca as a great game of cat and mouse is played out on these pages.

The stakes are quickly elevated when a second member of The Maidens is found brutally murdered, and now the need to protect Zoe and see Fosca put behind bars becomes an obsession. Clues leading to their mysterious sect, like the pine cones found next to each of the murdered girls, are enough to drive the police crazy because there is no other evidence that leads them to Fosca.

At this point, readers will be expecting a huge revelation to occur, similar to the much-talked-about brilliant twist in THE SILENT PATIENT. Michaelides take full advantage of this anticipation, and I am confident that you will not see it coming. The finale is quite well done, and fans of his debut will appreciate the ties made between these two stories. Michaelides has proven that he is no one-hit wonder and is well on his way to becoming one of the world’s most influential and well-read thriller writers.