Greek Tragedy

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides is a psychological mystery. Mariana is struggling through the loss of her husband after his disappearance a year ago, when her adopted niece Zoe calls for help. Zoe’s college friend was brutally murdered. Mariana is a group therapist, and she has a particularly challenging patient whose obsessive and attention seeking behaviors have been unsettling to Mariana and to his treatment group. It seems like a good time to get away for a bit.

Mariana travels to Cambridge to support Zoe, and in doing so, she becomes involved in the investigation. Her top suspect is the adored and handsome young Greek professor who is followed by a group of beautiful, wealthy students dubbed the Maidens. The Maidens are the professor’s alibi, but the evidence against him is stacking up. Especially when two more girls are killed.

Throughout he story we read snippets of the killer’s letters which show his abusive background and psychological instability. Readers must decide if the letters are written by the professor, Mariana’s patient, or someone else. Mariana stays with the investigation until finally confronting the actual killer in a surprising twist.