NEW RELEASE TUESDAY BOOK REVIEWS:
THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides & BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon
It’s the best day of the week: new release Tuesday! This week, crime fiction readers will want to clear their TBR lists and their calendars to devour the newest elegant suspense novel by The Silent Patient author Alex Michaelides, and to dive into a twisty, paranoia-inducing thriller by breakout star P.J. Vernon. It’s a huge week for new crime fiction, and to celebrate, I wanted to mix up my review coverage a bit and give you a joint review of my picks for this week’s buzziest new crime fiction: THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides and BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon. Because when the new releases are this good, why limit yourself to just one?! Without further ado, let’s dive on in to today’s two-for-one book review.
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THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides | CBTB Rating: 5/5 Stars
Alex Michaelides burst onto the crime fiction scene with his 2019 release The Silent Patient, and this summer, he’s back with another intricate mystery, this one similarly laced with Greek mythology and also featuring dark academia appeal. THE MAIDENS (CBTB Rating: 5/5 stars) tells an elegant and atmospheric story of secret societies and murder at a university. Grieving widow Mariana Andros’ life is turned upside-down one evening when she receives a fateful call from her niece, Zoe, a student at Cambridge University. Zoe is calling with unthinkable news: one of her classmates has just been found dead, the apparent victim of a brutal attack on campus. Mariana rushes to Cambridge to be by Zoe’s side, and Zoe soon confides something shocking to Mariana: Zoe believes that one of her professors, a charismatic Greek tragedy professor, is the culprit behind her friend’s death. The victim of this brutal attack was a member of a secret society known as “The Maidens,” a group of highly intelligent and mysterious young women who all study under that very same professor, the enigmatic Edward Fosca. Police are quick to dismiss Zoe’s claims; after all, what motivation could the revered Fosca have for the murder? But Mariana isn’t so convinced. Approaching The Maidens and Fosca first with the eye of a professional (Mariana is a group therapist by trade), and slowly but surely spiraling into obsession, Mariana delves into the mysterious and sinister world of The Maidens, determined to prove Fosca’s guilt and stop a killer before he can strike again.
Comparisons to Michaelides’ wildly bestselling first novel The Silent Patient are unavoidable here, so let’s tackle them head-on. THE MAIDENS is an undeniably slower-burning story than was The Silent Patient; in his sophomore effort, Michaelides uses the book’s first 100 or so pages to set the scene, establish character and setting, and lay out the facts of this story’s complex central case. That’s not a negative by any means—in fact, for me, this story’s measured pacing served to deepen my understanding of its intricacies and made me all the more invested in its ultimate solution. Where The Silent Patient packed a jaw-dropping punch in its final reveal, THE MAIDENS’ final solution is less earth shattering, though no less cleverly concealed; readers will be hard-pressed to guess the culprit in this clever murder mystery. If psychological thrillers with shocking plot twists are more your style, stick with The Silent Patient; if, however, slow-burning and masterfully-woven mysteries are your cup of tea, I am confident you will love THE MAIDENS as much as I did. And readers of The Silent Patient will find another reason to love Michaelides’ second outing: hidden within this book are “Easter egg” clues that refer back to the universe of Michaelides’ debut. THE MAIDENS is an entirely standalone story (you don’t need to have read The Silent Patient to read this mystery), but readers who are familiar with The Silent Patient will love the nods to it that appear in this book.
Alex Michaelides’ quickly-developed trademark - elegant suspense writing elevated by references to Greek mythology and immersive world-building - is on full display in THE MAIDENS. Set against the backdrop of Cambridge University, this mystery brims with dark academia appeal thanks to its vivid and immersive setting. Michaelides brings the world of Cambridge vividly to life in this book’s pages: crack open THE MAIDENS and you will find yourself transported to the hidden corners of the Cambridge campus, exploring its secret cemeteries, wandering through its corridors, and even venturing into the private quarters of this book’s would-be villain, the darkly charismatic Edward Fosca. Michaelides deftly weaves references to Greek mythology throughout THE MAIDENS, not only through an exploration of professor Edward Fosca’s world, but also through cryptic calling cards left behind by the killer at each crime scene. What does the journey of the maiden Persephone to the underworld have to do with the violent crimes plaguing the Cambridge campus? Focsa, with his background in Greek tragedy and mysterious influence over The Maidens, seems an obvious suspect for the murders… but if police aren’t willing to seriously investigate him as a potential killer, who will? Stepping up to the plate is Mariana Andros, our story’s protagonist and amateur sleuth, who proves to be the perfect guide to lead readers through this treacherous tale. By profession, Mariana is uniquely equipped to untangle the dark secrets of The Maidens and Edward Fosca. Mariana, a skilled group therapist, approaches this mysterious secret society with professional interest and insight, going so far as to arrange a group therapy session to begin teasing apart the dynamics at play here. But the deeper Mariana digs into this complex ecosystem, the more her professional interest begins to spiral into unrelenting obsession. Will Mariana be able to unmask the murderer before it’s too late? Readers will relish their time spent in this mysterious world and with all its dark secrets, hidden motivations, and expert misdirections.
BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon | CBTB Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
In P.J. Vernon’s BATH HAUS (CBTB Rating: 4.5/5), misdirection and hidden motivations take on an entirely different tone and meaning. In this sizzling cat-and-mouse thriller, a man’s betrayal of his husband has unintended - and possibly deadly - consequences. On paper, Oliver Park has just about everything: a devoted husband, a gorgeous home in Washington, D.C., and a stable job. But underneath the surface, tensions are brewing. Oliver and Nathan’s relationship has grown cold and distant, and one day, Oliver gives in to temptation and visits Haus, a bathhouse, looking for anonymous sex. When Oliver meets Kristian, his attraction is instant: Kristian’s Scandinavian accent and irresistible good looks draw him in immediately. But not long after the two move into one of Haus’ private rooms, things take a dark and violent turn. Oliver flees, dark bruises on his neck the only proof of this dangerous encounter. Traumatized by the brush with death and fearing for his life, Oliver finds himself at a crossroads: should he admit to Nathan his infidelity and share what he has just survived? Or lie to his devoted husband and protect his marriage by burying the truth? Oliver chooses the latter, concocting a story about a late-night mugging to explain his injuries. The stakes are raised first when Nathan insists Oliver report his mugging to the police, and then again when Oliver’s attacker begins taunting him with messages and signs to indicate that Oliver and his husband are being watched, and that it’s just a matter of time before Kristian comes back to finish what he started. P.J. Vernon expertly ratchets up the tension in this cat-and-mouse thriller, driving Oliver to the edge of sanity as he tries to evade Kristian, dodge the questions of increasingly-suspicious police officers, and preserve his marriage by keeping the secret of his infidelity buried.
P.J. Vernon’s BATH HAUS bears the hallmarks of a great work of noir: in this novel, the stakes are intimate but life-altering. This isn’t an all-out, high-stakes action thriller, but rather a suspense novel that delves into the most private spaces in its characters’ lives and lays them bare. BATH HAUS asks readers to imagine the emotional and psychological distress that comes from not being able to share one of your most traumatic experiences with the one person you are supposed to be able to trust with anything. The stakes here may be small relative to the entire world, but to its protagonists, it might as well be the world that’s at stake: what’s at risk in this book is the very foundation of the life they have built together, and their ability to go on living it. BATH HAUS is both Oliver and Nathan’s story, and Vernon crafts these two protagonists with authenticity and care. Oliver Park is a recovering addict, a young man whose life was adrift until he met Nathan. Nathan is a renowned doctor, the son of a very wealthy family who has always known a life of privilege. When Oliver and Nathan meet, sparks instantly fly. Nathan sees in Oliver a lost soul in need of care and stability, and takes it upon himself to support Oliver in the early days of his recovery. Now, years have passed, and Oliver and Nathan are living what is by all accounts a picture-perfect life together in their gorgeous D.C. home. But beneath the surface of this relationship, complex dynamics are at play. Power differentials, control, and a growing lack of intimacy plague the couple—fertile ground in which for secrets to grow, and grow they do. As BATH HAUS progresses, readers will quickly learn that no character here is solely “good” or solely “bad,” and it is in these grey areas that readers will find this story’s most tense suspense and shocking reveals.
BATH HAUS is a white-knuckle dive into the secrets between a couple. This cat-and-mouse suspense novel will have readers questioning the motivations of every single character they encounter, and the book’s flat-out thrilling denouement answers these questions and then some. If a sizzling, sexy, psychological roller coaster of a novel sounds like your cup of proverbial summer reading tea, P.J. Vernon’s BATH HAUS will deliver just what you’re looking for.
Book Details:
THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides
Publisher : Celadon Books (June 15, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250304458
ISBN-13 : 978-1250304452
BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon
Publisher : Doubleday (June 15, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0385546734
ISBN-13 : 978-0385546737
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