Is this the slowest thriller or what?

Our narrator Elliot Chase has a story to tell, and he invites you the reader to hear it. Pull up a barstool, pour yourself a drink, and settle in. This is a story about murder, or perhaps it's a story about love. Either way, it's sure to surprise you. Or at least that's what our narrator promises.

Of course I dove into this with gusto. The Silent Patient is one of my favorite books of all time—utterly unputdownable and that memorable twist—so I eagerly await anything from Alex Michaelides. My expectations are always sky-high when it comes to his books and I know that isn't really fair, so I try to tamp it down to a more reasonable level. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants.

The first few chapters were full of potential. I absolutely love the prospect of murder on an island, with a limited number of suspects and all that remote isolation to give it ominous vibes. It's very à la And Then There Were None. And Michaelides's tendency to include a fair bit of psychology in his stories adds a fascinating slant to the whole thing.

But as I read on, I started to realize something. The story isn't grabbing me, not right off the bat nor even 150 pages in. There's so much setup to get through, not to mention what feels like excessive dangling of the proverbial carrot. We are told by the narrator over and over how we need to know this or that in order to understand what comes next—dangle, dangle. And that he promises the good parts are coming—dangle, dangle. And it's sure to surprise us—dangle, dangle. Honestly, it got a bit much.

All that dangling left me with anticipation fatigue. I know it's a fairly common technique used in modern thrillers, but I'm just not a fan. It feels like unnecessary fluff to me. I know the good stuff is coming—why else would I be reading this?—so just get on with it. Nevertheless, I persevered. I slowly trudged my way through and was ever so thankful when we finally reached the point when things started to happen.

And what crazy things they are. We are hit with one reveal after another, crafted to bamboozle the reader with amazement and delight. And I was definitely entertained. But the problem is that by then, left for so long with such a slow narrative, my brain had already used its free cycles to mull over all the possibilities and arrive at the conclusions. It's like an unwelcome guest, always ready to crash every slow-thriller party and ruin it. So yeah, no real surprises were had by me.

I can't help but feel disappointed. This book seems so far from The Silent Patient, they might as well be written by two different authors. Whereas The Silent Patient was tightly paced with a sparseness to the prose that just pulls you in, The Fury is fluffed out and meandering, taking all the time in the world to arrive at every little interesting part. The Silent Patient had the feel of a proper mystery with clues and red herrings, whereas this feels more like your standard thriller with twist upon twist added for shock value.

Gosh, that all sounds super negative, but it really isn't. I did enjoy this, especially the last 100 pages. At least after all that buildup, the story comes together and we get a fun payoff. It's just that in a crowded field of thrillers, this one doesn't really stand out, neither for the writing nor for the plot.

Oh and one last thing. If you haven't read The Silent Patient yet, don't read this book first. For some inexplicable reason, this story contains a spoiler for it. Maybe it's just my early copy and it will be removed in time for publication. I sure hope so. Because otherwise, you'll have read a fairly middling thriller at the expense of ruining an amazing one.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

They say you always chase your first high. And that's the way it is with me and Alex Michaelides. His first book The Silent Patient is one of my all-time favorites. I still remember the visceral experience of reading that book—the headiness of an unputdownable thriller, the gut punch of that reveal. It's seared into my memory.

So it's no wonder every mystery/thriller I've picked up since then, that is the experience I'm hoping for. And now Alex Michaelides has come out with his second book. Of course my expectations are immense. I want the high of his first book again.

So did The Maidens deliver? Yes, but not to the tune of The Silent Patient.

Mariana is called to Cambridge when her niece Zoe's closest friend is brutally murdered. Mariana soon realizes that this idyllic campus of higher learning conceals something sinister lurking beneath the surface. The dead girl was a member of The Maidens, a secret society of beautiful female students led by the charismatic Professor Fosca. Mariana immediately suspects Fosca and becomes obsessed with proving his guilt. She must stop him before more innocent lives are lost.

This story feels unusual and intriguing right off the bat. Its use of Greek mythology adds this creepy and almost otherworldly atmosphere to the tale. Every page is permeated with an ominous foreboding, as if misfortune could befall at any moment, and it made for a most unsettling and tantalizing read.

We are introduced to a small but interesting cast of characters, all harboring secrets and puttering around in their own suspicious behaviors. As the story progresses, I can't help but take each person, mull over their actions and try to suss out their true intentions. For me, this deliberation of each character is one of the most entertaining parts of reading a murder mystery.

However, it did take me a while to warm up to this story. I found the initial buildup to be on the slow side. There was a fair amount of background information to introduce and also a lot of references to Greek mythology and psychotherapy. But once it got going, the pacing tightened up and I was hooked, all the way until the very end. And what a fun ending it was.

But to enjoy this story, it's important to go in with the right expectations, namely that it's no The Silent Patient. How could it be, right? What are the chances you would write a book—your first book—and have it be hailed by many as the greatest thriller ever, then write another book and have it be the greatest again? Pretty much none (no offense to Alex Michaelides). This doesn't have the compulsive readability of his first book nor the jaw-dropping reveal, but I still found it to be an entertaining thriller in its own right.

Recently, I decided to read The Maidens again. There were so many negative reviews of this book, I wondered if I imagined my enjoyment of it. But no, I enjoyed it just as much on the second go-around. I happily chomped it up over a few fun-filled hours.

At this point, I can safely put Alex Michaelides on my list of must-read authors. There is something about his writing and his stories that just draws me in, and I'm always left surprised in the best ways possible. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

This is easily one of the best mystery/thrillers, if not the best, I have ever read.

Alicia shoots her beloved husband in the face five times, then never speaks another word. Theo, a psychotherapist, is captivated by Alicia's story and wants to help her. He thinks he can get her to speak again and divulge why she killed her husband. What follows is a search for truth in what really happened between Alicia and her husband.

First of all, if you haven't read this book yet, you absolutely should. And you should stop reading my review and any other reviews/blurbs/thoughts about this book until you do. Because while I always strive to make my reviews 100% spoiler-free (this one included), there's something to be said for expectations. And there's no way reading anything about this book wouldn't sway your expectations.

I made the mistake, after reading this book and loving it, of not only recommending it to a friend, but also talking up how much this book amazed me, how great the reveals were, yada yada yada. And so when she read it, she had built up an inkling of something to come and anticipated it, hence losing the element of surprise. So I inadvertently committed the biggest book faux-paus ever and ruined a fantastic book for a friend. It's something I regret to this day. (Elaine, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry!)

I certainly don't want to do that again. So yeah, I'm warning you. Last chance to turn back if you haven't read this book.

Okay, now that I'm among only those who are in the know, I feel like I can freely gush. How amazing was that reveal?! I usually have terrible book memory, but I'm certain I will remember that reveal for the rest of my life. It wasn't just what it was, but also how it was executed. Not only did I not see the twist coming, but I was so surprised I stared open-mouthed at my book and reread it multiple times to make sure my brain could comprehend the complete mind bend of what I had just experienced.

But to simplify this story down to just its reveal feels like an injustice. At its heart, this is a confounding murder mystery and it includes all of the requisite parts—clues, suspicious persons, and red herrings. We are directed one way, then another. But like any great mystery, the real magic is in its sleight of hand. While we are focused on one thing, really something else is going on altogether. And at the end, we can only wonder at the sheer audacity of what it takes to pull off such a magical feat.

The story grabbed me from the very beginning with an intensity that didn't let go. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I was turning the pages as fast as I could, immersed in the experience and loving every moment. It only took me a few hours to get through the whole thing, and at the end my head was definitely left spinning in the best way possible.

Recently, I read it again. I wanted to see if the magic of the first time is still there or if, now knowing the twists, the story would feel lesser than. And I'm so happy to report that I loved it just as much the second time around. Now, instead of having to pay attention to the plot, I could really focus on how masterfully Alex Michaelides built up the mystery and its reveal. And it really is something to marvel at.

I have to say, books of this genre are always billed as astounding and surprising when most of the time they just feel contrived and silly with no payoff at the end. But wow, does this book deliver! It's so darn satisfying to read such a compulsively addicting story, with twists done right that left me absolutely speechless.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

I love Ali Hazelwood, but this one stretched my incredulity to the limit. No one can possibly be this much of a doormat, can they?

Elsie is slaving away as an adjunct professor teaching too many classes to make ends meet. She supplements her meager earnings by being a fake girlfriend, putting her people-pleasing tendencies to good use. When a chance at her dream job arises, the only thing standing in her way is Jack, the annoying older brother of someone she's fake-dating, who also happens to be on her interview committee. But do they really hate each other or is it more like they secretly have the hots for each other? Ha!

I really enjoyed the first half of this story. It starts strong with all of the hallmarks I love from Ali Hazelwood—snark, banter, science, smart female in STEM, and puns. I was breezing through it, smiling and chuckling to myself on pretty much every sentence. No one does funny situations and dialogues quite like Hazelwood, and she had me in stitches.

I'll grant you that the premise is a bit out there. What are the odds that the guy Elsie is hating/lusting after, is also the brother of a guy she's fake-dating, while also being the only person who almost beat her at Go, while also being the guy who irreparably damaged her field of study back in the day, while also being the head of the physics department at MIT where she is interviewing? I'll tell you what, it's 100% according to this book.

But as the story went on, Elsie started to annoy me. First, she refuses to believe that Jack is attracted to her even though he tells her so on multiple occasions. At one point, she even interprets him saying "Can I take you out?" as he wants to murder her mob-style. Like what?

Elsie also takes people-pleasing to heretofore-unseen heights. She lies to her roommate about pretty much every preference she has. She runs interference for her brothers at her mom's behest even though she doesn't want to. And she must get her mentor's approval before accepting a job offer that would give her several times her current salary and health insurance. Have mercy! My eyeballs were bruised from all the rolling.

It's no secret that I prefer my female characters to be strong and smart, ready to kick ass and save the world. Elsie is strong in her work, but the opposite in every other way. And slowly, over many demure "You can't possibly like me," it started to grate on my nerves. Not even Hazelwood's many comedic reliefs can save it from such never-ending waffling and meekness.

This may just have been a case where I wasn't a good fit for the book. Without being able to connect with Elsie, I never really invested in the story. Not to mention I couldn't feel any chemistry between Jack and Elsie, and it all made for a rather lackluster read by the end.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.