THE MAIDENS

Between the three of them, author Alex Michaelides and narrators Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrick-Smith cast a spell that will have listeners glued to this suspenseful novel every chance they get. Michaelides, author of the bestselling thriller THE SILENT PATIENT, introduces us to group therapist Mariana, who returns to Cambridge University to comfort her niece after the girl’s friend is murdered. Brealey’s clear, soothing, strong voice transforms with ease from frantic teenage girl to louche male professor, and her pacing manages both to comfort and emphasize Mariana’s peril. That the peril lies in letters alluringly read by Holdbrick-Smith is clear. The rich, gravelly voice entices and menaces as its unnamed writer describes his growing desire to kill again. Will Mariana understand in time? A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]