Mariana intenta recuperarse de la muerte de Sebastián, el amor de su vida, ahogado durante unas vacaciones en una isla griega, cuando su sobrina Zoe la llama desde Cambridge para decirle que Tara su mejor amiga, ha sido asesinada. Ella decide ir en su ayuda y allí conoce al profesor Fosca, un carismático catedrático de Filología Clásica que tiene un grupo de discípulas conocidas como las Doncellas. Tara pertenecía al grupo antes de morir había recibido una postal de unas estatuas griegas y los versos de unos cultos eleusinos, justo la materia que imparte Fosca. Los cadávares de otras chicas irán apareciendo en el campus con los ojos arrancados y una piña en la mano. Mariana no solo deberá enfrentarse a estos crímenes, si no a los fantasmas de su propio pasado.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

"Stunning... The intelligent, cerebral plot finds contemporary parallels in Euripides's tragedies, Jacobean dramas such as The Duchess of Malfi, and Tennyson's poetry. The devastating ending shows just how little the troubled Mariana knows about the human psyche or herself. Michaelides is on a roll." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read―with a twist that blew my mind. I loved this even more than I loved The Silent Patient and that's saying something!" ―Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements "Michaelides as a major player in the field" (Publishers Weekly).

Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike―particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.

Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana's niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana's obsession with proving Fosca's guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything―including her own life.