Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Summary and Reviews of Aphrodite by Russell Andrews

Aphrodite by Russell Andrews

Aphrodite

by Russell Andrews
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2004, 352 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2005, 464 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Book Summary

A small-town cop must get to the bottom of one of the greatest conspiracies of our time. As he attempts to unravel the puzzle, he finds that everyone seems to be one step ahead of him, disposing of witnesses and setting him up for the fall.

Whenever this word is whispered someone dies...
APHRODITE

It looked for all the world like a terrible, tragic accident. Susanna Morgan had gotten up in the middle of the night, tripped, fallen, and broken her neck. Yet when detective Justin Westwood inspects the victim's apartment, he can't help noticing that the details don't quite add up. The glass on the bedside table is knocked over but there are no cuts on her body. The scrape on her knee looks suspiciously fresh. And then a terrified witness comes forward, confirming his worst fear. This is no accident. This is murder.

Why would anyone want Susanna dead? A reporter for a local newspaper, she worked on only one controversial article, an obituary for an elderly former film star. An irate fan had complained that she'd gotten her facts wrong--but that's not the sort of mistake that normally brings a pair of professional hit men to your door, or the FBI to town.

Justin Westwood moved to East End Harbor to escape a dark, disturbing past, and to lead a quiet life. He had retreated from reality by taking a menial post with a small-town Long Island police department, drowning his troubles in mindless traffic duty and lots of booze. Now his dormant professionalism is awakened after Susanna's brutal murder. Attempting to unravel the puzzle, wending his way through a maze that leads him toward a project run by a sinister, powerful cabal, Justin finds that everyone--the cops, the FBI, and one of the strangest professional killing teams ever seen--seems to be one step ahead of him, disposing of witnesses, and setting him up for the fall.

This is just the kind of reality check that Justin needs, and he will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this madness--to find the meaning of the mysterious "Aphrodite"--and maybe save himself in the process.

By the bestselling author of Gideon and Icarus, Aphrodite is a thriller of terrifying plausibility--a story of one man's redemption and a tale of dizzying suspense and fantastic twists that will capture your imagination as it refuses to let you go.

Washington, D.C.
February 23

She knew there were no monsters.

And yet, when the lights were out, she also knew that there were.

It's why she screamed when she heard the footsteps. There was a quick flurry, someone running—no, darting, that's the way it sounded, definitely darting—and then there was a crash, glass being shattered, a piece of pipe, perhaps, swung against the ugly overhanging fluorescent light. Everything turned shadowy; the whole room was suddenly fifty percent darker than it had been. Then, almost before she could register what was happening, there were more footsteps, on the other side of the garage—how did he get over there so fast? It didn't seem possible—and another crash, another light smashed, and then it was dark. Not just darker this time, but completely dark. She couldn't see her hand right in front of her face.

It was absolutely quiet, too. Black and silent.

And suddenly there it was.

The feeling.

Even under normal...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

Booklist - David Pitt
Starred Review. From the author of Gideon (1999) and Icarus (2001) comes another thriller that's propelled as much by its characters as its plot.

Library Journal - Ronnie H. Terpening
Featuring great villains, an intriguing protagonist, and action as satisfying as a night with Aphrodite, Andrews's third thriller (after Gideon and Icarus) is a seductive read from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Kirkus Reviews
Once again, Andrews demonstrates his knack for making a sympathetic hero likable enough to redeem--well, almost redeem--an impossibly convoluted plot.

Publishers Weekly
Robert Ludlum meets Dashiell Hammett in this gripping, wildly plotted thriller....The suspense flags slightly at midpoint, but elsewhere the pace is fast, the dialogue sharp, the characters skillfully drawn and the familiar, heady whodunit action cleverly handled.

Reader Reviews

Jackson Collins

This book Owns
This book is an excellent mystery/homocide book. Wasn't big into reading mysteries until I read this it'll keep you reading and reading. Suspenseful and yet intriguing.I highly recommend this book

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Aphrodite, try these:

  • St Albans Fire jacket

    St Albans Fire

    by Archer Mayor

    Published 2006

    About this book

    More by this author

    In his 15th case, Joe Gunter will meet one of his deadliest opponents to date, and he will need far more than his skills as a policeman to protect the people closest to his heart.

  • No Second Chance jacket

    No Second Chance

    by Harlan Coben

    Published 2004

    About this book

    More by this author

    Mired in a deepening quicksand of deception and deadly secrets Marc clings to one unwavering vow - to bring home his six-month-old kidnapped daughter, at any cost.

We have 6 read-alikes for Aphrodite, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
  • Book Jacket
    The Rest of You
    by Maame Blue
    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

Happiness belongs to the self sufficient

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..