Book Review: Aphrodite

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Aphrodite     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Russell Andrews
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
2004, Mysterious Press, 339 pages

Reporter Susanna Morgan is found murdered, but the killer has tried very hard to make it look like an accident. In a sleepy town, why would anyone kill a reporter? Why? Surely not because of the obituary she wrote…. Justin Westwood is a cop in the town, but he moved there to escape horrific events in his past. Is he ready for an investigation with this much danger?

‘Aphrodite’ is another good thriller, but it runs into a problem in that it has to fight its way through a crowded market. It slots directly into the category of repetitive generic fiction, with very little to separate it from other books on the market. Yes, Andrews creates good suspense and pace, but the idea of a small-town cop going up against a major conspiracy is one that we have seen many, many times, both in novels and in Hollywood cinema. Given that Andrews is a screenwriter, this comes as little surprise.

Whilst this may sound essentially negative, it is not the case, as you cannot fail to enjoy ‘Aphrodite’. Andrews’ characters are interesting, but I would have liked to see a bit more of his killers, from whom Westwood only ever seems to escape through sheer good luck. These credibility issues do undermine the novel to some extent, and so whilst ‘Aphrodite’ makes for good reading, this should be a paperback for the beach. In a saturated market, if the author cannot produce an innovative idea, then they run the risk of being lost in the morass of existing fiction.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
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