Rating: Summary: Major flaw in plotting, plus ending is ridiculously weak Review: A weak effort by the author. Book has a screaming plot flaw in the beginning: A girl reporter is supposed to get literally sick and tormented by the discovery of an old person's real age. She is so traumatized that she can't even go to work, makes frantic,hysterical phone calls and gets murdered, all because of this supposedly UNBELIEVABLE DISCOVERY.
IN FACT THE AGE OF THIS PERSON WAS NO BIG DEAL.... YOU READ ABOUT PEOPLE OF SUCH AN AGE AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. Why the author thought this was such an earthshaking, traumatic find for the reporter is beyond me! It is a fatal plot flaw, because the reporter's murder sets the whole story in motion.The author carries on about this old man's age like it was the most dramatic event in the history of the universe! A totally misplaced story concept.
Even worse is the ludicrously easy way the hero vanquishes the villain in the end.A multibillionaire corporate CEO has practically no security alarms or bodyguards or anybody to protect him in his castle in England? Puleeze, give me a break.
The book also suffers from two- to- three- page useless descriptions of minor characters who get quickly murdered or are never seen again and thus their descriptions are nothing but a waste of time.The author TELLS us things instead of showing them, such as " he was irate" " he liked to kill" etc.
In addition, there is a major chapter long "information-dump" near the end of the novel, where characters speak for pages, trying to explain all that went on before. Too much, too late.
This book would never have been published if it came from an unknown writer!
Rating: Summary: ..... groan Review: A predictable and not very polished piece of genre fluff. Not a sophisticated piece of writing and pretty silly, at best. I'd say a beach read in paperback but certainly not a highly rated novel. And the cute conceits (lobster newburg is his agent and a gimmick at the conclusion) are painful.
Rating: Summary: Not my favorite Russell Andrews, but still interesting Review: After having read the first two titles (Gideon/Icarus) by this author (actually Russell Andrews is a pen name) I was delighted to find that Aphrodite had hit the shelves. The first two titles had a mystical feel to the mystery found in the book. This one was more of a main stream tale, and the concepts presented were almost Michael Palmerish. The story is about a small town policeman, down on his luck, who stumbles onto a murder conspiracy involving the F.B.I., Persian War vets and ethics in medical development. The yarn moves quickly and it will certainly keep the reader's attention, just not to the extent that the previous works did.
Rating: Summary: Not my favorite Russell Andrews, but still interesting Review: After having read the first two titles (Gideon/Icarus) by this author (actually Russell Andrews is a pen name) I was delighted to find that Aphrodite had hit the shelves. The first two titles had a mystical feel to the mystery found in the book. This one was more of a main stream tale, and the concepts presented were almost Michael Palmerish. The story is about a small town policeman, down on his luck, who stumbles onto a murder conspiracy involving the F.B.I., Persian War vets and ethics in medical development. The yarn moves quickly and it will certainly keep the reader's attention, just not to the extent that the previous works did.
Rating: Summary: Fast and Exciting But Not As Good As Icarus And Gideon! Review: Having loved Andrews' last book, Icarus, and also liking his first book, Gideon, very much, I couldn't wait to read his new book. Aphrodite doesn't disappoint in terms of being fast-paced and exciting. However, it doesn't compare to Icarus (in particular) in terms of providing pulse-pounding suspense, credible plot twists and turns and an ending that keeps you guessing until the last page. Aphrodite is about a small-town cop "with a past" who uncovers a crime that involves a conspiracy that can have devastating consequences unless he can put a stop to it. Similar to his previous books, Aphrodite grabs your attention from the first page. However, I found the plot dragged too much during the middle of the book and I had some credibility issues with some of the characters, particularly the relative ease with which the hero is able to uncover and stop the major conspiracy. So, while I found Aphrodite to be an enjoyable read, I cannot give it a 5-star rating (as I gave Andrews' other books) because the plot was somewhat predictable without many surprises. Further, I found some of the characters to be unbelievable and not too well-developed (particularly the cop's girlfriend's daughter, who is too glib for her age). If you're willing to suspend belief a little more than you usually do in reading a thriller, I think you'll find Aphrodite to be a good, entertaining -- but not very memorable -- book.
Rating: Summary: fantastic reading Review: I have read the two previous books by Mr. Andrews and could not wait for this one to be published. I was not disappointed!! I won't go into the story itself, only to say, that it left me wondering about government and its involvement in big drug companies. Mr. Andrews has that rare talent of capturing the reader on the first page and not letting go until the last word is read. I look forward to future books from this wonderful writer. Keep em' coming!!!!!
Rating: Summary: Contrived and clunky Review: I read this book in the book because I was looking for a new thriller writer, but this one (whoever he is, Andrews is a pen name) rides like a car with unbalanced tires, reeling in unbelievable twists and turns. Sad that it was so contrived and the strings so visible, could have been a fun read in the hands of a better writer.
Rating: Summary: First time reading this author Review: I was really enthused when I started reading this book - the plot and characters were terribly interesting and I could not put the book down. But the last couple chapters just kind of fell apart, and as other reviewers have stated, it 'wrapped up TOO neatly' with no plausability at all. Left me feeling like the author lost interest and was just anxious to finish the book. How disappointing. I will try his other books but will certainly be wary this time. I read 2-3 books a week minimum so am always looking for good authors.
Rating: Summary: ..... groan Review: I'm normally annoyed by authors who seem to be writing a script rather than a novel, but in this case, with the author being a scriptwriter, it was understandable. This would make an interesting movie, but as a novel, it was just okay. As another reviewer said, it is not in the police procedural genre, and the ending is wrapped up a bit too quickly. The story started off like a ball of fire, and I was completely captivated with the characters, but somewhere plausibility came into question, then everything was wrapped up a bit too neatly. I will check out the author's other books, however.
Rating: Summary: Interesting Tale Review: I'm normally annoyed by authors who seem to be writing a script rather than a novel, but in this case, with the author being a scriptwriter, it was understandable. This would make an interesting movie, but as a novel, it was just okay. As another reviewer said, it is not in the police procedural genre, and the ending is wrapped up a bit too quickly. The story started off like a ball of fire, and I was completely captivated with the characters, but somewhere plausibility came into question, then everything was wrapped up a bit too neatly. I will check out the author's other books, however.
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