The Aphrodite Inheritance

by Michael J. Bird

When British Engineer Barry Collier is injured in an accident in Cyprus his brother David flies out only to find he has died. It soon becomes apparent that Barry Collier was involved with some very strange people. And before he knows it, David has some strange experiences of his own. Could it have something to do with the photo of a stone carved with hieroglyphics? Who are the intriguing characters that seem to be pulling David Collier's strings and appear and disappear at will? Businessman Eugene Hellman, the barman Charalambos, the brigand Basileos and the very beautiful Helene. Can it really be that the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece are playing games with him?

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1979

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are young you are bound to have seen something on television that blew you away and for me that was the final episode of the series based upon the book. This TV show and its sister show, meaning written by the same writer, "who pays the Ferryman" have been through the years the romantic side of the old Europe I have never found but I have liked the Greek Islands I visited a lot and always looked for the Greece and the Islands underneath the touristy blanket. This story is set in Cyprus which is a Greek Island, unless you are Turkish in that case you are bound to disagree. Tough for the Turks that so many ancient monuments are descendant from Greek heritage.

This is the story of David Collier who came to Cyprus after the unfortunate demise of his brother Barry. Where he gets involved in the mystery of his brothers death which may be connected to more mysterious deaths connected to the construction company his brother works for. He meets the bartender Charalambos, the mountain man Basileos and the incredible beautiful Helene who play a big part in the adventures he is about to find himself in. Gradually David finds himself in trouble and in situations he has no real knowledge about. It all seems to be about a treasure that has been found and will be sold to the highest bidder. But it seems that there are forces at work from mythology that have different ideas about the treasure.

Why 4 stars when it is an 3 star book, that is easy it is one of those early supernatural stories that is that but never in your face, far more subtle but it will leave you without a doubt at the end. It is one of those stories that is a love affair from my youth together with the earlier Crete based dram by the same writer. Both are fun reads even if the TV shows are better.

I enjoyed this book a lot but did have the images of the tv show in my mind. A revisit to my past that did live up to its memories.

Adding the title music to the review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMRlI...

[Trish]

I remember enjoying the BBC series when it came out, way back at the end of the 1970s. I'm curious whether the story still holds up.

[✿Claire✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this book, the storyline was confusing, the writing was stilted and the formatting was horrendous making it an incredibly difficult read.