A Breeze Across The Aegean

by Robert Cole

It has been two years since Nicholas lost his wife. Still bereft he decides to take a holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes, hoping that the break will help him in his recovery. Whilst there he takes a day trip to the tiny island of Halki. On the ferry he meets Alessandra, who is working as a researcher at the museum on Rhodes. Beautiful and vivacious, she and Nicholas instantly connect and make plans to meet up on their return trip. She also offers to show Nicholas around the Old Town of Rhodes. Alessandra fails to show up on both occasions and a disappointed Nicholas returns to his old life in England. A few months go by and he is stunned to hear that Alessandra has been reported as missing and then realises he may have been one of the last to have seen her. Determined to help, Nicholas returns to Rhodes to assist the authorities. He learns that her disappearance may have been linked to her own research into one of the Ancient World’s most enduring mysteries. Frustrated with the police efforts he decides to continue his own investigation into her disappearance. Set against the magic and the mystery of these Greek islands of the Eastern Aegean, Nicholas’s search throws him into the dangerous world of artifact looting, kidnapping and murder. Initially ill-equipped to deal with the shadowy and brutal world of these criminal networks he embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. He will need to summon new depths of resolve and courage to save Alessandra and himself before the journey turns deadly.

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2020

Reviews

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholas Adams has been grieving from the loss of his wife and baby when he decides to take a leave of absence and go to the isle of Rhodes. On the ferry to another nearby island he meets a researcher, Alessandra, who works for the ministry of culture. They seem to connect and agree to meet later. However, she does not show up and Nicholas goes home to England. Some time later her face is on the tv and Nicholas learns she has gone missing. He decides to go back to Rhodes and find her. He meets several shady characters and another lovely woman and learns about the illegal trade in antiquities through papers left by Alessandra. An interesting part of this book is that the reader discovers Alessandra through her parents and co-workers. The main characters do not meet again until the later part of the book. The history of the Colossus of Rhodes and the quest for any part of it remains a mystery. The descriptions of the various islands made me want to travel there. I received a digital copy of this book for a honest review.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Gripping from the start. I didn’t want to put it down!

[miss.mesmerized mesmerized · Rating 5 out of 5]

After his wife’s death, Nicholas has lost the energy to live and fallen into a dark hole. When he takes a holiday on the Greek Island of Rhodes, the incredible happens. He meets a woman who immediately sparks something in him. They are on the ferry to Halki and agree to meet in the afternoon before taking the ferry back to Rhodes. Yet, Alessandra does not show up. Nicholas is disappointed but apparently, she did not feel the same as he did during their brief encounter. Back in England, he goes on with his life when one evening, he sees a report about a young woman gone missing – Alessandra. Could he have been the last person to see her alive? He contacts the police and the parents before he resolves to return to Greece and to have a look himself since no one seems to be really preoccupied. He cannot simply do nothing when the one person who brought back his will to live has gone missing. It does not take long for him to be sure that there is much more behind Alessandra’s disappearance than just a woman who decided to start a new life and cut all former strings.

Robert Cole’s debut novel is a mixture of suspenseful crime and interesting dive into ancient history. Nicholas’ search for Alessandra is strongly linked to the past of the Greek islands, old trade routes between Europe and the Middle East as well as modern trade – which is rather of the illegal kind. Stolen goods of inestimable value, belonging to the world heritage which in the turmoil of wars fall into the hands of shady businessmen. Some of the history is well known, a lot was also new to me and I found it wonderfully integrated into the thrilling search for the young archaeologist.

Strongest is certainly the atmosphere of the islands which offer such a long and great history which finds its place in the novel. Even though Nicholas is a bit naive at times and irresponsible at others, I found this characters quite charming to follow. He cleverly understands the evidence and draws the right conclusions leading step by step him closer to Alessandra and some very dangerous dubious men.

Not an absolutely thrilling psychological mystery, but rather an entertaining, yet nevertheless enthralling, trip into history.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Troubador Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nicholas is a widower from the UK that is on vacation on Rhodes, a Greek isle. While ferrying to nearby Halki, he meets a British woman, Alessandra, who is living on Rhodes and they agree to meet for a drink before catching the afternoon ferry back, but she never shows. Then once back in the UK, he learns she has gone missing, and feeling he had a connection with her, he takes a sabbatical from work and begins searching for her.

3.5 stars.

I requested this one because my much anticipated trip to the Greek isles was cancelled thanks to COVID and I am counting the minutes until I can rebook. I was basically pulled in by the setting more than the synopsis. So, I enjoyed the scenery and the things I learned about the region, but as a mystery, it was just ok. I felt like we knew what was going on too early and then it was just watching it play out. There was somewhat of a surprise near the end, but it didn't really change the outcome. It was a decent book but not really twisty/turn-y enough for me.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Netgalley provided this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy read, an ideal beach read. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars (bumped it up because while it wasn’t anything that blew me out of the water it was a solid, decent book).

I read it in the cold brisk winter but Robert Cole did such an excellent job of getting me to daydream about being in Rhodes myself! Rhodes is where the story primarily takes place. I feel like Robert Cole truly captured the essence of Rhodes in this novel and did so effortlessly.

I don’t care for authors who are unnecessarily “wordy” and Robert Cole provided a perfect amount of details to set the stage for this story and the characters in it. The main characters were memorable and now I REALLY want to go to Greece, or just any beach.

I wasn’t so sure about where the ending was headed, because after the climax things seemed to fall flat, BUT it worked out and the ending was satisfying.

I recommend reading this book and would read more novels by this author.

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning debut novel by Robert Cole reads like a Graham Greene classic. It certainly gave me as much pleasure to read.
The evocative atmosphere of the beautiful islands in the Dodecanese archipelago are a perfect backdrop to a thriller that allows the author to explore deeper issues. International politics, espionage, the looting of ancient artefacts all form part of the fabric of the novel.
The characters are drawn with honesty and integrity. The author's love of his subject matter permeates every single page.
I can't recommend this novel highly enough. My best read of 2020.

[Sarah Carper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This was an interesting book. I was drawn in and almost captivated by the way the island of Rhodes was described. It made me want to visit right away! Past that, the story was good, but it wasn't has engaging as I had hoped. I didn't feel like the mystery aspect of the book was as strong as it could have been. The book started off great, but began to fizzle out about half way through for me.