Aphrodite by Russell Andrews

The provided text is comprised of excerpts from a novel titled "Aphrodite," featuring numerous copyright and song lyric acknowledgments at the beginning. The narrative sections detail a complex thriller plot involving a former detective named Justin Westwood investigating the murders of a newspaper writer, Susanna Morgan, and a missing intern, Maura Greer, whose bodies are discovered over time. Justin teams up with a yoga instructor, Deena Harper, and her daughter, Kendall, as they uncover a vast conspiracy linked to the pharmaceutical company KranMar, which has developed a secret formula for extending human life—the "Aphrodite project." This dangerous secret is protected by hired twin killers and is somehow intertwined with the U.S. government, as exemplified by the involvement of an FBI agent and a former Health and Human Services Secretary. The story concludes with Justin securing the formula and arranging for his friends' safety while deciding to destroy the life-extending secret rather than allow it to fall into the wrong hands.