Aphrodesia Summary

Great perfumes have always had one purpose — to seduce. Today, as in the past, a true aphrodisiac is the Holy Grail of the perfumer’s art.

Eric Foster, a student at the top perfume school in France, creates a scent based on the fragrance the Queen of Sheba wore to seduce King Solomon. The result is an aphrodisiac of astonishing potency. When he tests it surreptitiously at a gathering of glitterati in the Panthéon in Paris, its effects on both men and women exceed his wildest hopes.

Eric sees fame and fortune on his horizon. But the school’s sample of Yemeni oud, a rare ingredient critical to his creation, has disappeared. The school blames Eric and expels him.

Eric now slogs through a mind-numbing job with a New York manufacturer of fragrance additives for supermarket products. His one pleasure comes from moonlighting as a forensic scent expert for the NYPD. Police call in Eric when a perfume named SF surfaces as the only link in a series of passion-driven homicides. He instantly recognizes SF as a knockoff of his aphrodisiac. And just as quickly he becomes the prime suspect, facing a charge of serial murder.

But his aphrodisiac never harmed anyone. Whoever is behind SF not only stole his formula, but also corrupted it. With a sickening sense of betrayal, he realizes it can only be someone he knew at the school and trusted.

To make matters worse, SF has gained a cult following around the world. While bloggers rave about the ecstasy they experience, accounts keep trickling in of some people so fiercely consumed by sexual frenzy they can’t help killing their lovers.

Desperate to stop the deaths and prove his innocence, Eric sets out to find the counterfeiter, a person shrouded behind layers of deception. Eric’s hunt takes him from New York to Yemen and France. Yet the closer he gets to the truth, the more viciously his adversary tries to stop him. In this uneven battle, Eric’s one advantage is his extraordinary sense of smell.

Aphrodesia Reviews

Publishers Weekly: "This modern day mystery has it all -- deceit, murder, revenge. The story occurs on three continents and revolves around Eric Foster, who has a nose to rival his three-legged Bloodhound, Daisy. The story is ambitious and so is the action … There’s lots of sexual innuendo, heavy breathing, and interludes of sexual frenzy …"

"Occasionally, there will be a story with a theme so unique, its subject matter so brilliantly researched, and the writing so crisp, that the story literally sings. APHRODESIA is such a story. Imagine a brilliant developer of perfume who can not only read every “note” in a drop of perfume, but can also smell the limestone, candle wax, and “incense used in a thousand masses” in an old church . . . who can, upon entering a house, detect the unique scent of a former lover’s skin. John Oehler has written a story that is sensual, informative without being burdensome, and with an exciting mystery thrown in besides. An outstanding read."
— Robert Vaughan, bestselling author, Pulitzer Prize nominee, and 1998 inductee into the Writers Hall of Fame

Reviews of Excerpt (prologue and first two chapters)
"I loved the prologue! The perfume sex scene was also very original and erotic. I was shocked to enjoy this excerpt as much as I did."

"l loved this, and would have gladly read more. I never would have thought I'd like a book set in the world of perfumery, but I did like this."

"You can feel the sexual tension between Abby and Eric through the dialogue."

"Very interesting plot line. Well written. Realistic dialogue. Nothing forced. I would be very interested in reading this novel. Good job!"

"The premise of this book is genuinely intriguing and decidedly unique. The writing is fantastic."

Read an Excerpt from Aphrodesia

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Behind The Scenes of Aphrodesia

Origin of Aphrodesia

by John on February 22, 2011

The basic ideas for Aphrodesia came slowly over many years. My first story notes date from 2007, but I first became interested in perfumes more than a decade earlier.