~Title: THE ACCIDENTAL ALCHEMIST

~Author: Gigi Pandian

~Genre: Mystery

~Subgenre: Paranormal

~Age: Adult

~What’s best about it:

• • • A chance to learn about alchemy;
    • A living gargoyle;
    • I love herbs, and so does the main character;
    • Subtle humor;

~Find more about it:

https://www.gigipandian.com/books

~Description:

Zoe Faust has been drifting for a very long time. When her travels bring her to a town where she might fit in, she still chooses an isolated, decrepit house where nobody will notice her. But the dead contractor on the doorstep destroys that plan…

A fun read, this paranormal cozy stars an alchemist whose secrets keep leaking out. A fourteen-year-old boy with a cellphone camera stumbles across one. The living gargoyle—yes, I thought they were made of stone, too—that was hiding in her luggage seems to know them all. And does she trust her love interest enough to confide in him?

I loved the characters, Zoe’s background, the plot, and the multiple subplots. Her new neighbors form a posse of potential friends and suspects. Zoe’s life story is woven together with the true history of alchemy. The author plays fair, sprinkling clues to the villain throughout the novel. But I still puzzled over who did it until the end. Added treats include the gourmet vegan cuisine (recipes included) and the herbal references.

Fans of Juliet Blackwell’s witchcraft mystery series should love this.

~Similar posts:

Shame-faced confession: this is a new category, so I haven’t written any reviews about books similar to THE ACCIDENTAL ALCHEMIST.  But I’m currently writing a novel in the same genre!