The Accidental Alchemist

The Accidental Alchemist By Gigi Pandian Midnight Ink January 2015

Review by Cynthia Chow

With so many mystery novels featuring witches, vampires, and psychics, it was about time that we see the absolutely unique entry of Zoe Faust, a three-hundred year-old alchemist from the Salem Witch Trials. After having been completely disillusioned by the practice of alchemy – as she defines it, striving to achieve purity or perfection by transforming the impure or corruptible – Zoe has brought her airstream to Portland, Oregon to renovate a home that defines the term “fixer-upper.” Zoe has plans to renovate the old mansion into a storehouse for her online apothecary shop, Elixir, as well as construct a lab in the basement now that she is finally ready to dip her toe back into her experimentations involving plant alchemy.

Zoe has barely begun to unpack before she makes a discovery that shocks even her; a living gargoyle has shipped himself in one of her boxes in the hope that she will translate a book and find a cure that has him turning back into stone. Dorian Robert-Houdin, created by and named after one of the founding fathers of the practice of conjuring, is an admitted Francophile with French chef training, a skill that comes in handy considering Zoe’s vegan lifestyle. Zoe’s goal of laying low will prove exceedingly difficult now with a living winged gargoyle in her kitchen, and this was even before she discovered the body of her contractor on her doorstep, dead from a poisoning. An attractive but suspicious police detective, a juvenile delinquent who threatens her privacy, and a deadline on Dorian’s returning back to his original state has Zoe fearing discovery as well as the loss of a new friend who shares her sense of isolation.

I absolutely adored this first in a new series. Zoe is an extremely practical and very likable character, and while she appears to be only twenty-eight (her slowed aging has only her white hair reflecting her true age), she is quite adept with modern technology and pop culture. The trauma of losing those that she has loved has definitely darkened her outlook, so Dorian’s companionship and his absolutely delectable cooking refresh both her outlook and her meals. Burdened with fourteen year-old boy whose immature and self-involved mother rather cavalierly designates Zoe as a babysitter, she ultimately finds that he may not be as threatening to her privacy and secrets as she thought. Fans of the paranormal will adore this series, as it explores the practice of alchemy that involves less the transforming of lead into gold than it does the flawed into “perfection.” Of course, Zoe has found that long life is not always the gift that it may seem, and not being immortal her devotion to healthy practices seems quite practical. A well-crafted plot and humorous dialogue highlight this very fun mystery full of characters who all have faced and still struggle with their own personal challenges. The author of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries has crafted another promising series that is a delightful blend of mystery, historical lore, science, and contains a charming sprinkle of romance.