The Accidental Alchemist

October 13, 2014
In this lighthearted supernatural mystery series launch, Zoe Faust heads to Portland, Ore., looking for a fresh start in a place where being different is okay—even if you’re not only a vegan and an herbalist but also 338 years old and a nonpracticing alchemist. Everything goes according to plan until the repairman who has come to remodel her fixer-upper is poisoned and stabbed on the stairs. Zoe becomes both prime suspect and chief detective. Aided by a living gargoyle and a 14-year-old thrill seeker, Zoe must discover who the real killer is before her secrets are revealed. Meanwhile, romance brews, as do so many other subplots that the story never acquires focus. Pandian (Pirate Vishnu) sets this series apart from other fluffy paranormal mysteries with Zoe’s cute nonhuman sidekick and some mouthwatering vegan recipes. Agent: Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

January 1, 2015

When herbalist and former alchemist Zoe Faust finally arrives at her fixer-upper in Portland, OR, she discovers that someone had rifled through her shipped belongings. Nothing is missing, but she finds an addition--a three-and-a-half foot living gargoyle named Dorian. The next morning Zoe receives another shock: her just-hired handyman lies dead on her porch and several of her alchemical texts are missing. As Zoe tries to put her old life behind her, she will have to use her past skills to transform old secrets and lies into the truth. VERDICT Pandian (Pirate Vishnu; coauthor, Other People's Baggage) launches a supernatural cozy series that hits high marks for a modern twist on an ancient practice. Amusing supporting characters and historical details solidify this engaging mystery.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
An alchemist moves to Oregon in an attempt to leave her old ways behind only to find that they've followed her in the form of a 3-foot-tall talking gargoyle.While she's unpacking boxes in Portland, Zoe Faust discovers an unwelcome addition to her baggage: a stone gargoyle as tall as a yardstick. She thinks that having an unexpected and unwieldy stone statue is trouble enough until the gargoyle comes to life and greets her in a thick French accent. Dorian Robert-Houdin-of course a French-speaking gargoyle must have a hyphenated name-was brought to life by his father, a renowned human magician in the 1800s. Dorian is desperate for Zoe's help, because in spite of the magic that brought him to life, his animation appears to be fading. Terrified of being trapped in his own stone body, he's followed Zoe to Portland because he knows the truth about her: She's not just some herbal hobbyist, but a real alchemist. Zoe has been hoping to escape her old life as a closeted immortal in France and also needs a new town where no one will guess her secret. Once she agrees to help Dorian, Zoe runs into trouble of her own when the handyman she's hired to help with the house shows up dead on her doorstep on his first day. Zoe lets it slip to Detective Max Liu that she can tell poison was involved, but she can't tell him that she can smell it on the body. Now Zoe's got two mysteries to solve, each a case of life and death, and the best help she's got are her new stone friend and a troublemaker kid, Brixton, who may be in it just to prove Dorian's existence to the outside world.Though the world of Pandian's new series may not sound any more appealing than Zoe's vegan recipes, it's just as satisfying in the end.

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