The Alchemist in the Attic

by Antonio Urias

San Francisco 1899.

As the city prepares to welcome the new century, a twisted killer enacts his final, grisly legacy.

Theodore Atwood is a disgraced reporter desperate to find a story that can save his career. No one knows San Francisco’s seedy underbelly better, but the deeper he digs the more grotesque and bizarre the case becomes.

Haunted by dreams and phantoms, Atwood follows the killer’s trail from the den of thieves and bodysnatchers to a secret society of spiritualists and occultists. Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows the alchemist readies for his enemies. Disgraced and dying, he will sacrifice countless lives to complete his terrible work.

As the city descends into a fevered nightmare around him, Atwood is caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. He will have to fight to the brink of madness and beyond in order to survive--for he has entered a world of dark science and alchemy and there is no turning back.

The Alchemist in the Attic is an occult mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Horror, Fiction

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2015

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often a random kindle freebie will pleasantly surprise. This one certainly did. In fact it very much read like a proper i.e. professionally edited and published work. Urias credibly rendered a world on the brink of a new century, murky and mysterious San Francisco of strange dangers, corpse stealing, asylums, séances and, well, alchemy. The title is actually to be taken quite literally. In this world a journalist in a last ditch effort to save a newspaper he works for sets out to solve a series of brutal murders. And, of course, things are nowhere near as simple and straight forward as he might have hoped, though the actual secret in the attic is a real doozy, something you wouldn't expect or imagine. I initially expected a sort of scary story, but this turned out (to my delight) to be a solid work of historical fiction with suspense and horror elements. Well written, eerie, atmospheric, nicely paced, this was a very enjoyable quick read. Recommended.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had such a fantastic and deliciously creepy twist at the end, it is an automatic 4 stars. It's your classic mystery with an intrepid (aren't they always?) journalist interacting with some very shady characters. It was pretty run of the mill for the most part. Journalist needs his next big story, journalist uses seedy contacts to get some information, journalist eventually gets in over his head, journalist gets into some serious shenanigans.

All of that was present, no doubt about it. It's handled well and there's enough tidbits revealed a tiny bit at a time to keep me as the reader involved and interested. But far and away the very best part (for obvious reasons) is the climax.

What Teddy stumbles upon is so far out of left field, I never saw it coming. And that's a good thing. It blew my mind; I had some vague ideas about what they would find and I was totally off. Seeerrrrious brownie points for that. It just makes me want to gush because it was so awesome.

The Alchemist in the Attic has the right amount of suspense and paranoia to tie in perfectly.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up last year when it was offered as a kindle freebie. I'm glad I did, because it ended up being one of those rare good kindle freebies.

Set in San Francisco during the late 1800's, the book centers around Theodore Atwood, a down-on-his-luck newspaper reporter working to come up with a sensational story in order to try to save the newspaper he works for. Bodies begin being found around the bay in batches, all of whom are missing their internal organs. Atwood begins investigating and is soon set on a course fraught with danger and all sorts of shady characters.

I did find the beginning a bit slow, but once it finally got going I was hooked. I had kind of sussed out just what the alchemist in the attic was up to, but even then, I didn't have it right on, and still ended up being surprised.

The book ended at 94%, and the rest was a two chapter preview of the first in a series he's writing. I liked it well enough to download the free prequel novella.

[theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a lot of things. But not that.

[Tam May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good things going for it. It's a suspenseful read and the pace is good. I did have some issues with it, though. First, there is a definite noir angle to the story using noir tropes (like the antihero) but I felt it didn't quite fit the late 19th century setting. There's a reason why noir blossomed in the mid-20th century and beyond. The kind of cynicism and despair that it represents didn't really exist in the 19th century when there was still progress and optimism, even though times were certainly tough. Second I felt the main character Atwood had a lot of great potential but wasn't explored enough. There were glimpses of his less-than-noir character which I think would have really added to the novel if they had been developed. Third, there were times when I felt the story was lapsing into TV and movie cliches and tropes (like the banter between the two reporters that sometimes sounded a little too casual for the 19th century). These are things that I found affected me as a reader but others might not feel the same way. It's worth reading if you're into historical mystery fiction.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1899, newspaper hack Theodore Atwood desperately needs a big scoop to prevent the San Francisco Oracle from going under. Following various leads, he learns that a man called Dr Marius Valencourt may be responsible for several bodies washing up on the shore of the Bay. Atwood seeks to uncover more about the mysterious doctor and the secret he's guarding in his room in the attic.

The Alchemist in the Attic was a good read, although I did find the pace a little bogged down. The characters were well fleshed out and the author set the scene of the turn of the century nicely with the inclusion of bodysnatchers, séances, opium dens and asylums. The twist or 'big reveal' at the end was especially good and I doubt anyone reading could predict that. I'm sure I'll be sleeping with the lights on tonight!

Thanks to author Antonio Urias for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

http://barnseybooks.blogspot.co.uk/20...

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the plot of this was good, but I'll admit, it took me way longer to get through it than I anticipated. The first 60% felt incredibly slow, but once it picked up pace things seemed to get a bit interesting. It seemed before that point that there were a whole lot of descriptions of places and people, and not much actually going on which made it too easy to put down and not feel intrigued enough to pick back up and keep going. But in the end, I got there, and I'm glad I did.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1899 San Francisco and bodies are being found in the bay. Theodore Atwood a newspaperman for the struggling Oracle believes that this will result in a story to save his career and the paper. He starts to follow the leads.
I enjoyed the story, even though occult mystery is not my usual read, especially the ending. The story was also full of interesting characters.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story until the end. It switched from a straight forward mystery to a fantasy/horror story that left me feeling a bit disappointed. If the fantasy/horror aspect had been more incorporated into the rest of the book maybe I would appreciate the ending more. But, it wasn't so I took away that fifth star.

[Sherry Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t see that one coming

What a great story! The setting makes it all more believable as well as the characters! This one has murder, mayhem and mystery! Highly recommended!

[Matt Kelland · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Got bored, put it down, and couldn't pick it up again,

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alchemist in the Attic
Antonio Urias
Historical Mystery, Science Fiction, Supernatural
201 pages
The rating is 4 stars out of 5.


Bodies stripped of their organs have been found in San Francisco Bay. Reporter Teddy Atwood gets a lead on a macabre story concerning the murders and chases the crimes to the source, one Dr. Marius Valencourt. NOTE! The mutilated bodies of five young boys are among the victims. If you object to that, don't read the story.

The story has excellent writing, an intriguing and frightening plot and a full cast of vividly defined characters. Atwood is tricked and ambushed at every turn as the explosive conflict is fueled by multiple vile or questionable characters, each with their own plan to profit from Teddy's confrontation with the diabolical Doctor Valencourt.
This story was enjoyable from the beginning, and the attraction grew more intense with each chapter. The ending was a gigantic surprise, and its revelation left me stunned and awed. The action scenes were unusually well thought our and believable.

I heartily recommend The Alchemist in the Attic for avid thriller fans.

Unfortunately, there are word problems: missing, extra, wrong and misspelled. They are minor and infrequent but annoying when they occur. In addition, there are multiple comma issues. And finally, there are several continuity issues that the author has been made aware of.

After a thorough edit this story would deserve a solid 5 star rating.


This review was provided in exchange for a free copy of the book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Michael Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written thriller

Antonio Urias paints a vivid picture of San Francisco at the turn of the last century. The poverty and squalor is palpable. He chills with the story of a ruthless reporter tracking down the mystery of bodies being pulled out from the bay minus their internal organs. The characters are wonderfully colourful and fleshed out especially Madame Galliano. A well constructed thriller. Give it a try you won't be disappointed.

[Jane Balke Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was offered at a great price and so I took a risk and am glad I did. It’s an interesting murder mystery set in San Francisco of the past. I enjoyed the bits of history, journalism, treatment of mental patients, plus mentions of the occult and spiritualism which were very popular at the time. Best of all is the unusual creepy twist which I did not expect. Love it when I don’t guess the ending.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author delves not only into murder and mystery but spiritualism and the occult in this fast paced tale. Theodore Atwood is a reporter or rather is trying to be a reporter again, he has been disgraced in his profession. When a killer is on the loose and bodies are piling up, Theodore wants to find the killer and finds himself drawn into a seedy underworld and a thrilling drama.

[Glynis Hamlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I am reading the same book as so of the reviewers.
Fast paced? No
Scary? No
Kept me in suspense? Err no!
Nothing much happened- and I really wanted to love this book.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual

Unusual story with a strange twist for an ending. A unique story, but I haven't heard before. Definitely not your normal mystery

[Reg Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book about San Francisco interest’s me as it is my favourite city. The history of that city is one of the most fascinating. Antonio Urias’ story, The Alchemist in the Attic , set in 1899 in a world of underground science would satisfy the most demanding reader.

Great story-telling.