Hooray ... after what has felt like a bit of time floating around in the doldrums, I have actually read a book which has managed to keep me gripped throughout and also took me out of myself for a while. The Alchemist's Secret, by Scott Mariani is fast-paced, action-packed and incredibly silly ... but I really enjoyed it. Ben Hope's SAS training and tragic past have led him to a life dedicated to rescuing kidnapped children around the world. It is a tough, lonely life, full of danger and with no room for personal attachments. He is contacted by a prospective client with an unusual proposition ... to find the fabled manuscript written by famed alchemist Fulcanelli, which holds the secret to the "elixir of life" in order to save a dying child. Despite some major reservations, Hope takes the job on. This takes him to France and into the path of American scientist, Dr Roberta Ryder, who, unlike the rest of the scientific community, believes that the study of alchemy is a worthwhile endeavour. Their investigations start to attract some unwanted attention, and the bodies start mounting up. It seems that there are powerful agencies out there who also want to find the secret to eternal life. So the chase is on ... who will be first to find the manuscript, and what will it reveal? Yes, our hero is troubled, and yes, there are some predictable scenarios, and yes, some totally unbelievable baddies (one group of which really irritated me). However, despite all of these flaws, The Alchemist's Secret is a great read. Sharp, taut and full of vim, I found myself going along for the ride once I had well and truly suspended my disbelief! This is the first in a series of books featuring Ben Hope, and if you like things like The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, then this will be right up your street.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 496 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.48 (several years ago on Kindle)
Formats available: print; ebook.
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