I am so delighted today to provide a review for you at my blog stop for The Alchemist of Lost Souls by Mary Lawrence on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to enter your chance to win the Giveaway!
The Alchemist of Lost Souls (A Bianca Goddard Mystery)
Historical Mystery
4th in Series
Kensington (April 30, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1496715314
ISBN-13: 978-1496715319
Digital ASIN: B07G6R99SR
A dangerous element discovered by Bianca Goddard’s father falls into the wrong hands . . . leading to a chain of multiple murders.
Spring 1544: Now that she is with child, Bianca is more determined than ever to distance herself from her unstable father. Desperate to win back the favor of King Henry VIII, disgraced alchemist Albern Goddard plans to reveal a powerful new element he’s discovered–one with deadly potential. But when the substance is stolen, he is panicked and expects his daughter to help.
Soon after, a woman’s body is found behind the Dim Dragon Inn, an eerie green vapor rising from her breathless mouth. To her grave concern, Bianca has reason to suspect her own mother may be involved in the theft and the murder. As her husband John is conscripted into King Henry’s army to subdue Scottish resistance, Bianca must navigate a twisted and treacherous path among alchemists, apothecaries, chandlers, and scoundrels–to find out who among them is willing to kill to possess the element known as lapis mortem, the stone of death . . .
Boy I love it when I discover a new author and a historical series I can really get into! True to my series record, of course, a new author and the Bianca Goddard mystery is her fourth in the series. (I’m batting a thousand.) And perhaps I’d have understood a bit more of the characters if I’d read the first three, but still, I absolutely devoured this book as if it were the first of a remarkable premise and a standalone.
Set in Elizabethan London, Bianca Goddard is a wife to John and recently discovered she is pregnant. Her mother Melva is a white witch, her father the alchemist, albeit a disgraced alchemist having fallen out of favor with the king for whom he is manic to regain his former position. To that end, he has made a remarkable discovery. Unfortunately, his sample has disappeared and he politely (not) requests that his daughter ascertain whether or not his wife was responsible.
Bianca has her own concerns. John has flunked his archery test and is being conscripted to the king’s army to march on the border of Scotland as a pikesman. (Good luck) She is an herbalist with a growing list of clients, one of whom, Meddybemps, is a street peddler and an old friend.
Meddybemps, however, is just one of a number of support characters that catapults you back to sixteenth-century London. Another character, otherworldly Rat Man, lives under the bridge and sees and knows all. Sometimes he has a hand in divining the direction of human endeavor or their evil deeds.
The sights, sounds, and smells (nasty odors) emanate from the pages. You are there. It’s wet…and chilly. Rainy streets slick with all manner of human detritus combine with the cooking odors. The inns with their serving maids run to deliver a Southwark version of ale–drank morning, noon, and night (in place of fetid water).
The well-plotted storyline flows quite naturally given the female gender of the protagonist and the times. So much fun reading about the herbs, common and otherwise and their application.
Her father’s breakthrough element quickly ends up in the hands of an unscrupulous couple. The death of the wife puts her in touch with Constable Patch, with whom she has had dealings in prior series entries. Constable Patch is not a terribly gifted sleuth and it’s good he’s not generally armed. But that’s not the end of it. Those elements will change hands more than once, resulting in another couple very unusual, unique but not wholly undeserved deaths.
The conclusion came following the climax of a harrowing scene pitting Bianca and her very capable inn wench friend, Cammy, against the antagonist. Is Bianca able to retrieve the elements? Or if so, at what cost? If I had any niggles at all, it would be the conclusion. Damn…I’ll be thinking that one over for awhile.
I was given this eBook download by the publisher and NetGalley for this blog tour and greatly appreciated the opportunity to read and review. What an exciting book! The author took great pains to deliver authentic dialect and syntax, words I was looking up, Latin or French phrases, descriptions of costume and dress. This would make such a fantastic TV series. If I can’t watch it, I’ll wait (im)patiently for the next book.
Sign up for your chance to win one of two (2) Signed Copy The Alchemist of Lost Souls (A Bianca Goddard Mystery) by Mary Lawrence Rafflecopter giveaway
Mary Lawrence lives and farms in Maine and worked in the medical field for over twenty-five years before publishing her debut mystery, The Alchemist’s Daughter (Kensington, 2015). The book was named by Suspense Magazine as a “Best Book of 2015” in the historical mystery category. Her articles have appeared in several publications most notably the national news blog, The Daily Beast. The Bianca Goddard Mystery series also includes Death of an Alchemist, Death at St. Vedast, The Alchemist of Lost Souls, and the fifth title for 2020.
Website: www.marylawrencebooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marylawrence.author/
Twitter: @mel59lawrence
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/84420.Mary_Lawrence
Purchase links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!
Tour Participants:
June 3 – I’m All About Books – GUEST POST
June 3 – Reading Reality – REVIEW
June 4 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 4 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT with EXCERPT
June 5 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW
June 5 – The Book’s the Thing– SPOTLIGHT with EXCERPT
June 6 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
June 6 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT with EXCERPT
June 7 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 7 – Kelly P’s Blog – SPOTLIGHT
June 8 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 9 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW
June 10 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
June 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
June 11 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Ebook Addicts – REVIEW 
Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this medieval historical fiction mystery!
©2019 V Williams 
Rosepoint Publishing 
I was not sure about this one so passed on the blog tour, now I think I should have jumped at it. I am hesitant about starting at the fourth book, so will see if I can get the first ones to read. Wonderful review Virginia.
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I’m sure if I started at the beginning would have answered a few questions. This one however was clever and engaging enough to enjoy as a standalone.
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You are a brave woman for jumping in the series at book #4. I’m so pleased that the risk payed off and that you found a new author to enjoy.
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seems like i do that more often than not. most of the time i have no problems and, really, loved this book.
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I haven’t read a historical mystery… Sounds good. I have a historical romance with me…
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Oh Shalini this one so good had you lifting your skirts to walk the streets. Multi-faceted mystery. Vivid characters. You would like it, dear.
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Will check it out then
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Good, thank you. ☺
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