The Alchemist's Pursuit

By: Dave Duncan

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Hampered by arthritis, Nostradamus is in no mood for granting favors or running about looking for trouble. But when his apprentice Alfeo's mistress asks him to investigate the murder of her beloved courtesan mentor - and promises a fortune in payment - he comes around. It appears that someone is murdering the courtesans of Venice. All were well-known, admired for their skills - and somehow connected by a sinister event involving one of the great families of the city.

While Nostradamus attempts to use the dark arts to solve riddles which confound explanation, Alfeo finds himself led by a possibly demonic force through a maze of deceit and death. And when the master and apprentice come to the end of their intertwined paths, there may be hell to pay.

©2009 Dave Duncan (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Great fun

A very sympathetic lead character, the Alchemist's apprentice, well narrated. After listening to this one I bought the two others available in the same series. (I doesn't matter in what order you listen to them, same main characters but knew problems). All in all, very good entertainment.

The Alchemist's Pursuit

What a fun mystery. An historical account of Venice with wonderful characters, a twist to the plot and ingenius descriptions of the area, people, costumes, values and corruption. A wonderful listen.

Highly entertaining

Duncan writes some of the tightest plots you will find. He then decorates them with fascinating period detail, delightfully witty byplay, sufficient danger to keep the reader on edge, and just a dollop of magic to add spice.

This is the second of the Alchemist books I have listened to (this was the better of the two), and I recommend them very highly. The central character, a clever and engaging scamp whose adventures are presented with intelligence and panache, is given an appealing voice by Victor Bevine. It all adds up to great fun!

Great Read

The details about the period are fascinating, but the plot is what gets me every time with his books. This one in particular has a completely unexpected twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one.

Fun little mysteries

This series certainly isn't life shattering, but is cute and keeps the listener entertained. I bought this book on the $4.95 sale and it was definitely worth it. (It is book THREE in the trilogy, although you can listen to them out of order and not feel lost.) I enjoyed the snippets of history and Venician culture that are embedded into the stories.

Bleh

I believed the reviews that said it was like Harry Potter, but I didn't last three hours. Hokey and not very original.