Zoe Faust is and alchemist, she uses plants and herbs to make healing elixirs. Her best friend is a gargoyle named Dorian who has come to life but now is inexplicably turing back into stone. Zoe has been trying desperately to find a cure to save Dorian before he is trapped in his own stone shell.
This time Zoe travels back and forth from Portland to Paris looking for answers to cure her friend and solve another murder that seems connected to alchemy. Zoe feels watched and wonders if she has a stalker who is interested in the dangerous backward alchemy she's researching to cure Dorian. Is it possible her stalker is also the murderer? It will take all her "little grey cells" to winnow out what is happening and she just might have to sacrifice herself to save her friends.
I love this series. I have rated both previous books as an excellent romp through a unique mystery that combines magic, alchemy, cooking and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. Before I started this series I knew nearly nothing about Veganism but since I've gone Paleo in the last several years, I eagerly devoured the side themes in this mystery series. Dorian is not only a living gargoyle but he is also a professionally trained french chef. His mentor was a famous chef who went blind and so without knowing Dorian was a gargoyle, the blind chef taught all he knew to the "strange, deformed little man".I also loved how the author weaves alchemy into her wonderfully imaginative mysteries. I would love it if magic were true so reading about alchemical possibilities imbues the mystery within Pangian's book with a sprinkling of magical whimsy.
I would highly recommend that if you haven't picked up this series, that you start at the beginning before reading "The Elusive Elixir" as you just wouldn't enjoy it as much without all the background. This latest book brings many of the open story lines to a satisfying close, although I'm sure there will still be more gargoyle books. We are left hanging about finding the person who is stalking Zoe and weather she is in danger from him. As I said previously, I have loved this series for it's unusual and unique story line. I do have to admit though that this latest book was only a 3.5 out of five for me. I did really enjoy finally getting answers to questions from the last two books though so if you have read previous gargoyle books you'll love getting conclusions from this book. It's just fun to read a less serious mystery that is full of whimsy and great food! I recommend that you suspend your disbelief, buy this series and curl up with a good book. You'll be so glad you did.
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