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    The Alchemy of Murder
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    The Alchemy of Murder
    Unavailable
    The Alchemy of Murder
    Ebook517 pages8 hours

    The Alchemy of Murder

    By Carol McCleary

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century.

    They are all in Paris—the capital of Europe and center of world culture—for the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.



    At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781429991766
    Unavailable
    The Alchemy of Murder
    Author

    Carol McCleary

    CAROL MCCLEARY was born in Seoul, South Korea, and lived in Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines. She now lives on Cape Cod in an antique house that is haunted by ghosts. McCleary is the author of  Nellie Bly Mystery series.

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    Reviews for The Alchemy of Murder

    3.5/5

    11 ratings10 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      Get over yourself, Nellie.
    • 5/5
      Book DescriptionThe world’s most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century. They are all in Paris—the capital of Europe and center of world culture—for the 1889 World’s Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.My ReviewThis was an interesting historical fiction account of Nellie Bly, feminist newspaper reporter, who was in search of a killer similar to Jack the Ripper who killed prostitutes. I enjoyed reading about the historical characters that Nellie met in Paris, such as; Louis Pasteur, Oscar Wilde and Jules Verne. Louis Pasteur was hunting microbes in order to help with a cure for the Black Plague. Oscar Wilde became of friend of Nellie and helped her in the search of the killer of the prostitutes. In the book, she had a relationship with Jules Verne which was rather interesting. She decided to prove to Jules Verne that woman can do whatever men can do and took up the challenge to do a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days and beat Phileas Fogg's time from the infamous book by Verne, Around the World in 80 days. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism and wrote an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. I look forward to reading the next book in the Nellie Bly series in order to see what Nellie is up to as I really enjoyed her adventures in the first book. I would highly recommend this book to those who like historical fiction about famous people.
    • 3/5
      This is the first in McCleary’s series featuring the real-life reporter Nellie Bly, who was famous in the early part of 20th century for her expose of conditions in Bellevue Asylum for the Insane in NYC, and for her round-the-world trip, a la Jules Verne, made in 72 days.I wanted very much to like this series since seeing the one woman play by a local author Gary Blackwood “Two Hours in a Madhouse”. But there is just too much fiction, too much suspension of belief asked (that Nellie would be involved in a murder investigation in Paris, okay; but that she would meet and have a relationship with Jules Verne was the breaking point for me).You might enjoy the mystery in this but don’t count on it to learn anything about the real Nellie Bly.3 stars
    • 4/5
      Nellie Bly, history's first investigative reporter, had to prove herself better than her male peers to be accepted by Joseph Pulitzer in late 19th century. She accomplished this when she had herself committed to an insane asylum so she could report on its condition. While there she befriends a prostitute who hopes to be released through the assistance of foreign physician Dr. Blum. However, the physician's lab is shortly burned, the physician is found missing and human organs are found in glass jars. Assuming that organs were harvested from her friend, the reader soon finds Nellie on Dr. Blum's trail, which eventually leads to Paris where a number of prostitutes have recently succumbed to a virulent plague. Assisted by historical luminaries, Jules Verne, Louis Pasteur and Oscar Wilde, Nellie Bly must find this infamous physician before others die.

      It was enjoyable to read a historical mystery/thriller with these historical luminaries. However, occasionally historical figures were add that did little to advance the plot. My edition of the book included illustrations of some of these scenes, which helped transport me to 19th Paris. This was the first in the Nellie Bly series and won't be my last.
    • 1/5
      What a boring book. It was such a slog to get anywhere, and soooo slow. Just couldn't force myself to finish it.
    • 4/5
      a must read and is interesting
    • 5/5
      A Victorian Paris Mystery ExtraordinaireCarol McCleary’s first installment of her new Nellie Bly mystery series comes out of the starting gate full gallop with a tour-de-force debut that will keep you up all night for one hell of a one-sitting read. Finely tuned polished writing and loveable characters will have historical mystery fans panting for more from this astoundingly accomplished new author. Opening scenes of The Alchemy of Murder introduce the famous American female newspaper reporter Nellie Bly, landing her first journalist job at New York’s World office, hired by none other than Joseph Pulitzer. Seeing Nellie had an eye for a good story, talent for writing, and incredible guts to go undercover to get the nitty gritty and truth behind the scenes, he takes a gamble and wins, finding Nellie Bly to be a worthwhile asset to his newspaper. Installing herself in an insane asylum, Nellie works in disguise to uncover the truth regarding the inhumane treatment women patients are receiving. While mingling with other ladies, pretending herself to be crazy, she befriends another women who bargains with Nellie to work together on escaping the horrors around them. While one night finding her friend missing, Nellie haunts the asylum searching for her and witnesses a frightening doctor doing experiments on the patients. Shocked, she realizes this mad physician has just murdered her friend. Determined to get the scoop, she is let out and there begins her first manhunt for a monster on the loose. Nellie then follows leads and other crime reports across the Atlantic to London, back home to New York, ending with a final journey to Victorian Paris where many sightings have been reported of a “slasher” mutilating and murdering women. He is called the Alchemist and is in hiding somewhere in the bowels and back alley slums of the rougher side of Paris.Arriving in Paris a stranger and neophyte to the city, she makes friends fast and instigates connections with the city’s renowned celebrities. With fortitude, charm, and wit, Nellie enables her difficult investigation to be aided by a host of unique and intriguing characters such as the flamboyant Oscar Wilde, the father of science fiction Jules Verne, pioneer scientist Louis Pasteur, and the zany eccentric painter Toulouse Lautrec. The gang’s all here and what a wild ride and puzzling mystery this becomes. A host of delightful characters, murder, espionage, sarcasm and wit, action, history and a humorous romance, all create a well-rounded Victorian thriller you just can’t beat!I absolutely loved this debut novel and give it high praise. All ingredients are well plotted out and executed fabulously. Historical mystery addicts are going to eat this up and count the days until the second book arrives early next year where it seems Nellie will travel to Egypt. Well done Carol McCleary, hats off to a stunning new book!
    • 4/5
      A thrilling page-turner novel based on the real turn-of-the-century female investigative reporter, Nellie Blye. Nellie follows a murdering madman from New York to London and Paris, mainly set in Paris in the infamous Montmarte district. The assistance of Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde, and Louis Pasteur puts an interesting twist on things.
    • 5/5
      Reporter Nellie Bly is on the trail of a despicable madman and she garners a lot of famous help along the way. Set during the 1899 World’s Fair in Paris, The Alchemy of Murder is a historical tale of murder, mayhem and mystery that will keep you turning pages at a fast clip.Bly is after the man that murdered a friend that she made while undercover at Blackwell’s Asylum. Knowing only the name that he went by at the hospital, Dr. Blum, she trails him to London where she investigates the similar Jack the Ripper killings. She lost the trail there, but picks it up again in Paris, the city of Light.She realizes that she needs influential help and introduces herself to none other than Jules Verne for assistance. He grudgingly joins the search which leads them to need the assistance of Oscar Wilde and Louis Pasteur. The poor are dying in droves in the slums of Paris and it will take all of their combined geniuses to put a stop to it.While this may sound far-fetched, it was beautifully set and completely believable. If you enjoyed Caleb Carr’s The Alienist or the film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, this debut work is right up your alley.
    • 4/5
      This review refers to the Advance Reader Copy of the novel:Interesting debut novel by Carol McCleary with a superb cast of historical characters! We find Nellie Bly at the start of her career, landing a job with Mr. Pulitzer’s New York World which sets Nellie on her path of investigative journalism. Nellie leads us from New York’s Blackwell Island, through the streets of Paris to the 1889 World’s Fair in search of a murderer. She teams up with the handsome Jules Verne and the flamboyant Oscar Wilde amongst the anarchy and the Black Fever brewing in the street of Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec and Louis Pasteur contribute to her cause and our enjoyment. Overall I found it an enjoyable read, although it start out slow, it is worth the wait for when things come together, it bubbles!