Alchemy

The new historical crime thriller, a Sunday Times bestseller, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Hilary Mantel

Prague, 1588.

A COURT IN TURMOIL

The court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, is a haven for scientists, astrologers and alchemists. The dream – to discover the philosopher’s stone and attain immortality. But now there are rumours of heresy.

A MURDERED ALCHEMIST

Giordano Bruno is sent to Prague as a spy for Elizabeth I. He arrives to find the palace in uproar – an alchemist has been murdered.

AN UNFORGIVING ENEMY

Ordered by the emperor to uncover the killer, Bruno must negotiate the jostling factions at court, as well as the religious tensions brewing in the city. And his hunt to track down a murderer soon proves as elusive as the elixir of life itself…

Praise for Alchemy

‘The clever twists and turns of Alchemy are assuredly plotted and Prague, a city in religious and political turmoil, makes for a powerful setting’ The Times

‘Over the past dozen years, S. J. Parris’s novels… have been among the most enjoyable of all historical thrillers’ Sunday Times

‘Breathless pace and acutely observed detail make for a story that confounds and surprises’ Observer

S. J. Parris's book Alchemy was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 03-07-2023

Reviews

‘The clever twists and turns of Alchemy are assuredly plotted and Prague, a city in religious and political turmoil, makes for a powerful setting’ The Times

‘Over the past dozen years, S. J. Parris’s novels… have been among the most enjoyable of all historical thrillers’ Sunday Times

‘Breathless pace and acutely observed detail make for a story that confounds and surprises’ Observer

Praise for S. J. Parris:

‘A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1…Nimbly braiding history with suspense, this is a classy mystery’ Observer

‘Immaculate… the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama’ Metro

‘Sumptuous’ New York Times

‘Parris’s attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative’ The Sunday Times

‘Fast-paced and entertaining, it’s a well-researched and authentically claustrophobic romp through the Elizabethan underworld’ Mail on Sunday

‘Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best’ i

‘Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat’ Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War

‘An impressive feat. The plot, one of exhilarating complexity, was handled with aplomb’ 'Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry

‘A delicious blend of history and thriller’ The Times

‘A tight plot combines with subtly-realised characters and an omnipresent sense of danger … My pleasure in the vividly textured backdrop and a cracking story was accompanied by an uneasy shudder’ Daily Mail

‘Colourful characters, fast-moving plots and a world where one false step in religion or politics can mean a grisly death’ Sunday Times

‘S. J. Parris is one of my favourite authors – and unquestionably our greatest living writer of historical thrillers’ A.J. Finn