The Chemist

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The physicist Richard Feynman said that if in some cataclysm all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation, the statement that would contain the most information in the fewest words would be ‘all things are made of atoms.’ I guess this is the heart of chemistry, or close to it. What more do we need to know about chemistry? With those two clear winners, assigning third place is a bit more complicated because of the different focus each of the remaining books has. For a traditional general chemistry book, that spot would go to #3 on the list, Petrucci’s General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications because it is most likely to meet the needs of most gen chem students as a main course textbook. Soy fanática de la serie Twilight y no me importa lo que digan. Deben reconocer que Stephenie Meyer cambió para siempre la forma de escribir libros YA. Stephenie Meyer changes it up fairly dramatically in The Chemist (2016), her second adult novel, where there is nary a vampire, werewolf or space alien to be found. It’s a rather pulpy but absorbing thriller in the vein of a Jason Bourne novel (to whom she’s dedicated this novel, among others). There’s no real speculative element here, other than perhaps some new developments in chemical-based torture and some startlingly smart dogs.

First we have Alex, or whatever her name was, she's this big, scary, on-the-run torture-chemist. And I just wasn't feeling it. The characters are classic Meyer. A nondescript Mary Sue protagonist is a virgin surrounded by a cast of male characters, with no female relationships (never mind friendships) in sight. The love interest is textbook handsome and one-dimensional to the point of disbelief. Daniel is such a good, kind, sappy guy who is concerned for the safety of a person who just tortured him. I honestly didn't buy it. I don't care how much of a saint you are, if someone tortures you, you're not going to sit up and be like "honey, are you alright?" I should’ve had more faith, because this was a pretty amazing book. The only reason I gave in and read it is because both my mother and grandmother were raving about how much they loved it. I was skeptical, but they were totally right. This was one of the best spy thrillers I’ve ever read, on par with or perhaps even surpassing the likes of Patterson and Ludlum. It was what I was so hoping to find in Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series that disappointed me last year. Who would have guessed that Meyer had this kind of skill lurking beneath her teen paranormal romances? Moving right along we have insta love up next. Never mind that Alex voices her resistance, no doubt the lady doth protest too much.Plus, right off the bat she completely trusts the evil corporation she spent the last few years running from and manages to torture the wrong person.

To wrap it up it was an interesting, slower-paced, somewhat exciting read with a satisfying ending.

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A few years ago I attended a workshop at the Vatican Observatory on water in the solar system, and started to wonder exactly how old the water in my tea cup was. Was it here from earth’s formation, or did it crash land on a craggy ball of dust sometime later? I wrote “A brief history of water in the universe” for Nature Chemistry, and in doing the research for that, encountered Philip Ball’s biography of water.

The tales are gritty, and Blum doesn’t stint on the gory details. The stories of cyanide poisoning are not for the weak-stomached or faint of heart. My favorite vignettes are where the chemistry doesn’t convict the obvious suspect. Frank Travia, accused in late 1926 of killing his girlfriend, and then dismembering her body to dispose of it, insisted that he’d woken up to find her dead on the floor. The case went to trial, but Norris and Gettler were able to show that the real culprit was carbon monoxide from Travia’s stove. As Blum so vividly puts it, “Carbon monoxide is a kind of chemical thug. It suffocates its victims by simply muscling oxygen out of the way.” Just like the first title, this text contains all the relevant material with logical organization and clear explanations.

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THE CHEMIST is a light romantic suspense and spy thriller which I found slightly challenging to follow along with some of the secondary characters. I had a hard time figuring out and remembering who was who and how they were connected to the ongoing storyline. The novels main character who goes by the name of "Alex" (most of the time) is a strong female lead who is an expert in her line of work and possesses a unique talent to get the job done. I found her first experience with Daniel was quite intense and exciting but that intensity just didn't continue for me throughout the rest of the novel. I think I was more interested in the relationship that Kevin had with his extremely intelligent trained dogs and their special abilities especially Einstein, as it added some extra life to the storyline. Es absolutamente aburrido, le sobran 200 páginas rellenadas con banalidades sin sentido, una protagonista con delirios de persecución, un romance salido de la nada y un final ridículo. Mis expectativas eran realmente altas y me defraudó. Como pudo la misma persona escribir la saga Twilight y este libro? Yes, a lot of people die and some things happen to the dogs. BUT, they didn't expect to run into Alex - The Chemist, a weapon of torture and how she can take you out. I mean there WAS these assassins but . . . . Seriously, given that the chemist is on the run for her life, from a well resourced government agency and that she is clearly handicapped by the company she keeps, it is not unreasonable to expect a hair raising chase or nail biting conflict, thoroughly soaked in adrenaline laced action and heart pumping tension. Sadly it is not to be found here. Sure the hunt is on, the stakes are high and oh my is that not a lovely moon we have tonight. In other words……...yawn.