5-STAR REVIEW: THE ALCHEMIST OF ALL HALLOWS EVE by Gigi Pandian

About The Book

The Accidental Alchemist Mystery Series: Book 10
Publication Date: September 8, 2026

An eternally young alchemist. A gargoyle who fancies himself Poirot. A Murder House for sale the week before Halloween.
Zoe Faust has run from her past for centuries. She didn’t plan on settling down. She didn’t plan on falling for a mortal man. She certainly didn’t plan on the gargoyle.

Now Zoe, her fiancé, and her French chef gargoyle best friend Dorian have found an enchanting home with a hidden cottage for Dorian. It’s perfect for their little family. Except for one thing. Forty years ago, the night before Halloween, a woman was murdered in their dream house. Or was she?

When an enigmatic stranger arrives and insists that a mythological Irish witch holds the secret to the unsolved crime, Halloween turns deadly once more. Refusing to let Zoe lose the home she’s waited centuries for, Dorian the gargoyle sets out to crack the case.

Can an alchemist, a gargoyle, and a teashop-owning detective solve two Halloween murders before an innocent man takes the fall and their perfect home slips away?

The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve is the whimsical tenth book in USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian’s Anthony Award-winning Accidental Alchemist mystery series. If you love cozy fantasy, Agatha Christie-style whodunits, and found family, you’ll adore this charming Halloween mystery, complete with Irish fortune-telling recipes.

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The Review

Finding the perfect home for Zoe Faust, her fiancé, and gargoyle best friend, Dorian, isn’t so easy. But when they find the perfectly enchanting cottage, they are excited to move into their dream home. Only to discover a woman may have been murdered there 40 years before.

Thus begins the search for an unsolved crime in Gigi Pandian’s tenth book in her Accidental Alchemist mystery series, The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve.

I was completely immersed in the story, as if I were there watching. It was easy to read and follow along, and the story flowed. This story was quirky, and I am not mad about it. I got to read this book at the right season of the year. It’s starting to get cool outside, and Halloween is not far off.

I loved the Gargoyle Dorian and the interconnectedness Dorian and Zoe had with each other. The recipes at the end of the book look delicious, and I’m excited to give some of them a try.

The mystery was well conceived and carried out, and I was enthralled until the very end.

Ms. Pandian has an extensive book list we may have to start looking at for the next book to read, and another Accidental Alchemist book is coming out in 2027, which makes me very happy.

The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve is a quirky book that gets readers in the mood for fall, Halloween, and all things strange and wonderful.

About The Author Gigi Pandian is a USA Today bestselling mystery author, locked-room mystery enthusiast, and fan of exploring ruined castles in the rain. She’s been awarded Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer awards, and been a finalist for the Edgar. She writes the Accidental Alchemist mysteries (humorous cozy fantasy mysteries), the Secret Staircase mysteries (locked-room mysteries called “wildly entertaining” by the New York Times), and the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries (lighthearted adventures steeped in history). Gigi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the backyard garden.