In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life. She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her … they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
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Wow, I got this book for Christmas and have read in one day! Thriller, great character development, well researched. And as always with S.Myers work- no profane language or graphic sex scenes (which I REALLY appreciate!)
Ms. Meyer’s personal tribute to Jason Bourne/Aaron Cross comes through perfectly in The Chemist. It is impossible to not notice the blatant similarities in this female version of the antihero. Recruited as a young adult and trained to focus on nothing but the assigned mission… all the joys of youth, love, and femininity lost. As such, this “adult” book resembles Ms. Meyer’s YA fiction in that it features new experiences for the heroine which results in instalove, characters who go googly eyes over kissing and hand-holding, and references to intimacy that fades-to-black.
Ms. Meyer’s previous storytelling showed me how engaging leisure reading could be – the act of losing myself in fiction. So, I did experience some disappointment while reading The Chemist to see that her writing style appears to have changed significantly in my perspective. One of the noticeable changes is that The Chemist is written in third-person versus her historically successful first-person narrative, and her overall storytelling, while fast-paced and engaging, created hours of observing and not experiencing (for me anyway). There are several well-loved authors who are wildly successful with similar styles but Ms. Meyer’s writing has always sucked me in and let me live a different life for a while. I was disappointed by this element; however, I remain equally enamored at having another female lead in the thriller genre. Check it out!
Terrific book! Great story, characters, lots of action and suspense and a love interest. I just wanted to devour every word from the start!
This book “rocked it” It was thrilling, suspenseful and fast paced. Meyer usually writes YA but this adult read is a good journey into adult fiction for Meyer. I loved this book especially the ending. No disappointment in this book and I cannot wait to read her next book.
Written in the style of Jason Bourne, The Chemist is a high-octane thrill ride!
Recruited right out of university, chemistry wizard Juliana worked in a clandestine department of the government creating drugs used for interrogation. Her excellent record made her a liability. When the lab she worked in was destroyed and her mentor killed, Juliana went into hiding, changing her name, hair and anything else that made her recognizable to her enemies.
Three years later, Alex (Juliana) receives a message from her former handler; one she can’t ignore. With hundreds of lives on the line, Alex must outwit those who want her dead while decoding a puzzling trail of clues, all the while wondering whether this is just an elaborate hoax meant to draw her into the open.
Let the games begin.
In the context of her current life, killing was about winning. Not the entire war, just one small battle at a time, but each was still a win. Someone else’s heart would stop beating and hers would keep going.
THE CHEMIST- STEPHANIE MEYER
The story starts out a bit slow, and Alex spends a lot of time second-guessing everyone’s motives and what her reaction should be, but… it fits. She’s almost been killed three times and knows the agency she worked for has unlimited resources- also, she’s a scientist. It makes sense that she would be thorough. Therefore, I was surprised when a couple of areas made me question her choices, such as her trust in Daniel and his twin brother, Kevin, even though Kevin bashed her face in on their first meeting. But the action kept me reading- I couldn’t stop!
The Chemist is a great book. The characters that Stephanie Meyers created have an amazing story. It was definitely a page turner. I have read this book two times so far.
This book is just as good as Meyer’s other books! I loved all of the main characters; they are charming and witty! I definitely recommend this book to any Meyer fans , and anyone else who likes action/adventure books!
I’ve never read anything written by Stephenie Meyer, but I was pleasantly surprised by her spy thriller, The Chemist. The Chemist’s protagonist, Juliana, is the female version of Jason Bourne in the Bourne series. What makes her so spectacular, is the fact that she uses her brains and not just her brawn to survive and defeat her enemies. She’s an extremely intelligent chemist who was recruited by a clandestine government agency. After the agency murders her partner and attempts to murder her, she sets traps and defeats her enemies by utilizing her intelligence and skills as a chemist. She’s a tough as nails, courageous women who survives against all odds. Her life on the run left little to be desired, and her devotion to her work in the secret government agency consumed her life.
In an effort to free herself from the agency, Juliana decides to take on one final assignment. She’s informed that the character, Daniel Beach, is attempting to destroy the world with a virus, and it’s her job to stop him. She kidnaps him and tortures him to get the information the agency needs. The problem is that Daniel isn’t dangerous and the agency is using Daniel so that they can find and murder Daniel’s brother, Kevin, who happens to also be a rogue spy.
Daniel’s brother attempts to rescue Daniel as he’s being tortured by Juliana. The three decide to work together to defeat the agency. Daniel and Juliana fall in love, and they all build happy lives outside of the agency!
This is a unique psychological thriller that is absolutely unputdownable!
WOW! This woman, known by many names, has more than a few tricks up her sleeve and they are all fascinating! This is another audiobook recommended by my husband. He said the book was excellent, but he didn’t want me picking up any ideas, lol! If you like powerful females, you’ll love The Chemist!
My Rating: 5 ’s
#TheChemist #StephanieMeyer #psychologicalthriller #MustRead #JustFinished #libby #AwesomeRead
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
Thriller. A touch of romance.
I loved the suspense and the on-the-run solutions. The relationships were entertaining and while it was long, the characters stayed true to who they were. The romance is really surface level (clean) and Kevin’s reaction to it every time had me laughing out loud. I don’t know if the science was correct but the simple names and natural poisons were impressive.
Scientist, chemist, doctor or savior. It’s an amazing adventure.
Excerpt:
“I do have a plan.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “I bet you always have a plan, don’t you Shorty.”
She regarded him with flat eyes. “I can’t rely on muscles, so I rely on brains. It appears you have the opposite promblem.
He laughed derisively.
“Um, Kev,” Daniel interjected. I’d like to point out that you are chained up on the floor.”
“Shut up Danny”.
Excerpt from The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
This conversation goes on a bit longer where Daniel reminds Kevin no less than 3 times that he’s still chained up on the floor.
Priceless.
2nd reading via audiobook narrated by Ellen Archer. I really enjoyed this version of the book. Ellen has a bit of a flat voice that plays well for the analytical thinking of the heroine. There was intro music at the beginning and again at the end as the credits were read. The audio version gave great emphasis on the funny animosity between the heroine and Kevin, certainly more than I remember from my first read when the book was first released. There were several laugh out loud moments that were enhanced by the audio. I listened at 1.2 for the first half and upped it to 1.3 for the second half.
This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down. It was such a fast-paced, intense read and the characters were amazing, as was their development. Stephanie Meyers is amazing at character building and world building.
This isn’t my normal genre, and obviously the romance wasn’t the main theme, so it was seriously lacking for me.
However, it WAS a great book. I just wish, as a romance reader, it was more romantic suspense and less mystery/suspense. I wouldn’t quite call it a thriller, but it WAS a good read.
An adult novel from Stephenie Meyer. I enjoyed the story, although a lot of twists were easy to see coming. It was a quick read, and I like it overalll.
I loved this book, I have the audio version as well as the ebook & hardcover. I found it thrilling, funny and a few tear jerking moments. Great action and a bit of romance perfectly balanced. Absolutely recommend this book. Very well written.
I loved this book. It keeps you on your toes throughout the book. You can’t guess what is going to happen next. This book needs to become a movie.
It took me forever to pick up this book. I just wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to read. I haven’t ever read this author…. I know. I’m probably the only bibliophile that hasn’t read the series this author is most known for. But, I digress.
This book is… Unique in its own right. Fun, as in plenty of action. Mysterious with the spy thriller thing. Basically, it has a lot going for it.
I will say, it starts out a little slow. It takes a few chapters to really get into the thick of things. From there, the book takes off with a bang. Once things start to twist and turn, I felt like I was in a spy movie that didn’t want to end.
The characters were strong, in every sense. They all played their parts well. And they worked together in all the right ways. It’s hard to find a book like this where the characters are written to compliment (or not) each other so well, and it work for the story overall.
I might have picked up on a few things kind of early-ish, but that didn’t take away from the journey these characters are on. I didn’t want to put this down until I found the ending. And I knew what I wanted for the ending. I was going to throw things if it didn’t turn out the way I was hoping for. How did it end? Well, nothing was broken or damaged after I turned the last page.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.
Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
MY TAKE
ETA: I love this book more each time I listen to it. And I’ve listened to it three times. I’m changing my review to a full five stars.
This book is very different from Meyer’s other book, both in genre and in feel. Where the Twilight books and The Host were full of emotion, the main character in this book–Alex–is very analytical and emotionally removed. Except that she’s in survival mode and has been for three years. Her journey to emotional health is a fun ride.
Daniel, as the love interest, was a great guy. It stretched things a little how quickly he was into Alex, but it was also his nature. So, maybe not.
Meyer’s research and detail in this book was mindboggling. The prose fit Alex’s character, though, so I didn’t mind it. I think it was important in the beginning to establish that about her. I think it could have been edited down in the second half since we “got it” about her.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator Ellen Archer was great!
Good story line about a Chemist who use to work for the CIA. Now fighting to stay alive as they try to have her murdered, she uses her chemical warfare to stay ahead and is lucky to find trust in another rogue CIA agent.
Story flows well with good vocabulary.
love this stand alone novel!! if you haven’t read this then get to it.
From the author that brought us the Twilight series and The Host, Stephenie Meyer surprises with something completely different. In this fast-paced thriller, an on-the-run female agent skilled in using chemical interrogation must escape her own assassination, using honed talents to track down and outsmart her former employers who now want her dead.
What a pleasure to read! The main character, who goes by several different identities, is a kick-ass protagonist who is crafted with substance and an innate likeability. She is not just a caricature of a gun-toting, suit-wearing government agent, but instead a multi-faceted person that jumps off the page.
I also loved the fast-paced storyline, and ease with which the author thrusts us into this world of espionage. It feels well-researched, which made me buy-in immediately as a reader. Yes, there is a love interest element, and Meyers expertly crafts this subplot with substance and quirkiness to a level far beyond her prior books.
Interesting side note, while reading this book I found myself reminded of another recent read, The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind. Many of the traits shared by the characters in both books are similar, as are some of the plot points, but the two stories are still very different in many other ways. Also, The Chemist has readability with both adult and teen readers whereas The Girl in the Moon is extremely explicit and only applicable to adult readers.
I highly recommend this book to readers who love thrillers, espionage, and kick-ass protagonists.Stephenie Meyer