The Last Alchemist

by Erik Hamre

If there was a secret to riches, would you share it? David Dypsvik, a broke and depressed MBA student, is given a secret assignment by his university professor. Forty years earlier, in the 1970s, one of the world’s richest men vanished from the face of the Earth. The billionaire had just completed a lecture series called The Principles of Wealth at Oxford University. The question Did he share something he shouldn’t have shared in that last lecture? And what really happened the day he disappeared? The last Alchemist will take you on a journey through the history of wealth-creation and ancient mysteries. We follow a reluctant hero, a wanna-get-rich-quick MBA student, in his relentless pursuit of the missing billionaire and the secret to riches. But nothing could have prepared David Dypsvik for what he is about to face. Nobody is who they claim to be, and the stakes can be high when the prize is an abundance of riches. Or perhaps something else entirely… THE LAST ALCHEMIST is a page turner of a mystery thriller in the blockbuster tradition of The Atlantis Gene and The Da Vinci Code. It melds together historical and scientific details with conspiracy theories that will stay with you long after you finish.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Science Fiction, Action, Mystery Thriller, Amazon

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2015

About the author

Erik is the author of ten thrillers.
He lives in Sydney.
You can contact Erik at eh@erikhamre.com

Reviews

[Gerald Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book. I managed to read around 11% but found it very dull and not at all interesting. Perhaps it’s just the subject matter but I’m afraid life is too short to waste time reading dull books.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance!🐧🐧&#x1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: THE LAST ALCHEMIST by Erik Hamre

I found THE LAST ALCHEMIST wildly engrossing, surprisingly so because the foundation is ostensibly about wealth and why some have it and most don't . But like a tasty onion, this novel builds in layers upon layers upon layers. Utilizing my current favorite protagonist type, the feckless hero, we soon acquire multiple wild goose chases across Europe, many characters who turn out to be facades, Nazi history and the Nazi occult obsession, life and death and the fourth dimension. I couldn't put it down!

[Linda Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I thought it was but it was much better an exquisite story that I enjoyed reading it hooked me from page one till the end. My thanks go to the wonderful author Erik Hamre for the delightful pleasure of reading his wonderful book. This book I would be delighted to recommend to my friends so to all happy reading from wee me. xxx☻

[Bill Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story

I missed the use of mercury other than how it reacts with gold.
It would help to follow story if you would double space when you change settings in story.

[Tess Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read, it incorporates all my favourite genres in one novel. It is a thriller with archeological interest, thoroughly relatable hero, good characters, conspiracy theory, a totally believable romance and a happy ending.....what more can you want from a good read. I loved the current references to the everyday problems of life and angst together with realistic tech which includes my favourite item, a kindle. I read a lot and very much rattled through this, although I do agree with another reviewer about odd usage of words occasionally, it did not affect my reading. Well done Erik, the best of this genre I've read recently.

[Kenneth Kotmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrgue

Not only was this an interesting book. It was totally captivating as it built an in depth story that was gradually revealed. Certainly this is a writer well worth seeking after to read other creative novels.

[Teryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't understand the crooked backed man in the cemetery. Thought it was a very good read.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping book & fascinating story

[Ellen W. Howse · Rating 5 out of 5]

More twist than a plate of pasta

The author did a nice job of entertaining with the plot direction. In the end all the knots were unraveled and almost all was put right.

[Avid Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 4 star conspiracy book, but that's not my genre so 3stars.

[Natty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot and premise, good characters and suspense.

[Scott Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really, really good read!

This story was well researched, well written, and well told. Two thumbs up...no doubt. Nice job Mr. Hamre, nice job!

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sporadically coherent
interesting yet bewildering.

[Ken Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly Surprised

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Good pacing and action, with enough historical facts to almost make it believable. Kept me interested and entertained.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot premise was good, but the characters were stiff

[Martha S. Heney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

It was different. Even a bit strange, but the imagination of the author is both unique and fascinating. I enjoyed this book very much. Well done Erik!

[Bekki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book and since it is an e-book only was quite sceptical but I was wrong. It was fantastic! If you enjoy crime thrillers and mystery books then I recommend this. Some of the storyline drags but ultimately you will be struggling to put it down or to switch off your e-reader

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I really enjoyed reading this book. The book has some good twists that were not expected. it was a very interesting storyline.

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

the Last Alchemist was definitelyba suspenseful thriller. It had captured me right from the beginning. Definitely recommend.

[Leigh Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

It was a good read with a background of history. The ending was a surprise. I would recommend to those that like novels based in history.

[Harish P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice spin on Operation Paperclip, and Die Glocke. Thriller for the brainy readers :)

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This year, I've been expanding the authors I tend to read and it's been eye-opening for me. To write a good book is challenging; to write a 4 or 5 star book requires an exceptional talent. I realize how difficult it is to construct a truly engaging, believable, and compelling mystery, police procedural, or thriller more now than in the past having read several books that were, shall we say, "meh." This was one of those. Skip it.

[Laurel Holland]

Although I liked the book and appreciated the amount of research that went into the historic part of the book, I was irritated with the constant use of full names after the characters introduction. I thought it was a little drawn out and appoints hard to follow.
But the biggest issue was at the end. He didn’t tie up where all the characters were and what does the man with Oliver have anything to do with the book?
If this was supposed to be a tie in to a sequel it was very weak and confusing.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost quit this one several times - the writing is ok at best, and the characters are just not that interesting. Every so often though there was a glimmer of an interesting twist or something special that would be revealed. After finishing, I feel cheated - the premise bordered on silly, and the great secret was never really revealed - instead the ending seemed rushed and confused.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 2 out of 5]

It passed the time well enough, but I found some of Erik Hamre's writing irritating. Most annoying is Erik Hamre's habit of always using a person's full name every time Erik Hamre refers to them. I mean, Erik Hamre does this in every single sentence. It was almost enough to make me stop reading.

Story and characters were okay, if you like conspiracy theories and Nazi UFOs.

[Mike Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good but

The story has you from the beginning because you get the principles of wealth and you have a mysterious disappearance of a billionaire.

[Suzanne Hafar · Rating 1 out of 5]

So confused

Nothing made sense in the end. Weird, rambling and not particularly well written. Not sure why I bothered to finish it.

[Sharon Dailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up halfway through; just couldn't get into this one.

[Carlos Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Alchemist by Erik Hamre

David Dypsvik, a 30 y/o Norwegian and bored MBA student At Bond University in Australia, is given a secret assignment by his professor, Dr. Grossman. Supposedly, Yossar Devan one of the world’s richest men vanished from the face of the Earth after giving his students a secret to riches.

The billionaire had just completed a lecture series called "The Principles of Wealth" at Oxford University. The question is: did he share something he shouldn’t have shared in that last lecture? And what really happened the day he disappeared?

As David investigates the principles and pursues Yossar Devan whereabouts, he discovers that his grandfather was related to a German WWII secret weapon - Die Glocke. Helped by an unemployed woman physicist, Sophie Manson, and her old professor, 63 y/o Michael Simpson, David discovers the source of Yossar Devan aka Nuri Turan, riches and figures out what and where Die Glock is. But nothing could have prepared David Dypsvik for what he was about to face.

Narrated from the third person point of view, The Last Alchemist will take you on a journey through the history of wealth-creation and ancient mysteries - like the pyramids of Giza. It will take you to the last days of WWII and Dr. Ing Hans Friederich Karl Franz Kammler - a real person - and David's grandfather, a fictional character who supposedly helped Kammler with his experiments. All is related nothing is what it seems.

It was a quick, easy, wonderful read and I highly recommended it!

[Ian Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This almost felt like two book ideas mashed into one. On one hand you have an (overly) adrift protagonist's search from meaning (Frankl is mentioned more than once). On the other hand you have Sci-fi NAZI conspiracies. The two didn't mesh well for me. After getting over a bit of a whiny protagonist, the story picks up about 100 pages in. Ultimately, though, characters were the problem. Revealing character details (like the lotto addiction) late in the novel felt off-balance, almost forgotten. And every character other than David was one dimensional. The exception being David's father, who is presumed dead for most of the book. Even that is used more as a plot device than a way to advance the characters.

I once took a creative writing class. The instructor was a bit disinterested, but he gave some interesting insights. This book reminds me of one of those: "People seldom remember the story for the sake of the story - people remember characters." I think the point was that the plot should exist to move the characters through some sort of growth or through a relatable trial. In this book, characters were definitely there to advance the plot. Either way, The Last Alchemist held my attention.