The Chemist: A Cale Van Waring Adventure

The Chemist #1

by Janson Mancheski

This thrilling novel of 450+ pages has been featured on esteemed news sites such as FOX, NBC, ABC and Boston Herald. The Chemist was the 2010 Sharp Writ Book Award Fiction Winner!
The chemist leaves no evidence as he kidnaps his victims. No one has ever seen him, heard his voice, or felt the touch of his hand... and lived to tell the tale.

The Chemist blends into everyday life. Like a chameleon, he arouses no suspicion, He is charming, intelligent, friendly and a sociopath. Having created a liquid sedative/fentanyl cocktail that allows him to kidnap any victim he chooses, day or night, leaving no trace or clues behind, he begins his abduction spree. Thus the problems begin for homicide investigator Cale Van Waring, who heads up the Special Crimes Unit for the Green Bay PD. Three female victims have already vanished, with one headless body recovered from Lake Michigan. There are no suspects, no crime scene, no witnesses.
Now a new missing victim’s MO matches the headless-body case. Theories range from cults to witchcraft covens to a serial killer. Yet with no clues or evidence, Cale must face the hard facts: how do you catch a killer who leaves no trace? How do you stop a clever murderer, who’s intent on committing the perfect crime?
Following a spotty trail, Cale has a theory. But with his boss on his back, and his girlfriend (Maggie) giving him ultimatums, can he stop a cold-blooded killer before he strikes again? Or does the Chemist have a more sinister plot in mind? Cale better figure it out, before another headless body floats up out of the lake.

"I must say I agree with the other reviewers. I love mysteries, intrigue and forensic science. This book has it all. It's not a short book, but I still couldn't put it down. ...You will be hooked!" -Amazon Reviewer

The Chemist feature film is being optioned by Voyage Media Productions.

Visit www.jansonmancheski.com to download his FREE edge-of-your-seat crime thriller short story, the Decoy and watch The Chemist movie trailer.

Genres: Thriller

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2008

Reviews

[Ian Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a thriller, and focuses on police work, as well as the crimes. The Chemist is abducting young women, usually blonde, and they disappear. The way he does it is to smear a powerful sedative in a solution of dimethyl sulphoxide onto the door handle of a young woman's car. Once she gets into the car, perforce she gets her hand dampened, and the DMSO permits the drug to go through the skin very quickly. DMSO does take things through the skin very quickly; whether you can get enough sedative through like that is more questionable, but it is reasonable enough for a plot. The chemist waits until the woman becomes unconscious, uses a van to block her exit while waiting, then gets into her car and drives off. Luck is on his side because nobody notices the van, ever. The story now gets into gear with detective Cale van Waring plus two others trying to track down first, the method, then who the perp is. The police work seems reasonably authentic, particularly as they flounder around, clueless, for so long. This makes it difficult for the story. A lot of police investigation of big crime is just plain boring as they desperately canvas for leads and follow up ones that take them nowhere. The setting is Green Bay, so there is a certain inevitability that the Packers get a mention.
The story is well-written and with good pace, although there is a tendency to slow down during the "clueless" moments, which is inevitable and which lends authenticity, although some may not appreciate that. Mancheski writes good action sequences, and makes some last quite a long time through a sequence of incidents, and not by dragging them out. The police have reasonably well-drawn character, even if their methods sometimes "lack purity". Some may think them one-dimensional, but that is because they are dedicated to their job, and that is also character. The overall story is not a mystery in the sense of requiring the reader to find a clue, but rather the police putting together what information they can. Well worth reading.

[Alaa Farrag · Rating 5 out of 5]

روايه أكثر من رائعه <3
حقا
غيرت مفاهيم كثيره لدى جعلتنى أنظر للعالم بزوايا اخرى اشبه بالتنميه البشريه ولكنها صيغت بشكل اروع

عندما تريد شيئا ما, فإن الكون بأسره يتضافر ليوفر لك تحقيق رغباتك
هذه الجمله التى سبغت غورى وادخلتنى فى عالم ملىء بالتفاؤل وحقا اؤمن بها ايمانا كاملا ^_^

الاسطورة الشخصية: هي كل ما نتمنى فعله دائما في الشباب وكلما كبرنا في العمر تتلاشى ويبدأ الخوف واستحالة تحقيق الحلم

لقد قرر ترك كل شيء لتحقيق اسطورته الشخصية والعمل بالمقولة انه عليك ان تسعى باستمرار لاتخاذ قرارك بنفسك

وقابل العديدين خلال مسيرته هذه ، العرافة الغجرية ، اللص العربي ، بائع الزجاجيات ، الرجل الإنجليزي ، بدو الصحراء ، فاطمة ! ، وأخيــرا الخيميائي

هكذا بدا رحلته في البحث عن كنز احلامه سافر الى طنجه في افريقيا والتي يتكلمون بها العربية تعرض للسرقة من شاب اعتقد انه صديقه وقال له جملة واحدة صادقة: الميناء يعج دائما باللصوص. ولكنه بقي مصمما على اكمال سيره ومعه حجران الابيض والاسود اللذان اخذهما من الملك
كان يشعر دائما انه توجد لغة فيما وراء الكلمات خبرة اكتسبها من الاغنام, وبدأ ينتبه للعلامات التي شرحها له تاجر الزجاج الذي عمل عنده بعد تعرضه للسرقة

لا تتراجع عن احلامك وكن متيقظا للعلامات, كثيرا ما يتحدث الناس في الرواية عن العلامات (المكتوب). فان العرب اكثر ناس يفهمون كلمة (مكتوب), التي هي احدى ميزات العرب انهم دائما يؤمنون بأن هناك احداث منبئة لاخرى . نلاحظ خلال الرواية ان الكاتب لديه معلومات كثيرة عن الديانة الاسلامية واحترام معتقداتها وحتى انه يعرف اركان الاسلام

سنة مرت على عمله لدى التاجر, وصار لديه المال الكافي لشراء الاغنام والتاجر لديه المال الكافي ليذهب الى الحج, ولكنه لن يذهب لانه يحلم فقط ولا يريد ان يتحقق الحلم لانه لا يعرف ما بعد ذلك وسنتياغو لن يشتري الاغنام لان ذلك مكتوب. بعد كلامه مع التاجر ساورته الشكوك والظنون وظل يفكر ويتخبط بين افكاره الى ان قرر العودة الى الدرب الذي يؤدي به الى كنزه

هنا يأتي دور الانجليزي الذي لاقاه في القافلة وكان دائما يبحث عن حجر الفلاسفة واخيرا اخبره احدهم ان هناك واحدا في مصر يستطيع تحويل أي معدن الى ذهب

القرارات لا تمثل الا البداية فعندما يتخذ أي انسان قرار فانه ينجرف في الحقيقة ضمن تيار عنيف يحمله نحو مصير لم يكن قد استشفه مطلقا

كلما اقتربنا من تحقيق احلامنا اصبحت الاسطورة الشخصية دافعا حقيقيا للحياة

يصادف خلال رحلته مع القافلة الكثير من الناس
قول الجمال: (ان خوفنا يتلاشى عندما نفهم ان صيرورتنا وصيرورة العالم قد خطتها يد واحدة) دليل على الايمان بالله او بالاقل على الاعتراف بوجوده. كذلك ادخاله قصة يوسف بالنسبة لتفسير الاحلام والتي ذكرت في القران الكريم
هنا نرى ان الكاتب وضع اسس ومفاهيم كثيرة في عدد قليل من الصفحات

كل عندما يحين وقت الطعام وسر عندما تزف ساعة السير
دليل على القيام بكل عمل في الوقت الملائم له فقط
بعد ذلك الوصول الى الواحة وهناك وقع بحب الفتاة البدوية المصرية (فاطمة) وبعدها ظروف الحرب جعلتهم يبقون في الواحة لمدة شهر

ان الكثبان تتغير بفعل الرياح ولكن الصحراء تبقى دائما نفسها

الصحراء مدته بالقوة النفسية وبالرؤيا الحقة وكانت ملهمته

قول العراف: كيف لي ان اخمن المستقبل؟ السر يكمن في الحاضر

التقى في الواحة بالخيميائي (عارف الاسرار العظيم ) الذي ارشده الى الكنز ودله الى أن وحده من يستطيع ان يجد الحياة في الصحراء يستطيع ان يكتشف فيها الكنوز انه ان تنازل عن الكنز الان فسيخسر الى الابد لانه لم يحقق اسطورته الشخصية ومهما حدث في حياته فانه سيكون تعيسا. هذا ما جعله يقرر ان يكمل مسيرته ويترك فاطمة على امل العودة اليها
...إن الرواية برعت في اثارة العزيمة لدى من ضعفت هممهم

كان يقوده الخيميائي دون كلمة واحدة الى الاهرامات, بعدها علمه ان يصغي لقلبه وهذا ما جعله لا يهدأ ابدا بل يفكر طويلا . اصبحت لديه لغه مع قلبه واحلامه والايمان به وبكل ما يتبعه
إن وظيفة الخيميائي حسب الرواية, احلال الكمال الروحي عن طريق الانصات للقلب وان الانسان يحمل في اعماقه شمولية الانتماء الى الله ومن خلال ذلك يستطيع ان يحقق سعادته فلحظة السعادة توجد في انجاز الاسطورة الشخصية , فقد وجدت الخيمياء لكي يبحث كل انسان عن كنزه ويجده

إن أي بحث يبدأ بحظ المبتدئ ويكتمل بإمتحان الفاتح

إن العيون تظهر قوة الروح

إن الانسان يملك قوته في قلبه ويستطيع تحقيق ما يريد من خلاله, وهذا ما جعله يشعر بأنه تحدث مع الريح ومع الشمس
بعد الحيرة والتخبط يعود الى الصلاة الى الله والتضرع الى الله

واخر قول للخيميائي في الرواية, على أي حال, ان كل شخص على الارض يلعب دورا رئيسا في سيرة العالم وهو لا يدري

ايمانه بالاحلام جعله يحققها ودربه كانت مرسومة بالعلامات لذلك لم يكن هناك سبب ليضل الطريق وقد توصل لهدفه في النهاية

في الحقيقة إن الحياة كريمة مع من يعيش أسطورته الشخصيّة



لقد إمتلك الكاتب قدرة فائقة، على التصوير الدقيق، و بقي خلال الرواية يتمتع بشفافية عالية تجعل كتابته أشبه بجدول نقيٍّ يجري عبر غابة خصبة، فقد برع في وصف الطبيعة بتجرداتها حتى لتشعر كأنك فوق التلال الاندلسية ونسائم الرياح القادمة من افريقيا تهب عليك وتقودك عفويا الى اكتشاف نفسك، والاقتراب من ذاتك الغامضة القصيّة. ان اجتماع جميع القيم التي سار عليها الكاتب جعل للرواية قيمة كبيرة ومعنى جميل

[Karyn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting from the very first page

Jason Mancheski has clearly shown that he has what it takes to create an interesting story. From the very first chapter of the novel, I was already engrossed. I love murder mystery themes. First, there is a killer with seemingly no trace.
The Author takes us on an adventure around to find the answer to the murder case. This book cast our mind back to the good old police work, and all other efforts in line with solving this murder mystery.
Cale Van Waring is an interesting character to watch out for in the novel. We see his effort in trying to crack all the mysterious disappearances around town. Then his love affair with an amazing personality.
The book takes an all interesting twist and turns to lead us to the culprit the chemist. He had the weirdest reasons for kidnapping ladies.
This is certainly a very interesting book for lovers of the murder mystery series. Jason Mancheski has given me a whole lot of reason to pick up his other books. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel to this work.

[Claire Seddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent first book in the triology

[Randa Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent. I like the way the book shifts back and forth between the different characters perspectives. Definitely interested in reading the other books in this series.

[Lisa Sigl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Cat- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

My first stab at a crime novel and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. The mystery the suspense. All in all a good book.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debut novel The Chemist by Janson Mancheski introduces Detective Cale Van Waring and a new mystery series. The book is set in Green Bay Wisconsin, an unusual but refreshing location.

The Chemist opens with the kidnapping of a young woman by a man calling himself the Chemist. As things switch to Van Waring's point of view, we learn that she is the forth woman to go missing, one of whom has been found decapitated in Lake Michigan. With her body, Van Waring is running on the assumption that the other women are dead too.

Mancheski peppers the mystery with enough red herrings to keep one guessing. I fell victim to one of them on page 75 when I was sure he had revealed the killer's identity. I worried that the book would suffer from too small a cast of characters. Fortunately, though, the book went on a completely different direction and opened up the fictional world to include a number of possible but wrong leads. This approach added to the suspense (especially later when the Chemist's identity is revealed to the reader) while making the proceedural aspect of this mystery feel more realistic.

My only quibble is with the ending. Without giving anything away, I felt cheated by the choice to go with the melodramatic ending over the a more straight-up conclusion to the investigation. There could have still be a dramtic rescue and a show down without the contrivances. After all the convincing world building and characterization, the ending flung the fact that I was reading fiction right back in my face.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed The Chemist and am looking forward to future books in the series. Janson Macheski's website mentions that he's working on a second book. I am curious what sort of case Cale Van Waring's next one will be.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was scrolling through my Twitter account when I saw a tweet from Janson Mancheski talking about his book, The Chemist. The tweet included a link to a short video clip. It immediately sparked my interest. I sent Janson Mancheski a direct message and he agreed to send me his book to read and review.

The Chemist is a thriller about an elusive serial killer. The actual killer is The Chemist. He is given an apropos nickname by reporters, the Nowhere Man, referring to the fact he has eluded law enforcement for years. Cale Van Waring is the lead homicide detective assigned to solving the missing and murdered women’s cases. He works with two partners in crime, Slink and Staszak, who are his close buddies.

Mancheski develops these relationships in wonderful detail. I found myself anticipating their responses as if I knew them well. Cale has a complicated relationship with his live-in girlfriend, Maggie, which we come to empathize with on many levels.

The subject matter is made sustainable by the beautifully written words of Mancheski. He has mastered language in a way that must be appreciated. His use of vocabulary and metaphors alone is amazing in a story of this nature. Even the format of four to six pages per chapter makes the reading flow at a pleasurable pace.

I’m pleased Mancheski is writing another Cale Van Waring adventure. If I can enjoy a serial killer thriller like The Chemist, I’m anxious to see what new cases Cale and his buddies are assigned. And what about Maggie?

Book Review by Mary Crocco

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never know what you’re going to get when you’re asked to review a book, and in this case I was definitely not disappointed. I really enjoyed Mr. Mancheski’s debut novel. Van Waring is a tough detective with a stubborn streak and a little bit of a softer side, and he’s often too smart for his own good. This missing-person mystery had a unique twist that you don’t see often… it wasn’t just about some psycho taking girls (but I don’t want to give away too much). I liked that the book didn’t only focus on the case, but on the relationships between the characters. My only complaint is that I thought the bad guy deconstructed a little too quickly… I would have liked to see a little more cat and mouse once Van Waring got on the right trail. But on the plus side, at the end of the book even the detectives don’t know the full story, and I like the possibility that creates. There’s a lot of competition in the world of suspense, but I think Mancheski has a good shot at success. I, for one, look forward to Cale Van Waring’s second adventure!

[Shanell Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall pretty good thriller.

While this is a pretty long read, I did find myself drawn in to it. The characters weren’t my favorite characters as they were somewhat one dimensional and not particularly likable. I didn’t find myself pulling for anyone except the victims! The chemist abducts young women, by smearing a powerful sedative on the young women’s car handle then waits for her to pass out and basically drives away with her. He gets away with it because no one ever remembers his van. It’s a race for the investigating officers to find out not only who is abducting young women in Green Bay but how he is doing it. The story has a little added dimension by including the romantic relations between Detective van wearing and his girlfriend and the individual demand they both struggle with. This is the first book in The Chemist series, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to read the next book as well.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chemist: A Cale Van Waring Adventure
by Janson Mancheski

Okay, that opening scene? Brutal. The rest of the book, also a little brutal, though in other ways. These characters felt brutally one dimensional - but somehow it worked here. Several aspects of the plot were brutally unrealistic - and yes, I know, its fiction and therefore all unrealistic but 'super criminals' in novels don't work for me any more than 'super cops' do. No one can pull all of that off that flawlessly.

The Chemist is a rather long novel, weighing in at 479 pages. I am usually the one complaining a book isn't long enough so I have no complaint here but people do love their 'quick reads'.

Somehow all of those negatives came together to form a pretty taut thriller that I didn't hate and would probably recommend to select friends.

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

The Chemist is not my usual go-to type of novel but I couldn’t put it down once I got started. The story is about one man, The Chemist, who drugs young blonde women and how the police are looking for him. I couldn’t wait to figure out why the Chemist was doing what he did especially because he seemed to have a good home life with a wife and kids. The police officer responsible, Cale, seems to be a good guy who focuses more on work than his own family until the worlds collide. This novel can be a little graphic but it’s not an intense pyscho-thriller. I would definitely recommend it.

[Kristin]

Look for my review of this soon at www.indigoediting.blogspot.com.

[Elizabeth De Baere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!

[Elizabeth De Baere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing and suspenseful, couldn't wait for the
next book to come out to find out what happens next.

[Gerald Kubicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished my 23rd book.The Oracle Philon. It will be published on April 16th,