Once a Knight of the Realm, Crispin Guest was stripped of his title and
his lands and now must earn his living with his wits. In various corners
of late fourteenth-century London, Guest has become known as the
Tracker, a man who can solve any puzzle or find any missing object--for
a price. Because of that reputation, Guest is sought out by Nicholas
Flamel, a famed alchemist. Both Flamel's wife and his apprentice are
missing, and he wants Guest to find them and bring them home.
Before he can even begin looking, Guest discovers that Flamel's house
has been ransacked. Ancient symbols start appearing on walls and carved
into stones around London, and Flamel's assistant turns up dead, hanging
from the rafters with a note pinned to his chest with a dagger. It is a
ransom note that promises the safe return of his wife in exchange for
the Philosopher's Stone, which is reputed to turn lead into gold and
create the Elixir of Life. And the kidnappers aren't the only ones after
it. From the highest nobility to Flamel's fellow alchemists, everyone is
seeking the Stone for themselves. With the help of his young apprentice,
former cutpurse Jack Tucker, Guest must use all his skills and wits to
unravel the mystery, rescue Flamel's kidnapped wife, and find the Stone
before it falls into unworthy hands.
