Alchemy of Secrets

by Stephanie Garber

In contemporary Los Angeles, graduate student Holland St. James enrolls in Folklore 517, a class on urban legends taught by the enigmatic Professor. Convinced that magic is real, Holland follows a clue to the Watch Man, a figure who can tell a person the exact time of their death. When he warns her she will die at midnight unless she finds the legendary Alchemical Heart, she is thrust into a frantic, city‑wide treasure hunt. Pursued by a magnetic stranger who claims her sister sent him to protect her, Holland must navigate a labyrinth of myths, secret societies, and deceptive allies. As the clock ticks, she uncovers a hidden magical underworld beneath Hollywood’s glamour, where every legend may be a trap and trust is the rarest commodity.