Martin Chalk and the Case of the Underworld King by Bruno Stella

In the city of Fulldon, in the midst of the magic-deadlands, Martin Chalk, a brilliant young alchemist, plies his trade searching for order amongst the substances of the universe. He likewise seeks to use his mind to impose order on the criminals of his wretched city. Equipped with Sherlockian deductive capabilities, if not quite the physical attributes of that great detective, Martin is faced with an enigma that will take all his skills to solve. When a sick priest arrives at his door looking for help in recovering a stolen artifact, little does Martin know that this will lead him into confrontation with the criminal mastermind known as the Underworld King.