SOLVED. Sci-Fi Female Protagonist Discovers Company infiltrated with shapeshifters/strange beings. Alchemy used by secret society to create them/live longer for societal power. [s]

[3endy]

Audience: adult. I'd like to re-listen to this audio book and/or see if this is a series. I borrowed from the NYPL e-book website but cannot find it again. Vaguely remember the plot. There was this younger (late 20's/early 30's?) woman who was a secretary in a modern day company, (the book was read by a female with a British accent, but I'm not sure if the setting was in England or not). I think she discovers secret entrances or stairways in her boss's office. She finds people in the office are acting covertly. Life is given to inanimate objects (?) or was it strange creatures (?) At the end of the book she is nearly killed for discovering the secret, she has help, a man?, and survives. It is an old society of alchemists piecing people together to create super-strength creatures. They want to continue the "work". Some old guy who is the villain leader is of a large body type but has to be in a type of tub/aquarium like thing (in a car?) to "rebuild" body tissue at the end...So sorry I can't remember more, this is why I'm having trouble finding it. I read it probably in 2011? 2012?

[Kris]

Sounds like Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley.

[3endy]

SOLVED wow! you are the best, it was the first one, The Rook! thank you so much Kris!!

[Kris]

You're welcome! The Rook is the first book. I forgot how much of the plot was in the first vs. second books (view spoiler)[(and checked out the plot summary on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roo...) (hide spoiler)].