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About The Book

A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery of 2024

“Many and wondrous are the charms of this witty, suspenseful, and enchanting book.” —The Wall Street Journal

The discovery of a suspicious death at a famous Swiss physics laboratory sparks a mystery that merges science, philosophy, and the high-stakes race to unlock the fundamental nature of our universe in this thrilling new novel from the Edgar Award–nominated author of the “hugely entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) The Last Equation of Isaac Severy.

Deep beneath the ground outside of Geneva, where CERN’s Large Hadron Collider smashes subatomic particles at breathtaking speeds, a startling discovery is made when the tunnel is down for maintenance: the body of Howard Anderby, a brilliant and recently arrived young physicist, who appears to have been irradiated by the collider. But security shows no evidence of him entering the tunnel, and for all of the lab’s funding, its video surveillance is sorely lacking.

Eager to keep the death under wraps until more is known, CERN brings in private investigator Sabine Leroux, who has her own ties to the lab’s administration—and more than a passing interest in particle physics. Meanwhile, Howard’s colleague and budding love interest Eve, shattered by his death, determines to reconcile what she knew of Howard with his gruesome fate, wondering if she could have done something to stop it.

As Sabine digs into petty academic rivalries and personal secrets, an escalating international physics arms race heightens tensions and fuels speculation of a mole at the lab—throwing into question loyalties and revealing what sort of knowledge may be worth killing for.

About The Author

Photograph by Randy Shropshire
Nova Jacobs

Nova Jacobs has an MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and is the recipient of a Nicholl Fellowship from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is the author of The Stars Turned Inside Out and The Last Equation of Isaac Severy, which was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy.

About The Reader

Lisa Flanagan

Why We Love It

“Nova Jacobs occupies a very special spot on my list, because her debut novel The Last Equation of Isaac Severy was the first book I ever acquired. It was a fabulous first publication experience—an Indie Next pick, Book of the Month selection, and an Edgar Award nominee. And so for years I waited for her follow-up. I knew that she was working on a novel set in the physics world and especially at CERN. When it came in, I realized it utilized her great talents: explaining topics like physics and math to a lay audience and creating a compelling mystery that utilizes scientific underpinnings to construct a lightly speculative twist. The Stars Turned Inside Out kept me engaged with the mystery, and also taught me a lot about particle physics—something I know little about. I always strive to read books that are entertaining and educational (although not always in the same package!) and this one delivers on both accounts.”

—Kaitlin O., Executive Editor, on The Stars Turned Inside Out

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (March 19, 2024)
  • Runtime: 10 hours and 23 minutes
  • ISBN13: 9781797170350

Raves and Reviews

"Lisa Flanagan’s pleasant voice and skill with characterizations are on fine display in this intriguing new novel by Edgar Award-winning author Nova Jacobs...Flanagan’s clear performance keeps the parallel “before” and “after” plots separate, while her easy pacing makes the science and the speculative science accessible for listeners. She also handles the international cast of personalities and rivals with aplomb."

– Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award, AudioFile Magazine

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