The Last equation of isaac Severy (2018)
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In this “riveting…brilliant” (Booklist) debut, Hazel Severy, the owner of a struggling Seattle bookstore, receives a letter from her adoptive grandfather—mathematician Isaac Severy—days after he dies in a suspected suicide. In his puzzling letter, Isaac alludes to a secretive organization that is after his final bombshell equation, and he charges Hazel with safely delivering it to a trusted colleague. But first, she must find where the equation is hidden.
★ One of “The 25 Best Mystery Novels of the Past 25 Years,” The WSJ
★ Book of the Month Selection
★ Edgar Award Nominee
★ Indie Next Pick
PRAISE FOR THE LAST EQUATION OF ISAAC SEVERY
“Hugely entertaining … Though Ms. Jacobs’s writing has echoes of Thomas Pynchon, Nathanael West and J.D. Salinger, her terrific book displays in abundance a magic all its own.”
—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
“Clever … Nova Jacobs has penned a novel that is anything but clueless, filled with consideration and compassion.”
—Washington Post
“The lone literary soul in a Royal Tenenbaums-esque clan of geniuses scours L.A. for clues to an urgent problem her grandfather left behind … [an] unformulaic romp of a mystery.”
—Martha Stewart Living
“Engaging, clever … a sharp puzzle mystery, full of stimulating questions that make it impossible to stop turning the pages … Isaac Severy left me with the lasting realization that mathematics is a love language. Well done, professor.”
—Sophia Bush
“Intricate and moving … Plausible depictions of psychologically wounded characters enhance the surprising plot twists.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A brilliant first novel radiant with promise of even better to come.”
—Booklist, starred review
“In lovely, inventive prose, Jacobs re-engineers the tropes of family drama to explore age-old conundrums of destiny versus self-determination … [A] remarkable debut.”
—Kirkus Reviews