*Wall Street Journalâs âMysteries: Best of 2018â
*Book of the Month Club Selection
*Edgar Award Nominee: Best First Novel by an American Author
A âhugely entertainingâ (Wall Street Journal) mystery starring âa Royal Tenenbaums-esque clan of geniusesâ (Martha Stewart Living)âperfect for fans of Mr. Penumbraâs 24-Hour Bookstore.
In this ârivetingâŚbrilliantâ (Booklist) debut, Hazel Severy, the owner of a struggling Seattle bookstore, receives a letter from her adoptive grandfatherâmathematician Isaac Severyâdays 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.
While in Los Angeles for Isaacâs funeral, Hazel realizes sheâs not the only one searching for his lifeâs work, and that the equationâs implications have potentially disastrous consequences for the extended Severy family, a group of dysfunctional geniuses unmoored by the sudden death of their patriarch.
As agents of an enigmatic company shadow Isaacâs favorite sonâa theoretical physicistâand a long-lost cousin mysteriously reappears in Los Angeles, the equation slips further from Hazelâs grasp. She must unravel a series of confounding clues hidden inside one of her favorite novels, drawing her ever closer to his mathematical treasure. But when her efforts fall short, she is forced to enlist the help of those with questionable motives.
âA novel that is anything but clueless, filled with consideration and compassionâ (The Washington Post), The Last Equation of Isaac Severy proves that, like Hazel, you donât have to love math to fall under the Severy spell.