The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs

It had arrived that morning inside an overnight FedEx packet mailed from her store. Her hand went to the pocket of her dress trousers, into which she had slipped an unopened envelope not an hour before. If there had been any doubts that Isaac Severy, a Catholic suicide, would receive a proper send-off with the full regalia, those doubts were now dispelled.įrom her seat among the chairs arranged on the vast mortuary lawn, Hazel glanced around at mourners’ faces both familiar and strange. Her grandfather’s casket, draped in white roses and gold embroidery, positively glowed in the Southern California sun. The Resurrection Cemetery sounded to Hazel Severy more like a threat than a place of peace and final repose, but as far as she could tell, it was shaping up to be a lovely service. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. “A novel that is anything but clueless, filled with consideration and compassion” ( The Washington Post), The Last Equation of Isaac Severy proves that, like Hazel, you don’t have to love math to fall under the Severy spell. But when her efforts fall short, she is forced to enlist the help of those with questionable motives. She must unravel a series of confounding clues hidden inside one of her favorite novels, drawing her ever closer to his mathematical treasure. While in Los Angeles for Isaac’s funeral, Hazel realizes she’s not the only one searching for his life’s work, and that the equation’s implications have potentially disastrous consequences for the extended Severy family, a group of dysfunctional geniuses unmoored by the sudden death of their patriarch.Īs agents of an enigmatic company shadow Isaac’s favorite son-a theoretical physicist-and a long-lost cousin mysteriously reappears in Los Angeles, the equation slips further from Hazel’s grasp. But first, she must find where the equation is hidden. 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.

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.

*Edgar Award Nominee: Best First Novel by an American AuthorĪ “hugely entertaining” ( Wall Street Journal) mystery starring “a Royal Tenenbaums-esque clan of geniuses” ( Martha Stewart Living)-perfect for fans of Mr. * Wall Street Journal’s “Mysteries: Best of 2018”

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs