The Stars Turned Inside Out

A Novel

By: Nova Jacobs

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

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

A suspicious death at a renowned Swiss laboratory raises unnerving questions in this “science-based thriller that fuses physics and philosophy in mind-bending ways” (Booklist)—from the Edgar Award–nominated author Nova Jacobs.

Deep beneath the ground outside of Geneva, where CERN’s Large Hadron Collider smashes subatomic particles at breathtaking speeds, a shocking discovery is made when the tunnel is down for maintenance: the body of Howard Anderby, a brilliant and recently arrived young physicist. But security shows no evidence of him entering the tunnel.

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.

“Science, love, greed, and betrayal collide in a tense read that never loses its deliciously eerie edge” (Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal) as Sabine digs into petty academic rivalries and personal secrets. At the same time, an escalating international physics arms race heightens tensions and fuels speculation of a mole at the lab—throwing loyalties into question and revealing what sort of knowledge may be worth killing for.

Critic 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."

Good reader, flimsy story

Deeply implausible story, full of people saying and doing unlikely things. The premise - skulduggery at a particle accelerator lab - is good, but the execution, including a foray into mysticism, not so much. The reader did a great job with what she had to work with.

The writing

This is the second Nova Jacobs novel I've listened to on Audible and it's even better than the first. It kept me guessing until the very end and was so incredibly well researched.

Big Bang Theory meets Agatha Christie!

This was a very well written mystery with a great flow and lots of cool, nerdy tidbits!

It’s absurd

Ridiculous unbelievable boring book. Do not buy this. Hard to believe there was no clever end. Waste of 11 hours. ,