Whoa, Nelly! This was NOT the book I expected to get when I clicked “picked” on my monthly Book of the Month club book choice in March. (Yes I know it’s Aug, stop judging). What I thought would be a scavenger hunt through Los Angeles turned out to be so much more! So if you thought this was a National Treasure meets geeky scientists meets murder mystery, you’d only be half wrong (or right – trying to look on the bright side lately).
After an apparent suicide of a famed mathematician surfaces (don’t worry, not a spoiler, on the book flap), a family in mourning becomes the center players of this murder mystery. While at first, I was getting confused with all the characters and their relation to each other, the author did eventually spend chapters with each of them, weaving a web of family secrets buried and the obsession of finding this elusive equation that so many seek. This is where the fun begins. But I soon found myself less interested in the actual “chase to find the equation” than the character development themselves. Once you start to care about them, the initial thrill of the hunt wears off.
So while it wasn’t the book I was expecting, it did turn out to be a rather interesting decoy of a family web of secrets and intrigue. I was thoroughly satisfied with the stories that were woven inside of other stories, and even when certain events seemed to come out of nowhere, I was rather intrigued by the unveiling of it all. The author did a good job as to not leave the audience hanging…for too long, anyway.
I can’t say that I solved the mystery of the last equation, but I rather enjoyed the ride!
