First, for anyone thinking of reading this but a little concerned about understanding the physics or CERN - don't be! It is definitely accessible to non-STEM people. Weirdly enough, in my career I have had an office next to a Nobel Prize winner at one US university (I helped to answer his fanmail sometimes), and now I work with quantum engineers at a different US university. I have no understanding of what any of these people do - I'm in administration - but I found the way the subject matter was written about in The Stars Turned Inside out was understandable on a base level for me as a less than beginner level scientist, and probably had layers that those with more of a background would have found entertaining.

Nova Jacobs is one to watch in the realm of mystery and thrillers. The way she describes the competitive nature of science and academia is dead on (in my work I have seen a fully grown man honestly refer to another scientist as their arch nemesis & the begging/fights for funding are real).

The mystery turns and turns and turns - at no point did I expect the ending that happened to happen. Jacobs lays a very twisting tale over four months of so at CERN and the mystery affects so many of the characters so deeply in regard to their relationships to each other and to their work.

Eve, physicist, and Sabine, consulting detective, are the two characters we spend the most time with - we meet everyone through their interactions. Eve brings us back and forth through time in her relationship with Howard, and she introduces us to the rivalries and comradery within the research groups. Sabine is working on behalf of her college-friends, both now CERN employees/leaders, Yvonne and Chloe. As Eve tells us more of the past, we see how Howard ended up in the collider is only one part of the mystery - there is data being stolen from CERN and everyone is a suspect, and some people see more than they should. As Sabine tries to discern limited surveillance and interviews, we are given more and more data that muddies the water, and Howard's death is just the beginning. When I got to the last few chapters I was both surprised, and heart warmed in different measures about different characters. Jacobs tells a fully rounded story that traverses science, ambition, expectations and hope.

My only pain point was with the time-jumping chapters. Sometimes it was hard to figure out which space I was in in regard to the story. We also follow a lot of characters individually, and while we learn a lot about them,

*The ARC was provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - thank you to both!

3.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this wonderful sounding book. I definitely was intrigued and excited by the setting and premise. As a closet physics lover, how could I not!? And if you enjoy novels where much is explained about the world, this one will be more appealing than it was to me. I felt almost as if I was on a tour of the world, rather than soaking up the experiences of the characters. I kept thinking, if you were super into physics, much of what was explained you would already know. And if you were only superficially into it, this sort of teacherly would make you skim.

The writing is solid and clear. The plot at times seemed a bit contrived, as if things were made to happen in order to set up a future event. Yes, this is what we authors all do, but I found it a little less subtle than I like. The characters were mostly very approachable and relatable, although--like the plot--I felt at times that they were oddly out of character. Eve's obsession with the victim was a bit annoying at times. I wanted her to be a more powerful character. Of course, she needed to be real and flawed, but the level of her weakness in regard to Howard seemed sad.

All in all, it's good book. It will appeal to many who want a deeper dive into setting and the "rules" of the world the story inhabits.

A mysterious death at the CERN laboratory? Count me in! I must have read this is 2 days or less: the story ran headlong the entire time - it was fast-paced and smartly written, and I couldn’t read it quickly enough. I’m a science fan, science fiction fan, and a mystery fan, so The Stars Turned Inside Out was just the perfect choice. Highly recommended.

In Geneva, underground at CERN, a body is discovered – that of Howard, a recently arrived scientist who was full of promise due to his intelligence. Strangely, evidence is scant; enter Sabine, a private investigator brought in by CERN, in an effort to keep the death quiet. Sabine, however, has her own personal interests in CERN. Sabine digs further into the investigation, and learns not only may there may be a mole in the lab, but there were rivalries and knowledge that some may have found worth killing worthwhile. The book does a good job diving into the possibilities of who may have been the killer and there was a fair amount of suspense. The setting was very interesting as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What to say about this intriguing and unusual story? It's fascinating and confounding. A detective story set in a physics lab. A female investigator far smarter than the old style detectives of the stories we grew up with.

Set in Geneva, in the CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), a suspicious death triggers the director to phone in a good friend in an effort to stave off police and any bad publicity. Private investigator Sabine Leroux has more than a basic understanding of particle physics and begins to navigate the many varies personalities within labs. There is quite a bit of competition and of course the rumor of discovery dark matter that may have cause the death of a very promising physicist from Princeton.

Fantastic story and I hope to hear more from Sabine. You will love it whether you enjoy science or not :)
#atriabooks #Thestarturnedinsideout #novajacobs

After thoroughly enjoying Nova Jacobs' The Last Equation of Isaac Severy in 2018, I was delighted to find that she has a new book coming out in the spring. The Stars Turned Inside Out is an account of a group of particle physicists who work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (The European Council for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland. You don't have to be a physicist to appreciate the story--my only connection with physics is watching TV's The Big Bang Theory--as the details are fascinating and are generally not buried under overly technical jargon. But It's more about the characters, many of whom are working on postdoctorate fellowships, eager to participate in the search for new discoveries and committed to winning a perceived race with China and Russia to have the biggest collider (and maybe a Nobel?).

The chapters alternate between the time before and after an unspeakable tragedy occurs, taking the life of one of the employees. At first the focus is on coworkers Eve and Arnav, but later it sometimes shifts to three women who were great friends at the University of Paris and are now the CERN director, the ATLAS group leader, and the private investigator brought in to determine the means and motive of the death.

While I found the story interesting, it was difficult for me to engage with most of the characters and to relate to their actions and motivations. There is a brief romance, but it is related in a rather clinical way. Much of the narrative consists of musings by various characters about philosophy, politics, religion, spirituality, and theoretical vs. experimental physics, as well as personal loss, which took me out of the mystery. I did enjoy the ultimate solving of the investigation, with a conclusion I didn't expect, and the author was able to ratchet up the suspense. I applaud Nova Jacobs for her ambition and originality, but overall, the book fell flat for me.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The Stars Turned Inside Out
Nova Jacobs

Welcome to the world of big brain particle physicists! If you love science or deep diving into mind-bending theories, you’ll dig this book!. I gave it 3.5 stars and I think it’s a fun and solid who-dun-it read.

Pro-tip: pay attention to all the acronyms in the beginning! I was a bit overwhelmed with all the letters at first but the better you learn them, the quicker you’ll get into the book.

I found it fascinating to read about the culture of the scientists at CERN, one of the largest and most respected nuclear science research centers in Europe. I’ve heard of it but never really conceived of what on earth (or under earth!) goes on there.

One of our MCs, Eve, finds herself at CERN for postdoc research hoping to find the next undiscovered particle that will change science as we know it. She’s ambitious and smart but starting to get a little burnt out with the endless tedium of research. Then she meets Howard, an enigmatic genius who’s new to her team, and a whirlwind begins.

Things get murky when someone winds up dead in a place where supposedly cooperation among scientists is key and rivalry is frowned upon. Is this murder by a rival? Scientific espionage from China? An accident? A tortured scientist’s suicide attempt? Sabine, a consultant detective, is brought in by her lifelong friends, director Yvonne and team leader Chloe, to nose around and help the center avoid police involvement and media scrutiny.

Little by little, the mystery unfolds and I hope you’ll be as shocked as I was when the culprit (culprits?) was revealed!

The reason I gave it 3.5 stars was issues with the main character development. We start the book with one MC, Eve, but she’s not super likable and too one-note. She’s having a sort of existential crisis yet her reasons and motivations aren’t underpinned well enough and she seems annoying and weak. I couldn’t cheer her on even though I wanted to!

Then Eve’s POV is abandoned for a good long while and we are moved almost entirely to a new MC, Sabine. She does develop more but she’s still just kinda’ flat and one-dimensional. What on earth is she thinking? Where’s her fire? Even when the killer is found she doesn’t seem to care all that much. I felt like I was watching her from the outside, not identifying with her and her goals.

Additionally, I felt like Howard was supposed to be our bread and butter hero, the misunderstood genius that we all fall in love with just a little and we’re rooting for him to win. Except I wasn’t. His wild theories weren’t explained very well or maybe they just weren’t compelling enough for me to be invested along with him. He’s the weirdo I wanted to love but he stayed too far away in the book to draw me in.

Overall, the science was the most interesting facet for me and now I know what a Large Hadron Collider is! The mystery kept me turning pages and gave me a good surprise at the end which is always fun in a thriller. Will I read it again? Nah. Would I recommend to a friend? Sure! Especially the quirky, Einstein loving ones. :)

*This ARC was provided to me by Atria Publishing via NetGalley on exchange for an honest review. Thanks for letting me get an early read!