The Physicists’ Daughter: A Novel
Historical Fiction
Poisoned Pen Press (June 7, 2022)
Paperback : 352 pages
Synopsis
The Nazis are no match for the physicists’ daughter.
New Orleans, 1944
Sabotage. That’s the word on factory worker Justine Byrne’s mind as she is repeatedly called to weld machine parts that keep failing with no clear cause. Could someone inside the secretive Carbon Division be deliberately undermining the factory’s war efforts? Raised by her late parents to think logically, she also can’t help wondering just what the oddly shaped carbon gadgets she assembles day after day have to do with the boats the factory builds…
When a crane inexplicably crashes to the factory floor, leaving a woman dead, Justine can no longer ignore her nagging fear that German spies are at work within the building, trying to put the factory and its workers out of commission. Unable to trust anyone—not the charming men vying for her attention, not her unpleasant boss, and not even the women who work beside her—Justine draws on the legacy of her unconventional upbringing to keep her division running and protect her coworkers, her country, and herself from a war that is suddenly very close to home.
Bookshop * IndieBound * Barnes and Noble * Amazon
Booksamillion * Nook * Kindle * Kobo
Review
While I love math, sometimes science was beyond me. I didn’t let that stop me from picking up this book and enjoying the heck out of it! Justine is a formidable character with her intellect and past experiences. She was raised well by her physicist parents and godmother. She has a keen curiosity and doesn’t stop when confronted with a puzzle. However, her parents were killed in an automobile accident and she has been on her own for a few years now. Since it is the WWII era, she is working in a factory on an assembly line but is able to do some welding when the machines break down. What she discovers is that it isn’t normal wear and tear but someone is trying to sabotage the plant.
Justine has never been one to make a lot of friends, but she befriends another woman at the plant, Georgette, who happens to also live in the same rooming house. Georgette may be from the bayou and not gotten past the eighth grade, but she has a thirst for knowledge and laps up the algebra homework Justine assigns her and reads science books until she understands the basics. Georgette helps Justine with normal interactions with others which can be a bit awkward for Justine.
There is also Justine’s godmother, Gloria, who is an intellect in her own respect but she sees conspiracies all around her. She won’t leave her house in fear that someone will come in and bug it and spy on her. But she has a heart of gold and helps Justine however she can in her quest for what the plant is manufacturing and what it could mean for the war efforts.
There are two mysterious characters, Fitz and Mudcat. What we know about them is that they are both trying to recruit Justine to work for their governments…but what governments do they represent? Are they good or bad guys? We know that one of them is from Germany so we have to assume he is trying to recruit her for his benefit and not her own. We are even told that he has convinced someone else in her department to assist him in gaining information and knowledge about what the plant is producing. We don’t know who this person is until near the end and I never would have suspected this character. As the truth unfolds it surprised me because it was not what I was suspecting and a few incidents led me down another path which was a dead end.
This was quite an enjoyable book from the math and science, social interactions, secrecy, and even perhaps a little paranoia kept the story moving forward and interesting. There are even some potential romantic situations and I loved the scenes in the dance club and could picture the club in my mind.
I am thrilled that there is going to be a follow-up book considering how it ended and can’t wait to read that one when it debuts.
We give this book 5 paws up.
About the Author
Mary Anna Evans is the author of The Physicists’ Daughter, the first in her series of WWII-era historical suspense novels featuring Rosie-the-Riveter-turned-codebreaker Justine Byrne. Her thirteen Faye Longchamp archaeological mysteries have received recognition including the Benjamin Franklin Award, a Will Rogers Medallion Award Gold Medal, the Oklahoma Book Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals. She is an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches fiction and nonfiction writing, including mystery and suspense writing. Her work has appeared in publications including Plots with Guns, The Atlantic, Florida Heat Wave, Dallas Morning News, and The Louisville Review. Her scholarship on crime fiction, which centers on Agatha Christie’s evolving approach over her long career to the ways women experienced justice in the twentieth century, has appeared in the Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie (coming September 22, 2022), which she co-edited, and in Clues: A Journal of Detection. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Rutgers-Camden, and she is a licensed Professional Engineer. She is at work on the second Justine Byrne novel, The Physicists’ Enigma.
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram * BookBub * Goodreads
Giveaway
When Leah Miller’s entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah left the Amish and joined the police force. Now, after another Amish woman is found murdered with the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed for her family’s deaths.
Mary Alford is a USA Today bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected, combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in stories the reader can’t put down. Her titles have been finalists for several awards, including the Daphne Du Maurier, the Beverly, the Maggie, and the Selah. She and her husband live in the heart of Texas in the middle of 70 acres with two cats and one dog.
Elizabeth Pantley says that writing the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic book series is the most fun she’s ever had at work. Fans of the series say her joy is evident through the stories she tells. Elizabeth is also the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the beautiful inspiration for the enchanted Destiny Falls world.
New England’s Storyteller Steven Manchester is the author of the soul-awakening novel, The Menu, as well as the 80s nostalgia-fest, Bread Bags & Bullies. His other works include #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novel, Goodnight Brian; and the beloved holiday podcast drama, The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, and BET’s Nightly News. Three of Steven’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright, as well as the winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival, 2018 New York Book Festival, and 2020 New England Book Festival. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing.
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington.
Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.
In 1964, a group of scientists called the Los Alamos Five came close to finishing a nuclear energy project for the United States government when they were abruptly disbanded. Now the granddaughter of one of those five scientists, aerospace engineer Elinor Mitchell, discovers that she has highly sensitive information on the project in her possession–and a target on her back.
Natalie Walters is the author of Lights Out, as well as the Harbored Secrets series. A military wife, she currently resides in Texas with her soldier husband and is the proud mom of three. She loves traveling, spending time with her family, and connecting with readers.
