by Joseph Kanon
First published 2001
Michael Connolly arrives at Los Alamos in spring 1945 with a grim assignment. A security officer working on the Manhattan Project has been murdered, and Connolly must find the killer among the scientists racing to split the atom and end the war. The secret facility buzzes with brilliant minds from around the world, all gathered under Robert Oppenheimer's leadership in this remote desert community. Connolly sleeps in the dead man's quarters and navigates cocktail parties where genius mingles with paranoia. He becomes involved with another man's wife while pursuing leads through a maze of secrecy and suspicion. Foreign scientists, confused guards, and frustrated spouses all become potential suspects. The investigation pulls Connolly deeper into the moral complexities of this isolated world, where the promise of ending global conflict collides with the horror of unleashing unprecedented destruction. As he closes in on the truth, the project nears completion and the world stands on the brink of the atomic age.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, moral-complexity, secrets-and-lies
Setting: Los Alamos
Period: 1945
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