First published 2025
A young woman waits at Half Moon Bay for her father's sailboat, but he never arrives. He warned her this might happen and left instructions: go to Berkeley's library, find a specific book, follow what it says. The trail leads her into a mystery spanning decades. In 1933 Vienna, a mathematics professor joins the Engelhardt Circle, a group of brilliant intellectuals facing threats from rising fascism. Rumors circulate about a mysterious music box that can move people through time, but no one will confirm its existence. The woman, who lives off the grid and spends her time editing Wikipedia and arguing online, must uncover connections between her father's disappearance and the Vienna circle's secrets. As she digs deeper, she discovers that understanding the past may be the only way to find him. The search becomes a race against time itself, where old secrets hold the key to everything.
Genres: science-fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, enigmatic, layered, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: breadcrumb-trail, dual-timeline, generational-secrets, mystery-box
Setting: Half Moon Bay, Berkeley, Vienna
Period: 1933, 21st century
256 pages · Hardcover · Crown