Olivia prepares to defend her PhD dissertation, but something is amiss. Scientific misconduct in the physics lab poses an ethical quandary: should she tell the ombudsman and risk expulsion, or look the other way? The truth would also jeopardize a five-million-dollar Department of Energy grant as well as her budding relationship with a lab assistant. While fixing toaster waffles for her grumpy dog, Mulder, she ponders the dilemma.

Olivia prepares to enter the lab where she works when an explosion destroys it, killing several professors and landing her in the hospital. FBI Special Agent Rachel Quinn, a bomb specialist, quickly arrives on the scene. The surviving professors, who know Olivia can ruin their careers, conveniently implicate Olivia. Special Agent Quinn is all too ready to believe them, although the case has earmarks of a bomber she has been pursuing for a decade. Flashbacks reveal puzzling clues that suggest "temporal whirlpools" may be generating time loops. Rooted in reality, Quinn ignores the theoretical and doggedly tracks Olivia, following clues that morph and point to both Olivia and the mysterious bomber Quinn seeks. Could they be working together?

Kristopher manipulates an imaginative plot with myriad characters. Careful reading unwraps a complicated timeline. Quinn's dislike of professional academics combined with Olivia's trusting disposition creates situational tension and sympathy for Olivia. Meticulous attention to detail scaffolds a clever, paradoxical story. Kristopher tightly clutches the storyline while subplots challenge the brain. Painting Quinn's dogged pursuit of Olivia in a favorable light is a remarkable achievement. A taut, tense, and imaginative narrative combines the world of cutthroat academia with single-minded police work, topped by a likable young student caught in an ethical dilemma. Kristopher has written an intellectually stimulating tale.

A 2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List book

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