The Physicists' Daughter: A Novel

by Mary Anna Evans

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.

• ISBN10: 1464215553
• ISBN13: 9781464215551
• Publish Date: 7 July 2022 (first published 7 June 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Physicists’ Daughter is a WW2 era romance/espionage/mystery by Mary Anna Evans. Released 7th June 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a competently written historical romance and slice-of-life story set in Louisiana around the daily lives of some of the women who have taken jobs which were traditionally given to men in the defense industry. There are several disparate plot threads, including some espionage and skullduggery. The mystery parts of the plot are generally secondary to the romance and historical fiction parts but there's an engaging and ongoing development through the characters which kept me interested and reading to the end.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours and 39 minutes and is capably narrated by Kimberly Wetherell. The narrator has a clear and pleasantly warm voice which is easy to listen to. Many of the characters have very distinct regional accents, including Polish and Lousiana/bayou. The narrator gave a good attempt, but was not always entirely successful. The non-accented narration was fine and enjoyable. Sound and production quality were high throughout the recording.

Four stars. Recommended mostly for fans of women's historical fiction and wartime romance, not so much for mystery or espionage fans.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.