On an evening like any other, at a remote astronomical observatory, a small community of scientists finds itself confronted by a series of mysterious events. First, there's a blackout, possibly caused by sabotage, and then a body is discovered in the common area. The victim appears to have fallen from a railing, or perhaps been pushed. The observatory is isolated; the telephones are not working, cell phones have no signal, and the car tires are slashed. The nearest town is a two-hour drive away, through the desert.
In this dramatic setting, several characters play key roles: two Italians—Gabriele, a recent graduate, and Pinetta, still working on her doctoral research; an American—Samantha, a star in the world of astrophysics; an Englishman—Matt, a gossip as only he can; and a South American—Mariela, the observatory's doctor. They must consider that the murderer or saboteur might not be among them, but is actually one of them. However, as scientists, they know that to reach a conclusion, there is no other option than logical thinking.
It is Gabriele, an avid reader of crime fiction and a gifted astrophysicist, capable of empathy even for murderers, who manages to unravel the web of murder and betrayal, a path that, like everything else in his life, is mapped out in the stars. Licia Troisi, in her debut as a crime writer, weaves elements of Sherlock Holmes and Poirot, showing how the study of physics is a natural training ground for solving complex cases, and emphasizing the need for a scientific detective in our literature.