The Princeton Conspiracy
Publisher
:
O. Jacob
Parution date
:
EAN
:
9782738124302
Number of pages
:
288
Description
Parisian political scientist Charlotte Cavagnac is ravishing, romantic, and relentless in this, the first in a series of transcontinental thrillers in which intelligence between the two continents plays an important part.
Princeton, Charlotte thought, would be a calm place to finish her book on economic warfare. It was convenient that her father, Jean-Claude Cavagnac, a world-famous mathematician and winner of the Fields Medal, was teaching in Princeton at the Institute for Advanced Studies. But upon Charlotte’s arrival, Cavagnac disappears. His body is found in Lake Carnegie. Is it a suicide? Murder? What for? Could it be jealous colleagues? A jilted student? Or was he working for a superpower and on the verge of discovering a strategic formula?
The CIA, FBI, and French secret service are roiled. What if the killing was an act of revenge implicating France and the United States? From the Elysée Palace to the White House all eyes are on the investigation. The French ambassador arrives from Washington D.C. Could Charlotte and her father be French spies?
The FBI investigation is led by Michael Taylor. Charlotte, devastated but supported by her childhood friends—the “Cape Cod clan”—answers Taylor’s questions but soon starts asking questions of her own. She talks to her father’s former lover, Elizabeth, and uncovers some odd and confusing things: There is a note referring to a casino in Atlantic City taped to the inside of the cat-litter tray; two bartenders with no apparent relation to each other wear the same blue watches. There are also Cavagnac’s former students who are now CEOs on Wall Street. Had Cavagnac made a discovery that would give their companies a competitive advantage?
And what about Charlotte’s godfather, a prestigious American mathematician, who is also an undercover agent for the CIA known to several U.S. presidents? Did he betray his best friend for the sake of his country and for military purposes? What about Cavagnac’s contributions to NASA’s work on military satellites?
Charlotte shares her findings with Michael Taylor, and they begin a tight collaboration that goes beyond the professional. As they delve deeper into the mystery, Charlotte learns that little is what it seems.
From the quiet tree-lined streets of Princeton to the high-security offices of Washington, D.C., from Wall Street to Houston and the casinos of Atlantic City, Charlotte discovers worlds united by greed, desire, and revenge, and plots that threaten not only the upper echelons of academia but also the diplomatic relations between two countries.
Author
Claudine Monteil : Claudine Monteil is a French historian with a background in diplomacy. A previous book, The Beauvoir Sisters, was published in the United States by The Seal Press in 2004. She divides her time between the United States and France.
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