The Planck Factor

This book was warp speed and brilliant!

The speed of light =299 792 458 m / s or is it?

What happens if the speed of light is not a constant but an average? The implications can be disastrous. And the premise of Jessica's new novel, which she is unaware is her new found danger. But the truth is stranger than the fiction.

Jessica Evans, a Grad student, is writing a suspense novel as a challenge to create fiction worthy of being called literary. As she is carving out the manuscript, The Planck Factor, she starts to see similar patterns and events manifest in her life.

The Planck Factor is narrated by Jessica and alternating seamlessly with Alexis, her protagonist of her book. The chapters are short and terse as we see the events unfold in real time with Jessica, and also her main character Alexis. As the chapters progress, Jessica's life seems to be imitating her work. Someone is watching her. In Jessica's novel, also named The Planck Factor, Alexis is being followed by a group-perhaps in regarding her dead fiancee's work. Daniel was a researcher in a lab but never shared the specific details of what he was working on with Swede, his partner. What they were working on was something secretive and valuable to warfare and the future of quantum physics. All of this information for Jessica's book came from someone. And this someone is dead. Jessica is the Alexis in the novel and now fears for her life as she knows what her protagonist knows: the Axis of Evil. Soon, NSA, FBI, and a terror group will be looking for Jessica and the Planck Factor.

The Planck Factor starts off being action pack very early in the story, without giving you a chance to appreciate the characters. The excitement may have intentionally crafted to have the book unfold along side Jessica and the reader. The novel was a fast paced read, and the chapters had hooks that made you want to read every other one. I enjoyed Jessica's internal discussion of the process as she is laying down her words. From a reader's perspective, it was extremely educational, for example, how the backstory as powerful as it may be can slow down the narrative. The science of physics was a draw to the novel, and it did not disappoint. I love a story where I have to google information to understand a certain aspect of the plot, appealing to the geek in myself.

The Geek Factor:
Planck Factor: E = hf where (E) is the energy of the particle which varies directly with its frequency (f). Planck constant (h) is 6.63 × 10-34 Js and central in quantum mechanics. It describes the behavior of photons and waves on the atomic scale. It is hidden and visible and at the same time and provides valuable information about the universe we live. We only see a fraction of the world.

If you want a fast and satisfying read, I highly recommend The Planck Factor. Thank you, NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and the author Debbi Mack for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I usually do not care for novellas, but Debbi's Mack's The Planck Factor will be the first exception. The premise and story line are so unique that the reader instantly becomes enthralled. In the prologue we are given the intrigue that drives the novel: a novelist, a spy, a secret anti-government group and impeding death. Sounds like a plot right out of an Ian Fleming novel, but Mack adds even more twists to add levels to this seemingly straightforward thriller. A type of anti-mimesis, when life imitates art mixed with a reality within a reality. The reader is left guessing until the very end. Hopefully, she will follow up with a continuation of this novel, as there were a few things that seemed unfinished.

My husband really enjoyed this one! The combination of math/science/mystery was great!!