Alan Zamboni presents at Giunti Odeon L'atomo sfuggente (Mondadori*), a gripping crime novel poised between noir and the history of physics, scientific storytelling and mystery.

An investigation where—just like in the subatomic universe—opposing forces collide, threatening to trigger an explosion that could leave a trail of deaths behind.

The Book

Brescia, 1971. High school physics teacher Aldo Colombo vanishes without a trace. No note, no explanation.

Teo, a brilliant young mathematician and former student, refuses to believe the disappearance was voluntary. The only clue: a bundle of equations on neutrons and nuclear fission. Together with Deianira, a sharp and determined Hungarian teacher with a painful past, he follows a trail of anonymous letters, undercover agents, secret files, and experimental research on subatomic particles.

The mystery leads back to 1930s Rome, via Panisperna, and the laboratory of Enrico Fermi and Ettore Majorana.

What if Majorana never died—and has been hiding for thirty years?

The Author

An engineer and graduate in Modern Literature, Alan Zamboni began his artistic path as a musician and author. In 2013 he launched the YouTube science channel Curiuss, where he explores the history of science, with a focus on Physics and Astronomy.