If Einstein becomes a detective: the mystery of "Playing dice with the world"

Have you ever thought of a genius of science like Albert Einstein in the role of detective? If you haven't, the idea came to Massimiano Bucchi, professor of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Trento and author in the past of many books dedicated to the many facets of the scientific world.

Thus was born Playing dice with the world (Bompiani, 2022, Euro 16, pp. 168), an enjoyable and exciting thriller that has as its stage the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sweden - the institution that annually awards the Nobel prizes for physics and chemistry - and as a protagonist, as mentioned, even Albert Einstein. But as it should be, let's start from the beginning and tell something - without revealing too much as for any self-respecting thriller - about this unusual detective story.

The story takes place in December 1925. In Stockholm, to celebrate the twenty-five years of the Nobel Prize, the greatest scientists in the world are about to arrive, including Einstein. The ceremony is highly anticipated, but a few days before the event, a crime upsets the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sweden. And it is only the beginning because within a few hours Einstein and his pupil Leó find themselves involved in an intricate and singular case: the death toll rises and the murders are inspired by some famous scientific experiments. Maybe someone wants to prevent the meeting of the brightest minds of the time? What is the real reason why the scientists were brought together on the 25th anniversary of the award? And what is written in the secret letter that the founder of the Alfred Nobel Prize winner left along with his will? It will be up to Einstein to put on the role of Sherlock Holmes and try to understand if a bloody power struggle has been unleashed within the Academy, or if something greater is at stake, perhaps even the fate of the world.

Based on more than 20 years of research into the history and archives of the Nobel Prize, Playing Dice with the World is a classic thriller, but with a setting - the somewhat muffled and exclusive world of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sweden –Original and centered around a number of unusual characters, at least for those not accustomed to the world of science stars. In addition, it is a novel capable of being intriguing, but which at the same time does not forget to make us reflect on science and its limits.

Bucchi enlivens everything with a nice liveliness in the dialogues, the right dose of irony and humor, largely entrusted to the protagonist, a brilliant Einstein and at the same time human, rational, but emotionally involved to the right point to easily become the darling of the readers. . There remains an enigma yet to be revealed, once we have reached the last page: when is detective Albert Einstein's next adventure?