Math in Thrillers

Happy 2022! 

Since it's my first post in the new year

This year I made a few small goals I'd like to tackle throughout the new year, instead of one big goal. One of those goals is to spend less time scrolling through social media pages, stories, and timelines and more time reading. I gave myself a goal of reading at least one book a month. If "time" is an excuse, then I'd have to make different decisions. 

While trying to tear through my book-per-month goal, I've enjoyed running into math in some of my books. It's always a lovely surprise because I am certainly not in B&N grabbing math books off the shelves. Don't get me wrong -  I love me some math-related literature. However, I am recently obsessed with fictional thrillers. So, imagine how fun it is to stumble across math-related comments and mindsets about mathematics overall. 

Side Note:

I could take some time to argue with myself about this reading goal. How many books is one book a month. Twelve seems like I have a goal of reading at least 12 books. However, if I've read 12 books this month, I still have to read at least one book in the upcoming months. What do you think? Serious question (since I actually hope to beat the goal regardless).

Image Created via Google Slides by me

Math Sightings!

First, I'd like to say: I do not intend to share any spoilers. If you'd like to read any of the novels shared below, please know I would never intentionally ruin the storyline for anyone. In fact, please read the novels and let me know in the comments when/if you have! 

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica 

"Before bed, Dad comes into my room where I'm doing Algebra. Algebra is about the only class I like because there's a right and a wrong answer, and no in-between. There's no gray area, unlike in life. Life is all gray area" (p. 303).

And Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

"And then I read in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) about a book. It was aimed at people who thought they 'couldn't do maths,' and believe me the world is full of people who think they can't do maths, which I have to try very hard to understand, because truly, I don't. How can people understand how to walk into a room full of people and find something to talk about but they can't understand how numbers work? It makes no sense to me. Anyway, I can't remember the name of the book now. It might even have been called Bad at Maths. Yes, that's right, it was. Bad at Maths. I bought it and read it. It opened my eyes to thinking I'd never thought about before. But more than that, it made me laugh. I wasn't one for reading books, generally, and I only read this because it was in the TES, and so I hadn't been expecting such humor in a book about maths. But there it was. Humor. Bags of it. And a photo on the inside cover of a lovely man with a smiling face and a thatch of dark hair" (p. 168).

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

"'It is the twenty-first prime number. The number twenty-one has prime factors seven and three. A pleasing coincidence. Table seventy-seven is also free over there. IT's not prime, of course, but is the sum of the first eight prime numbers and the atomic number of iridium. Iridium is how they finally proved what killed the dinosaurs, which was the big mystery when I was a kid. The iridium marker later in the K-T boundary. Atomic number seventy-seven was the harbinger of death for the dinosaurs. It's an ending number. All books should end of the seventy-seventh chapter. They never do, though. But we're beginning something here, aren't we? Hence table seventy-three, which is a little more appropriate than seventy-seven, yes?' Rachel and Pete look at him in utter bafflement. He sighs. 'All right. Mathematics is not your forte, I see. Well, that's not important. The story's more important than the technique. How long?' he asks" (p. 276-277). 

My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry

"Carla knew that look. It was the same one that the teachers gave her at school when she didn't know her nine times table. 'I'm not good with numbers either,' Mamma would say dismissively when Carla asked for some help with her homework. 'But it does not matter as long as you do not eat cakes and get far. Women like us, all we need is to be beautiful.'" (p. 11)

Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

"I opened it, fired up Google, and typed: What % burglars return. A page of links came up and I clicked on one at random and scanned down it until I came to a paragraph that read: WHEN BURGLARS RETURN... A nationwide survey indicated that, over a twelve-month period, approximately 25 to 50 percent of burglaries are repeat incidents; and between 25 and 35 percent of victims are repeat victims. Figures gathered by UK police forces suggest that 28 to 51 percent of repeat burglaries occur within one month, 11 to 25 percent within a week. Great. So it seemed like my friendly doom-and-gloom merchant, the locksmith, had actually been understating the problem, not winding me upp. Although the maths involved in up to 50 percent repeat offenses but only 35 percent repeat victims made my head hurt. Either way, I didn't relish the idea of being among their number" (p. 17-18). 

If you've read any of these books, please share! If you haven't read any of the shared titles, I strongly recommend The Chain and Local Woman Missing. Have you run into math in any of your books recently? If so, share the book and author in the comments. Take care!