JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA
Twelve strangers are invited by a mysterious recluse
to cruise the Mediterranean aboard a luxurious private yacht.
One of them is lost overboard.
Available October, 2025
“ Decadent apocalyptic cruise sails into a thrilling mystery”
BOOKLIFE REVIEWS
JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA
Cover Art
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The Story
The nearby star Betelgeuse is about to explode, an event whose consequences for life on Earth are uncertain. Hugo Evans, an American art historian living in London, receives an invitation from a man he has never met, reclusive artist Rothesay Ambrose Urquhart, to an “end-of-the-world” Mediterranean cruise aboard the meticulously restored prewar motor yacht Mulvane. There are twelve guests in total, all strangers to one another, and also to their host.
Early in the voyage, one of them is lost overboard. It is not clear if this was an accident, a suicide, or a murder. Another passenger, sharp-witted lawyer Oriana Welles, recruits Evans to help her investigate.
“Brace…excellently weaves many threads—the end of the world, curiosity surrounding Urquhart, the eccentricity of the voyage he hosts, the abandon that dictates most of the tour—to form a compelling narrative. Despite juggling apocalyptic anxiety, artistic rebellion, and Mediterranean decadence, Brace never loses sight of the central plot: a murder mystery set against humanity’s final days. While the world may remember the cruise for its provocative calendar, Evans and his fellow passengers will remember it for far more sinister reasons—and therein lies the heart of this captivating novel”
BOOKLIFE REVIEWS
More JOURNAL OF THE SUPERNOVA reviews coming. Here are excerpts from reviews of previous works by Robert Brace:
“Brace…displays such eloquence and such a firm control of pacing…artful coup de grace…an intriguing and multilayered supernatural thriller.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS on Floreat Lux
“…a wild, complex novel that blurs the line between the real and the supernatural…a psychedelic trip through literature, history and art.”
BLUE INK REVIEWS on Floreat Lux
“…a cosmological search…literary and rhetorical…a theatrical celebration of what like minds can accomplish.”
FOREWORD CLARION REVIEWS on Floreat Lux
“The author’s canny prose finds sharp, inchoate conflict…atmospheric and psychologically rich tale of erotic and philosophical enigmas”
KIRKUS REVIEWS on Andromeda Graphika
“Stylish and polished, Brace’s literary thriller abounds in evocative description, crisp and engaging dialogue…A sense of playful unease suffuses the novel, as Brace toys with expectations”
BOOKLIFE REVIEWS on Andromeda Graphika
“…deserve a wide readership”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on Iron Butterfly
“Beautifully written—proves that Robert Brace is a talent to watch”
KYLE MILLS, New York Times bestselling author of Smoke Screen, on BlackTiger
Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 340 pages