45th Parallel

Paxton, David F

ISBN 10: 1968761527 / ISBN 13: 9781968761523

Published by Mission Point Press, 2026

Seller Inventory # 26406650241

Synopsis:

At eighty-two, Clarice Vishnekova has one final mission: make peace with the past and leave the world better than she found it.

From her secluded estate in western Maine, the former wartime intelligence operative uses her considerable fortune to support an unconventional circle of scientists, researchers, and protégés pursuing ideas years ahead of their time. Their work explores a changing climate, the possibilities of quantum science, and even the limits of the human lifespan.

But Clarice is pursuing another legacy as well: the completion and performance of the great classical work she has spent a lifetime preparing to create.

For a woman increasingly aware that time is finite, both ambitions are deeply personal. Clarice has spent decades carrying the consequences of choices made during her secret service in World War II. Now the past is resurfacing through old relationships, unanswered questions, and connections that may reach into the work being done around her.

As scientific promise collides with commercial ambition and long-buried secrets, Clarice must decide how much of the future can—or should—be shaped by one person's vision.

Narrated across dual timelines and through multiple character-centered viewpoints, The 45th Parallel moves between wartime Europe and the opening years of the twenty-first century in Maine, Michigan, and Costa Rica. It is a sweeping literary speculative novel about mystery and memory, scientific possibility, mortality, forgiveness, and the legacy one life leaves behind.

About the Author: David F. Paxton resides in coastal West Michigan. He is a former health system administrator, public school teacher, short story scribbler, wild land/Great Lakes tripper, and professional musician.

Bibliographic Details

Title: 45th Parallel
Publisher: Mission Point Press
Publication Date: 2026
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New