Hailed as 'a writer of uncommon clarity' by the <i>New Yorker</i> National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman has dazzled readers with her acclaimed works of fiction including such beloved bestsellers as <i>The Family Markowitz</i> and <i>Kaaterskill Falls</i>. Now she returns with a bracing new novel at once an intricate mystery and a rich human drama set in the high-stakes atmosphere of a prestigious research institute in Cambridge Massachusetts.<br><br>Sandy Glass a charismatic publicity-seeking oncologist and Marion Mendelssohn a pure exacting scientist are codirectors of a lab at the Philpott Institute dedicated to cancer research and desperately in need of a grant. Both mentors and supervisors of their young postdoctoral protégés Glass and Mendelssohn demand dedication and obedience in a competitive environment where funding is scarce and results elusive. So when the experiments of Cliff Bannaker a young postdoc in a rut begin to work the entire lab becomes giddy with newfound expectations. But Cliff's rigorous colleague-and girlfriend-Robin Decker suspects the unthinkable: that his findings are fraudulent. As Robin makes her private doubts public and Cliff maintains his innocence a life-changing controversy engulfs the lab and everyone in it. <br><br>With extraordinary insight Allegra Goodman brilliantly explores the intricate mixture of workplace intrigue scientific ardor and the moral consequences of a rush to judgment. She has written an unforgettable novel.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>