Diana "Thoth" Goodfarmer and Domidi "the Boy Who Can Do Magic" Longwinter have just barely recovered from their last case when they are approached by a prominent inventor seeking to clear her name. It seems a rival inventor has managed to turn up murdered right before the World Science Fair and all signs point to one of the scientists in attendance as the culprit.As Domidi prepares for the arrival of his new fiancée, Thoth goes to investigate the colorful and eccentric inventors to find the killer and clear her client's name. But as the murdered woman's list of enemies grows, so too does the list of suspects, including a stammering younger sibling, a morbid mortician, and bloodthirsty biologist who has her cold eyes on Domidi.and even Thoth's own sister. And just what was the mysterious machine the murdered woman was working on before her death? Was it truly so dangerous that its creator needed to die? Where do science and progress fit in a world ruled by magic?.