Charlie Thorne And The Last Equation

Stuart Gibbs

Charlie Thorne And The Last Equation

Stuart Gibbs
60 pages2-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Middle Grade
Published in 2019

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Charlie is a 12-year-old multiracial genius with an IQ comparable to Albert Einstein's. She studies theoretical physics at the University of Colorado and speaks twelve languages. Rebellious and distrustful of authority figures, she uses her intellect to visualize complex mathematics and physics in real-time. The CIA targets her for the Pandora mission after discovering she hacked a tech company for $40 million.

Key Relationships

Half Sister of Dante Garcia

Ward of Milana Moon

Target of Jamilla Carter

Target of Alexei Kolyenko

Dante is a 28-year-old CIA agent who rose quickly through the agency ranks due to his sharp intellect and capability. Born in Miami and raised by a single mother, he possesses a multiracial heritage that allows him to blend into various global environments. He remains deeply loyal to the United States government and believes in the fundamental goodness of the CIA's mission.

Key Relationships

Half Brother of Charlie Thorne

Partner of Milana Moon

Subordinate to Jamilla Carter

Colleague of John Russo

Milana is Dante's CIA partner on the Pandora mission. Raised on the Blackfoot tribe reservation in northern Montana, she attended the University of Pennsylvania on an athletic scholarship before joining the agency. She speaks Arabic and Chinese and maintains a calm demeanor during high-pressure situations, often serving as a balancing force to Dante's strict methods.

Key Relationships

Partner of Dante Garcia

Handler of Charlie Thorne

Subordinate to Jamilla Carter

Alexei is the leader of the Furies, a terrorist cell based in Eastern Europe. Born in Germany to a Russian family, he dropped out of university and embraced radical white supremacist and anti-immigrant ideologies. He seeks Albert Einstein's hidden equation to build a devastating weapon and enact violent punishment against populations he hates.

Key Relationships

Pursuer of Charlie Thorne

Leader of Marko

Supporting Characters

Jamilla Carter serves as the Director of the CIA. She is a practical, calculating woman in her sixties who views global security in rigid terms. She authorizes the use of a 12-year-old civilian for a dangerous mission purely out of strategic necessity, maintaining a high level of suspicion toward Charlie due to the girl's history of theft.

Key Relationships

Employer of Dante Garcia

Employer of Milana Moon

Suspicious of Charlie Thorne

Professional Contact of Isaac Semel

John is a talented undercover CIA agent assigned to investigate the Furies. He was sent to Bern, Switzerland, to pose as a bartender and gain the terrorist group's trust by pretending to share their extremist ideologies. His reported discovery and violent death at the hands of the Furies sets the high-stakes tone for Dante and Charlie's mission.

Key Relationships

Colleague of Dante Garcia

Undercover Investigator of Alexei Kolyenko

Isaac is a 61-year-old agent for the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. Following his service in the Israeli army, he spent forty years building a career in intelligence. He is physically fit, highly determined, and fiercely loyal to his country, actively working to secure global advantages for Israel.

Key Relationships

Professional Contact of Jamilla Carter

Commander of Benny

Commander of Leo

The world-renowned German physicist whose final, delirious words spark a global hunt decades later. Before his death, he developed a theoretical equation regarding mass-energy conversion but hid it away, fearing that humanity lacked the moral responsibility to handle such destructive power.

Key Relationships

Friend of Ernst Klein

Ernst is a trusted friend of Albert Einstein tasked with a heavy final burden. He attempts to burn the physicist's books and papers to eradicate any trace of the mysterious "Pandorabuchse" equation before armed men interrupt his efforts.

Key Relationships

Friend of Albert Einstein

Marko is the youngest member of the Furies. Lacking the financial means to attend college, he harbors a deep resentment for university students and foreigners, letting his economic frustration fuel his participation in the terrorist group's violent operations.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Alexei Kolyenko

Opponent of Charlie Thorne

Often called "Rats," he is a CIA agent stationed at the Jerusalem office. He assists Dante's incoming team with local logistics and transportation as they attempt to quietly locate Einstein's clue at Hebrew University.

Key Relationships

Partner of Bendavid

Colleague of Dante Garcia

Bendavid is a CIA agent based in Jerusalem. He provides local expertise to the visiting team and navigates the delicate task of operating within Israel without arousing the suspicion of the local intelligence agency, the Mossad.

Key Relationships

Partner of Ratsimanohatra

Colleague of Dante Garcia

Benny is a retired Mossad agent living in the Los Angeles area. Despite his official retired status, he remains on call to serve Israeli intelligence interests and mobilize local assets when directed by active commanders.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Isaac Semel

Colleague of Leo

Leo is a former Mossad agent residing in California. He is activated by his former superiors to track down high-value targets when the international hunt moves to the United States.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Isaac Semel

Colleague of Benny

Tim is the head of operations at the Mount Wilson Observatory. He manages the facility and answers historical questions when federal agents demand access to the location's telescopes and historic structures.

Key Relationships

Acquaintance of Dante Garcia