The book has received praise for its portrayal of an autism and as a thriller. Of course, I like to see mathematicians portrayed as heroes in fiction, and Turbee is a very likable character who uses mathematics to fight evil. Mathematically speaking, however, impressive words are tossed around without much meaning. Turbee is said to "distract himself by mentally solving five-dimensional Fourier transform equations". And in a discussion which his colleagues he says

In a rare moment when the mathematics was actually relevant, Turbee points out that a ship has not followed the path of a great circle, which is "the closest distance" [sic] between two points on a sphere.