Nova’s lifelong love of crime fiction and fascination with science have led her to write mystery stories often populated by scientists. Her debut novel, The Last Equation of Isaac Severy—a whodunit set among a family of mathematicians—was a Book of the Month selection, a Best Mystery of 2018 by The Wall Street Journal, and was nominated for a 2019 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Her new novel, The Stars Turned Inside Out, imagines murder at the Swiss particle physics laboratory CERN.  It was named a Best Mystery of 2024 by The Wall Street Journal and was nominated for a Golden Poppy Award by the California Independent Booksellers Alliance.

She has an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and is a recipient of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeremy.