About the Book:

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

Book Review:  ★★★★★★

This is the first book that I was introduced to, with Dan Brown as the author.  And before I go too far, I would preface this post with the statement that no, I have not seen the movie.  I am a little bit of a purist when it comes to books.  (OK — I am a lot of a purist. )  I have rarely seen a movie that can live up to my expectations, after reading the book.  So I usually avoid watching the movies, unless I do so before I get around to reading the book.

With that said, I found this book a fun and different type of mystery.  Spanning the art world, the religious world, the Biblical world, and introducing the reader to all kinds of interesting beliefs that are floating around out there, the book delivers a well developed, and conceived mystery.  It is more of a treasure hunt than a murder mystery, though the story line provides plenty of both.

Covering several countries — the story takes the reader on a real history lesson.  So much so that at some points the reader has to keep reminding themselves that this is a work of fiction.  But as a student of history, I did find the manner in which Mr. Brown incorporated some of the more obscure elements of history, into this story, to be fun to try and keep track of.  The Templars, the life of Christ, Opus Dei, Art — there is just so much packed into this mystery that it is really fun to try to figure out.

I found the main character to be little strange at first.  Why they would  use a professor of symbology as the main character is a little strange.  But as the story begins to develop, you come to realize that this character works for they type of story that has developed. It is this unusual character that provides the appeal for this book.  Instead of the usual detective novel — the reader finds themselves trying to interpret the obscure world of religious symbology, to unravel a mystery that spans thousands of years.

Tags: Historical Fiction, Literary Mystery, Murder, Mystery, Suspense

Category: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense/Thriller