Brown's latest
thriller is a well researched pacy thriller about
secret religious societies, ancient coverups and savage
vengeance. The action
kicks off in modern-day Paris with the murder of the Louvre's chief
curator, whose body is found laid out in symbolic repose at the foot of
the Mona Lisa. Seizing control of the case are Sophie Neveu, a lovely
French police cryptologist, and Harvard symbol expert Robert Langdon.
The story then revolves around the two trying to solve various puzzling
hints to reach the Holy Grail. As their search moves from France to
England, Neveu and Langdon are confounded by two mysterious groups-the
legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old
secret society whose
members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative
Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both have their own reasons for wanting
to ensure that the Grail is not found.
The book will be liked most by readers who like fast page-turning
stories intricate with suspense. It holds little literary value.
However, one thing that can be of interest to critics is immaculately
crafted puzzles which lead to one mystery after the other. Let the
Einstein inside you do some serious thinking.