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Robert Langdon, Harvard Professor of symbology, receives an urgent late-night call while in Paris: the curator of the Louvre has been murdered. Alongside the body is a series of baffling ciphers. Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Da Vinci - and further. The curator, part of a secret society named the Priory of Sion, may have sacrificed his life to keep secret the location of a vastly important religious relic hidden for centuries. It appears that the clandestine Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect Opus Dei has now made its move. Unless Landon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, the Priory's secret - and a stunning historical truth - will be lost forever.

See - I probably would have loved this is I hadn't already read Angels and Demons, but I thought the two were very similar. Obviously Brown has found his style, and is sticking with it!

I'd also already read Holy blood, Holy Grail and so wasn't as blown away by the whole Magdalene revelation as everyone else - though I did get a bit obsessive trying to explain to people that it was only fiction!

I loved this book! Every chapter had a cliffhanger ending and needless to say, I finished reading the book in less than 2 days!

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Susan Fletcher, a brilliant mathematician and head of the National Security Agency's (NSA's) cryptography division, finds herself faced with an unbreakable code resistant to brute-force attacks by the NSA's 3 million processor supercomputer. The code is written by Japanese cryptographer Ensei Tankado, a sacked employee of the NSA, who is displeased with the agency's intrusion into people's privacy.

Tankado auctions the algorithm on his website, threatening that his accomplice "North Dakota" will release the algorithm for free if he dies. Tankado is found dead in Seville, Spain. Fletcher, along with her fiancé, David Becker, a skilled linguist with eidetic memory, must find a solution to stop the spread of the code.

At least with the other three, you got the impression that Brown had done some research - this is just...tripe.

Another fun action read from Dan Brown.

Disappointing after reading Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Seemed hurriedly written and not really well thought out. Had promise, but not well executed.

I’m not a huge fan of Dan Brown; I read The Da Vinci Code just like everyone else but wasn’t all that impressed by it. I didn’t find the idea original, I didn’t like the ending, and I didn’t like his prose. Whilst I enjoyed the idea of Angels and Demons more, and even the ending was better, I still don’t like the way Dan Brown writes. The way he puts thoughts to paper frustrates me – it’s far too simple! How can such complicated ideas full together so easily? The mystery of Dan Brown’s novels seem to swallowed by his lack of descriptive text.

How convenient Mr Langdon always remembers! Where would they all be if he didn’t?

Still, the book is an alright read; enjoyable enough to make you want to finish it, at least. The idea is clever, and I would recommend it for readers who like conspiracy theories and thrillers.

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Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, anti-matter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilisation.

The first Brown book I read, and my favourite without a doubt. Seems to be that whichever you read first becomes your favourite. A fast paced and highly unrealistic plot than nonetheless carries you with it!

Loved it!

This was a great book! I read it a few yrs ago and loved it. It was fast-paced and I just couldn't put it down. My DH also read it.

Best mystery/thriller I've ever read. Even better than Brown's famous 'Da Vinci Code.'

It may have been a cliche over-the-top action/mystery/suspense thriller of a book, but I really did enjoy this. I liked it much more than Dan Brown's more clebrated Da Vinci Code, but I must admit that this is probably because they are cut form the same cloth and I read this one first.

Angels and Demons was a very good read. It had you wondering what was going to happen next and who did what. I liked it alot.

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The time is now and President Zachary Herney is facing a very tough re-election. His opponent, Senator Sedgwick Sexton, is a powerful man with powerful friends and a mission: to reduce NASA's spending and move space exploration into the private sector. He has numerous supporters, including many beyond the businesses who will profit from this because of the embarrassment of 1996, when the Clinton administration was informed by NASA that proof existed of life on other planets. That information turned out to be premature, if not incorrect. The embattled president is assured that a rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice will prove to have far-reaching implications on America's space program. The find, however, needs to be verified.

Enter Rachel Sexton, a gister for the National Reconnaissance Office. Gisters reduce complex reports into single-page briefs, and in this case the president needs that confirmation before he broadcasts to the nation, probably ensuring his re-election. It's tricky because Rachel is the daughter of his opponent. Rachel is thrilled to be on the team travelling to the Arctic Circle. She is a realist about her father's politics and has little respect for his stand on NASA, but Senator Sexton cannot help but have a problem with her involvement.

Bit same old same old - the world as we know it has changed forever because of these revelations...but it won't and it didn't and as a politics student I found this to be a bit naive.

A fast-paced read by Dan Brown. I enjoyed it.