The Da Vinci Code

The curator of the Louvre Museum brutally murdered in the middle of the night. A code hidden beneath the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. A plot to unveil a bewildering truth masked for centuries... Robert Langdon is awoken and called to the Louvre museum as a suspect of a murder but leaves trying to uncover a plot to change the face of Christianity as we know it.

Having sold over 80 million copies worldwide since its release in 2003, Dan Brown’s, The Davinci Code, is one of the best selling novels of all time, and with good reason. I myself never got around to reading it when it first came out and as he released his newest addition to the series earlier this spring, I thought no better time to start this renowned series. And after reading his four compelling novels, The Da Vinci Code is my favorite of his books.

Robert Langdon, the protagonist of Brown’s entire Langdon series is a middle aged professor of symbology and religious iconology at Harvard University. He is in Paris speaking on his work when his entire world turns upside down. The curator of the Louvre Jacques Saunière is murdered inside the museum and Langdon finds the French Police Department at his doorstep seeking his immediate assistance to help solve the crime. Unknown to Langdon, he is in fact the prime suspect in the murder and has been summoned to the scene of the crime so that the police may extract a confession from him. But before the police can pin him with the murder he is rescued by Saunière’s granddaughter Sophie Neveu. Together Neveu and Langdon uncover a hidden message inscribed within the crime seen that leads them on an incredible journey across Europe to expose the mystery of the famed Holy Grail and discover a truth that neither the world nor himself is ready to receive. Among encounters with secret societies and run-ins with knights Langdon’s story is engaging throughout.

Brown grips his readers with his repeating cliff hangers and constant twists. His short chapters and concise style make for a fluid and exciting read. Brown purposely misleads the reader throughout the novel in order to reveal the entire truth only at the end of the book. Neither Robert Langdon nor the reader knows what is really going on until the final chapters. Brown’s use of historical fiction adds to the story’s intrigue. Brown manages to incorporate some history, symbolism, cryptography, and religion into every chapter of The Da Vinci Code. Brown includes this into his novels in an unconventional way ever so scarcely done so the reader remains unsure if it is fact or fiction. Brown’s fantastic development of characters makes each individual relatable and adds to the overall development of the story. It is almost impossible to put down this page turner. I would highly recommend this book to anybody looking for a thrill. To put it simply Brown has created a masterpiece that is a must read for all mystery lovers.