The recap
Late one night in Paris, the Louvre's elderly curator is murdered inside the museum, and before he dies he leaves behind a baffling trail of symbols. Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of religious symbology who happens to be in the city for a lecture, is summoned to the scene and quickly realizes he has not been called in merely as an expert. Teaming up with Sophie Neveu, a gifted police cryptologist with her own reasons for wanting answers, he is soon on the run through Paris and beyond, decoding riddles tucked into Leonardo da Vinci's paintings, the lore of secret societies and centuries of church history. On their heels are the police, a zealous monk and a shadowy figure known only as the Teacher. Brown builds the story from very short chapters that end on hooks, blending art history, codes and conspiracy into one breathless chase. Read it as a puzzle box, a travelogue or a provocation, and it is easy to see why it became a worldwide talking point.
Why read it
For readers who love a puzzle-driven chase and enjoy a provocative premise. It's ideal for a long flight or any weekend when you want the pages to fly.
Fun facts
- 01
Brown told CNN in 2003 that he first encountered the idea of codes hidden in Leonardo's work while studying art history at the University of Seville in Spain.
- 02
It was the second novel to feature Robert Langdon, following Angels & Demons (2000).
- 03
The novel spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and, by 2013, had sold around 80 million copies.
- 04
In 2006 Britain's High Court rejected a claim by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, co-authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, that Brown had copied their work; an appeal court later upheld that ruling.
- 05
Ron Howard directed the 2006 film adaptation, with Tom Hanks as Langdon.
“gleefully erudite suspense novel”
