Book Review: The Lost Symbol

I've been reading at a frantic pace recently. I'm not sure if it's some kind of procrastination tactic to keep me from writing and editing, but the upside is that I've read some great books. Mental and creative recharge, right?

Last night I finished The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Masons and killers and myths, oh my!



Plot:
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

My Review:
Short chapters and a major plot twist? Awesome. Suspense was present from the beginning and compounded throughout the entire novel. Brown's characters seemed believable and each had very distinct mannerisms. However, the dialogue wasn't always as distinctive and I had to go back a few times to figure out who was talking.

As with The Da Vinci Code, Brown filled narrative sections with enticing bits of legend and history. Personally, I loved it, but if you're not into conspiracy theories or Freemason folklore, this may cause you to skip ahead.

Overall, the plot sucked me in and I couldn't put the book down. Twists and turns abounded in this story set in our nation's capital.

Grade: A-