The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown (author)

Corgi Books, UK: 2003; 592pp

ISBN: 0552149519

Genres: action, adventure, conspiracy, mystery, thriller

When the curator of the Louvre is found murdered, his body arranged in a bizarre fashion on the floor of one of the galleries, Professor Robert Langdon is summoned to help the French police.

Uncertain as to why his esoteric knowledge of goddess worship might be of use in solving such a brutal crime, Langdon soon realises that he is as much a suspect as he is a consultant. Together with Sophie Neveu, a brilliant young French cryptologist who also happens to be the granddaughter of the victim, Langdon must follow a trail of obscure riddles that will lead them to a discovery that will shake the foundations of Christian belief.

Having read Dan Brown's previous novels, it is interesting to examine why this, his fourth conspiracy thriller, has attracted such a huge international readership. The Da Vinci Code is probably his best writing to date - the characters are better developed, less artificial in speech and manner, more three-dimensional than in previous novels. More significant, however, is the fact that the conspiracy explored in this novel is an international one that relates to widely accepted social constructs. It not only questions but openly challenges the role of women in the church - a role that has been imposed by men. It involves some of the most brilliant and controversial figures of history, most notably the enigmatic Leonardo Da Vinci.

These factors challenge the reader to think about the unthinkable, to question things that society has taken for granted for centuries. Whether there is fact behind the fiction or whether Dan Brown has simply selected and manipulated information that supports his narrative line is, in fact, irrelevant. This is an exciting, absorbing narrative that makes readers ask questions and think about things that might never otherwise cross their minds, and questions are the true beginning of knowledge.

Amusing light reading and an excellent conversation starter!