“THE LOST SYMBOL”
By Dan Brown
Published: Sept. 15, 2009

Chock-full of conspiracy theories, mystery, excitement, and action, Dan Brown's latest doesn't disappoint, even if it is a bit formulaic.

WHEN I SAW the book "The Lost Symbol" on the new books rack in the library, I grabbed it quickly, amazed that it had not been taken out yet.

True, it was only the day after the book had been released, but Dan Brown's books tend to fly off the shelves — in fact, "The Lost Symbol" is the fastest-selling adult novel in history.

I read "Angels & Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code," both by Brown, on the advice of a friend, who told me that if I enjoyed puzzle solving and history (which I do), I would enjoy these books.

My friend was absolutely right.

So when I finished those, I searched for more. "Digital Fortress" was good, but it didn't have that "historical scavenger hunt-y" aspect that I had enjoyed so much in "Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons." So I decided to just wait patiently for the next book.

"The Lost Symbol" begins with Robert Langdon, the dashing Harvard symbology professor we were introduced to in "Angels & Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code," stepping off a plane in Washington, D.C.

Peter Solomon, whom Langdon describes as his mentor, has asked him to make a speech at an event as a favor, and Langdon feels he can't say no.

As he gets close to the speech location, however, Langdon hears an earsplitting scream and runs off to investigate. Somebody has left a tattooed human hand on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda — and Langdon recognizes it as Solomon's.

The reader knows that it was left there by a dastardly, mysterious villain named Mal’akh who tells Langdon via a phone call that the only way he will see his friend again is if he can uncover the mysteries of the Freemasons, the society to which Solomon belongs.

Novelist Dan Brown has come up with another mega-hit in "The Lost Symbol." Photo by Dan Courter; downloaded from danbrown.com (click to enlarge)

Langdon eventually teams up with Katherine Solomon, Peter's sister and a smart and beautiful scientist working in the field of noetics (which includes the study of the mind-body connection).

For reasons that are unclear, the CIA is also following Langdon and Katherine, bent on making sure that they do not give the Freemason secrets to Mal’akh.

If this sounds at all familiar to you, that might be because it is. While names, places, secret societies, and villains have been changed, the essentials are virtually the same in all the Langdon novels.

This is how the novels tend to play out: Langdon is called away in the middle of the night, a mysterious villain threatens murder and the release of secrets, Langdon meets a smart, attractive woman who helps him on his search for truth, Langdon nearly gets killed in the pursuit of truth, and all is made clear, making the reader feel like an idiot.

Brown has created a formula — and it works really, really well. Sure, the characters are a little two-dimensional and the plots a little contrived, but the formula is action packed and jammed full of interesting trivia.

In my experience, once I pick up a Dan Brown novel, I find it a bit difficult to put it down again. "The Lost Symbol" is no exception.

While the setting lacks the European flair of the other Langdon novels, "The Lost Symbol" is riddled with secrets codes, ancient mysteries, and random tidbits of information that are sure to impress if you share them at a party. Brown is truly a master at finding the most unusual facts and conspiracy theories, and stringing all the ingredients together into a thrilling narrative.