If you are a Dan Brown fan, you will not be disappointed with his latest book. It has the intrigue and pattern-finding we have come to expect and an underlying threat of world disaster entwined in a murder mystery. He uses the idea of internet blogs as a recapping device that will resound with those who frequent these kinds of sites and in doing so, enhances the conspiracy theorist in all of us, as he tells the tale of a great revelation, halted in its tracks by assassination.
This is the fifth book in the Robert Langdon series and follows Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno. It is, however, completely comfortable as a stand-alone tale and is gripping in its attention to detail and puzzle-finding.
The characters come with diverse backgrounds. Some are linked by belief whilst others are pulled into the story by being invited by a leading scientist and entrepreneur to a huge, black-and-white feature evening event at the Guggenheim Bilbao museum in Spain,. The event is purported to be the place of an announcement that “will change the face of science forever “.
The scientist, Edmond Kirsch, has invited his guests to show the latest in technological advancements he has made and intends to share a scientific discovery that he believes will question beliefs that are fundamental to the very existence of mankind. His death, before the announcement, starts a series of events that will keep any reader turning the pages.
In the telling of this story, readers see a race to decipher hidden clues in modern art, history and ancient religion. Once again, Brown uses symbols to produce a trail to be discovered and followed. Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal (the Museum director) search for the key to unlock the secret that caused Kirsch’s untimely death. They race to find the information, battling a foe who seems to be one step ahead at every turn until they find a truth that has been long buried; a truth that may have you questioning what you thought you knew.
Reviewed by Leanne Caune
Rating out of 10: 9
Distributed by: Penguin Australia
Release Date: October 2017
RRP: $39.99 hardback, $16.99 eBook
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