Dan Brown's latest novel seems to me, unfortunately, to just be "more of the same." Once again, Robert Langdon is needed to solve a puzzle involving ancient secret societies, while pursued by a madman and the CIA. The secrets this time around are the ones that the Masonic Order has been keeping, and they are of apparently world-shaking importance.Langdon is invited to come speak in Washington DC by an old friend, Peter Solomon, a wealthy man who is also a Masonic Grand Master. When Langdon arrives, he finds that Peter has been kidnapped and tortured, and sets out to decode the secrets of the Masonic pyramid to satisfy the kidnapper, who wants access to the Ancient Mysteries for his own sick purposes. The director of the CIA also needs Langdon to unlock the secrets, so that she can keep the kidnapper from releasing Masonic secrets which have national security implications.
There are a couple of interesting plot twists, but by and large this novel just continues the barrage of conspiracy theory-based plots in a little different location. I'm sure Mr. Brown has researched the secret societies thoroughly, but trying to squeeze all views of U.s. history and the designs of our founding fathers through the lens of Masonic symbolism gets old in a hurry.
I'm glad I only checked this one out from the library, and didn't spend my own money on it.
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