It's a Dan Brown novel -- what is there to review? If you've read a couple of his books then you know the gist. Harvard University's Professor of Art History & Symbology, Robert Langdon,* is called in to a different part of the world to help solve a crime. Amazingly, the criminal has left clues for how to stop his/her plan but in the form of a historical puzzle which Langdon must then solve. The plot usually unfolds in a 24 hour time period with many twists and turns along the way.
Still, Brown makes it exciting every time. A lot of people like Brown's books for how descriptive he is. Since Langdon is a SME on all things art history, setting his stories in France or Italy allows Brown to describe the grand architecture, paintings, sculptures, etc. in painstakingly accurate detail. For some people, the descriptors just jump off the page, but for me, these are the most annoying passages. I'm a visual guy... I need to see something to fully comprehend it. Reading about something doesn't inspire a picture in my head, it just slows down my pace.
However, I liked Inferno. I've read all of Dan Brown's work** and I'd probably rank this as his third best. It has all the elements you like plus a very different beginning and a crazy ending that has huge implications. Borrow it from your local library today.
*Langdon is as much of a professor as Indiana Jones. So... not really at all.
**Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, The DaVinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno
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