The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, is a perfect combination of mystery, action, and thrills. The initial setup takes place at the Louvre in Paris, France. The protagonist Robert Langdon appears once again in a Dan Brown series to solve a murder mystery. This time, paired with Sophie Neveu, the cryptologists and the granddaughter of the victim Jacques Saunière, curator of the Louvre museum.
The Da Vinci code is well researched and packed with ancient secrets and artifacts. Puzzles, anagrams and cryptic messages are everywhere.
One of the most interesting points was Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—The guardians of a breathtaking historical secret.
Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.
“Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.”
― Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code Summary (No spoilers)
It begins with the murder of Jacques Saunière who guarded a powerful secret. Before he perishes, he leaves clues designed to unveil the secret to Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard University. Among the police at the crime scene is Sophie Neveu. She teams up with Langdon to solve the mystery of The Da Vinci Code.
Shortly before his murder, Saunière called Sophie to tell her the secret. She finds out that the clues left for Langdon will help her discover this secret. Fache, the chief of police is convinced that Langdon is the murderer. Langdon and Sophie gather the clues from the museum and fled the scene. If Langdon was arrested he would not be able to follow Saunière’s clues and prove his innocence.
“What really matters is what you believe.”
― Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
They learn the truth about Saunière’s life. Langdon and Sophie hoped that uncovering the pieces of evidence that find along the way will lead them to Saunière’s true killer.
By following Saunière’s clues, they discovered a keystone. The group called Opus Dei is after them along with the police. Opus Dei is a secret group within the Catholic Church that was working against the Priory of Scion. In The Da Vinci Code, there are three main characters in Opus Dei: a bishop, a man known only as “the Teacher,” and an albino monk known as Silas. Silas is willing to do whatever it takes to recover the keystone.
They manage to get to Versailles, where Langdon’s friend Sir Leigh Teabing lives. Teabing is a famous Grail historian. Langdon chose Teabing’s home as a destination not only because they are friends but also because he hopes to learn more about the keystone. However, Sophie and Langdon are not the only characters to visit Teabing. Silas finds his way there, too, and breaks in, but is no match for the whole group. They overpower him, gag him, and flee France in a private jet that flies them to London.
“Life is filled with secrets. You can’t learn them all at once.”
― Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code
Their quest for the secret brings them to the Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Sophie was reunited with her grandmother and brother. She has spent most of her life thinking they were dead and is overjoyed to be with them again. Her grandmother works with Langdon to figure out more clues.
Writing anything else would be spoiling the immense trill and turnarounds that awaits.
The Da Vinci Code is a must read.
About the author
Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars.
In 2005, TIME MAGAZINE named Dan Brown one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
The editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”
Author’s website – https://danbrown.com/