Central Library Book Review: The Lost Symbol

Staff review by Becky Pieszala

The Lost Symbol, author Dan Brown's long awaited followup to The DaVinci Code, marks the return of Harvard Professor Robert Langdon.  Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to Washington, D.C. by prominent Freemason, friend, and mentor, Peter Solomon.  Solomon asks Langdon to deliver a lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building.  Langdon's arrival in Washington sets in motion another fast-paced thriller by Brown, sending Langdon into secret locations in famous landmarks of our nation's Capital. Over the course of the next twelve hours, he must uncover hidden knowledge and unlock ancient mystical secrets in order to save his friend's life, and possibly civilization as we know it.    

Brown uses the same formula as in The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, and he does make Langdon a little preachy here, as if we've forgotten he's a Harvard Professor full of long-winded history lessons and definitions.   But once again, readers will enjoy the lesson and be drawn into the history of the location, craving to learn more of the hidden history and secrets built into the architecture of Washington D.C.  The Lost Symbol is an exciting, fast-paced thriller that will make you stay up late in order to finish it.