The Lost Symbol

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexpected summons to appear at the U.S. Capitol Building. His planned lecture is interrupted when a disturbing object—artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the building. Langdon recognizes in the find an ancient invitation into a lost world of esoteric, potentially dangerous wisdom. When his mentor Peter Solomon—a longstanding Mason and beloved philanthropist—is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that the only way to save Solomon is to accept the mystical invitation and plunge headlong into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and one inconceivable truth . . . all under the watchful eye of Dan Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn--Brown's most exciting novel yet.

I read The Da Vinci Code ages ago (I think over a decade!). I remember that it was a book that everyone I knew seemed to be talking about. At this point, I don’t remember too much about The Da Vinci Code, but I do recall that it had been a fun read.

After the Book Riot podcast recently mentioned Dan Brown and the upcoming film adaptation of Inferno (the fourth book in the Robert Langdon series), I found myself curious about The Lost Symbol, which comes after The Da Vinci Code, featuring another adventure starring world-renowned symbologist Robert Langdon.

This time around, the story centres on Washington, D.C. and the Masons, and Robert’s efforts to save the life of his close friend Peter Solomon. The book was a fun, fairly entertaining read with some twists and turns. I enjoyed it (and confess that I did stay up a bit past my bedtime to try and finish it) but I didn’t have any emotional connection to anyone whatsoever. For me, this was a purely plot-centric story but not one that will stay with me.

If you enjoyed Langdon’s previous adventures – and if you haven’t read this yet – I recommend it. I’m planning on reading the next book, Inferno, although I don’t think I’m in a big hurry to do so.