The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Hardcover 2009. 509 pages.
South Amboy, NJ

Zach Solomon, son of Peter, has gone over to the dark side because he feels he is abandoned by his father and wants to get even. He infiltrates the Freemasons and attains the highest level (33rd). By kidnapping Peter, he gets Peter's sister Katherine and Professor Robert Langdon to help him locate the lost symbol which will make him ready for the final sacrifice. The books starts with Langdon getting a fake message early in the morning and ends with Langdon and Katherine seeing the morning sun bounce from the National Monument to the Capitol Building the next morning. Meanwhile the CIA, the Capitol Architect, the leader of the National Cathedral, and many others are involved, with a few people dying along the way.

The book does contain some plot twists, most of which are in the "so what" category. The only one that impresses is the discovery that Mal'akh is Zach, who we thought died in a foreign prison. There are also many occasions where one screams at the stupidity of Langdon and Katherine, such as why Langdon would hop on a plane to go to Washington DC to begin with, or why they would believe Peter is freed without actually talking to him.

In terms of Freemason secrets such as their ceremonies, I don't find them that exciting. That there are these "perfect squares" is an interesting fact. Finally, it is a bit of a let down that the lost symbol is actually a Bible inside the corner stone of the National Monument (which of course never gets uncovered). The last 20 or so pages see the author trying to pontificate on how we are all creators and other philosophical issues; he is not qualified to do that. If I wanted to read up on the meaning of life, a book by Dan Brown probably isn't high on my reading list.

Overall not a bad book. The ending is more satisfying than the one in "The Da Vinci Code." It is not good enough to warrant the 500 plus pages, though.