The Da Vinci Code

A Novel

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols.

“Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times

“A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —People

As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded 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.

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©2003 Dan Brown (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this gleefully erudite suspense novel, Mr. Brown takes the format...to blockbuster perfection." (The New York Times)
"Brown solidifies his reputation as one of the most skilled thriller writers on the planet with his best book yet, a compelling blend of history and page-turning suspense." (Library Journal)
"Many notches above the intelligent thriller; this is pure genius." (Nelson DeMille)

Good listen on a long trip - unique plot

Da Vinci code certainly has a unique plot - it will be interesting to some and maybe offensive to others. It moves along nicely making a long drive more tolerable. Plot was a nice change of pace and does take you along some paths not seen in many mystery novels. Reader is good although the foreign accents are pretty silly and sometimes hard to understand.

Very entertaining!

The logical and historical description(s) of the holy grail is/are what makes this entertaining. Sure the plot may seem a bit predictable and the characters somewhat contrived- not to mention the hideous/hilarious accents by the reader- but this book wasn't meant to win a Nobel Prize. This is just entertainment and to that end, this book satisfies. Nothing more, nothing less.

But what if, given the theme of the book, this work of fiction is a way of injecting, into society at large, curiosity about a hidden truth? We may never know...

The Da Vinci Code

You won't want to put this book down. Keeps you guessing!

Good blend of fact & fiction: enjoyable listening

The story is full of interesting and evocative tidbits of historical fact sprinkled with just enough fiction to glue together an exciting story.

Excellent - kept me listening again and again

This story is about one of the more or less common stories of the holy grail (I won't tell you which one), and I felt it was an excellent book. I was interested from the beginning to the end.

The story basicialy is a thriller - following the adventures of two people who are discovering the secrets of the holy grail. Many wonderful twists and unexpected changes. Would highly recommend - just wish it hadn't been abridged - I wanted to hear more.

Great audio reading - really draws you in

be careful be careful

great book but this is the abridged version and I didnt want this, pay attention and make sure you get what you want

One Night

This is one of those books that I got so engrossed in that I ended up listening to the whole book in one day. The plot flows remarkably well and offers up some very interesting ideas re Da Vinci's artwork and philosophies. I recommend this book highly for anyone who likes quickly moving plots and interesting perhaps even controversial ideas regarding art and religion.

All-Time best book

I think this story is the best EVER WRITTEN - with exception of the BIBLE, of course. Well Great Expetations is a very close tie maybe. I loved the book, love the audio book, and am miffed by the abridged movie. All tell an excellent story that stimulates one to think about things that might be different than we were taught to believe. If you like a challenge then buy this. It took three readings to finally figure out whom the "bad guys" were, or weren't. This story is completely unpredictable and just when you think you have it figured out - you have to rethink about it; this story is all but impossible to put down [or shut off] and my social obligations took a back seat until i was at the last sentence. Enjoy!

Interesting

The end was a bit weak. But pretty good overall.

Good plot

Lots of twists and unexpected turns. Enjoyed it!