The search for the Holy Grail is one of the most intriguing enigmas
of history, art and fiction. Speculation as to its location, its
meaning, even its existence have fueled the imaginations of
artists, writers, rulers and clerics for centuries. Dan Brown's THE
DA VINCI CODE is a stunning new thriller that presents a new slant
on the meaning of the very nature of this vessel, which was
purported to hold the blood of Christ.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he
receives an urgent midnight call at his hotel from the Paris
Judicial Police. The man he had planned to meet with the next day,
a curator of the Louvre, has been found murdered in the Grand
Gallery of the world's most famous art museum. Langdon has been
summoned apparently because of his connection to the victim and his
knowledge of ancient symbols.

He is rushed to the scene to find Jacques Sauniere's body lying
spread eagled and naked with a pentagram painted on his torso. He
is told that Sauniere apparently painted the symbol on his own
chest and arranged his body in the bizarre position before he died
of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Langdon's expertise in symbology
and his acquaintance with the curator are called upon to help
decipher the motive and help police find the killer.

Police detective Sophie Neveu from the Paris police cryptology
division arrives on the scene; she and Langdon embark on a
dangerous and frantic search for the murderer. They soon discover
that Sauniere's message was not a clue to the identity of his
killer, which is what the police believe, but instead holds a much
deeper and significant message to mankind. The connections to the
murderer reach into the very depths of some of the highest
authorities of Europe.

Langdon and Neveu are ensnared in the ever-tightening mesh of this
deadly triangle of power, as Langdon seeks to clear himself of
suspicion of his colleague's murder. The desperate battle between
The Priory of Scion, Opus Dei and the Vatican in the search for the
Holy Grail airs one of the most fascinating theories on the Holy of
Holies published in a very long time.

Dan Brown's extensive research on secret societies and symbology
(he wrote ANGELS AND DEMONS, a bestseller about secret Italian
religious societies) adds intellectual depth to this page-turning
thriller. His surprising revelations on Da Vinci's penchant for
hiding codes in his paintings will lead the reader to search out
renowned artistic icons as The Mona Lisa, The Madonna of the Rocks
and The Last Supper. The Last Supper holds the most astonishing
coded secrets of all and, after reading THE DA VINCI CODE, you will
never see this famous painting in quite the same way again.

Brown has given us a controversial subject wrapped in thriller
clothing that will provoke debate in the circles of religious and
secret societies --- and among readers. Curl up on the couch and
dive into a title filled with speculation, action and
intrigue.