The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Hoo wee, I'm getting behind over here. I've already finished Olive Kitteridge and have started on Shutter Island, but I still haven't yet written up The Lost Symbol. Slacker!

Anyway, I'll be able to keep this relatively short because I'm sure you won't be the least surprised that The Lost Symbol is fun and interesting, but no great departure from Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code. I think the science in Angels & Demons was more convincing and the art in The Da Vinci Code was more exciting. Plus Brown really took on the Church head to head in Code but he's almost apologetic about using the Masons as his mysterious organization in The Lost Symbol. Is Dan Brown a Mason? Who knows, but he seems to really like them and worries about besmirching their reputation throughout the book.

I did love his setting the story in Washington, DC, and using the odd symbols and ideology of our nation's founders. Revolutionary era US history is fascinating because this group of incredibly smart and impassioned men went about the business of creating a concept, a belief system, a philosophy for a wholly new nation, and a lot of their ideas have been muddied by modern day politics to the point that the average person's understanding of these big ideas is often confused. There's so much that would be shocking to the average (ignorant) modern American that it's the perfect treasure trove for Brown's typical storytelling MO. And it is definitely a typical Dan Brown story, and the ending is a bit of a softball, but I enjoyed myself anyway. It's the perfect quickie Summertime read, so be sure to pick up a copy before you head to the beach this year.