Book Review: ‘Symbol’ no match for ‘Code’

"The Da Vinci Code” succeeded because its secret — about Jesus — was so controversial. The main problem with "The Lost Symbol” is the secret involves the powerful brotherhood known as the Masons and the underground location in Washington, D.C., of a lost word that will unlock Ancient Mysteries. Who cares?

The novel has other flaws. Author Dan Brown oddly breaks the 509 pages into 134 chapters. Some are only a page or two. The structure makes it easy to finish a chapter and put the book down and do something else. Also, Brown does not write realistic conversations. Langdon and others make speeches to each other. Nobody, not even Harvard professors, talks like that. Wait for it to come out in paperback or skip it entirely.

— Nolan Clay