Last Tuesday marked the debut of Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol, and I was so excited to arrive home and see my little brown Amazon package waiting for me at the garage door!

In case you’ve missed the pre-publicity hype, Brown’s latest book continues to adventures of Robert Langdon, Harvard professor and expert symbolist, as he takes on the mysteries and mayhem awaiting him in Washington, D.C.

I have to honestly say that while I enjoyed this book, I didn’t like it as much as The Da Vinci Code. I felt the beginning of the book moved slowly – I wanted more puzzles and clues – and there was a great deal of “explaining” that at times felt awkward. I also grew frustrated with the number of times Langdon was incredulous about something and then finally “got it”. And I found some of the character’s actions unbelievable, in particular how they kept getting into trouble due to how trusting they were.

However, with that aside, this book is an entertaining read. It’s a trip through Washington and through history, with a special emphasis in this novel on the Freemasons, a group which I personally knew little about. I give Brown credit for the incredible amount of research he puts into his books and how he devises a plot that pulls it all together.

While this book is long, over 500 pages, it will appeal to Brown’s fans – in fact it has already sold in record-breaking numbers. It has strong themes of spirituality running throughout, which should appeal to some readers (but not others).

Overall, I would give The Lost Symbol 3 1/2 Stars!