The Da Vinci Code is one of those books that makes you wonder how the author could come up with a plot so complex, yet organized. Following the murder of the Louvre museum’s curator, a French cryptologist and a Harvard religious symbology professor work together to decipher signs left by the curator moments before his death. This leads them to a search for a long-hidden treasure, while being pursued by police as suspects for the curator’s murderers. Simultaneously, the religious group Opus Dei is trying to locate this treasure and destroy it before it strips them of their power and influence. Every chapter introduces a new clue, more action, and another mystery impatiently waiting to be solved. It’s hard to put this book down.

The energetic plot responsible for your interest and eagerness to read has its disadvantages, though: it is privileged, leaving the characters underdeveloped, mere tools to carry out the action. Secondly, it is extremely dense and fast-paced. This story is something you can easily lose track of, but need to keep up with.

Luckily, the story line is intriguing enough to remain relatively untarnished by these inconveniences. National Treasure fans, this book is for you. A similar astonishing, action-filled film played in my head as I read. Infused with history and astonishing facts, as well as much commotion, this book is realistic fiction on the verge of sci-fi and maybe even fantasy. I recommend The Da Vinci Code to anyone, with a warning that its simple style and explicit allusions may not appeal to the more literary.