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The Da Vinci Code is a mystery historical fiction novel by Dan Brown. It is currently the World's #1 Best Seller novel and has been like this for a long time. The book starts with a Harvard professor of religious symbology named Robert Langon, receiving an urgent call from the Paris police about Jacques Sauiere, curator of the famed Paris museum Louvre, being murdered inside the grand gallery. Being a professor of religious symbology, the police had hired Langdon to help them decipher the codes. Robert soon met Sophie Neveu, an agent from the DCPJ and also a talented cryptographer. As Langdon and Sophie proceed further into the murder mystery with clues left by none other than Jacques Sauiere himself, they discover that the murder is not at all simple. Langdon first realized that Jacques Sauinere was the leader, or the "grandmaster" of a secret organization called Priory of Sion, created to protect a sacred religious secret. They then realized that another secret religious organization called Opus Dei is also searching for the secret protected by the Priory. Langdon, Sophie, and many others involved in this mission were in danger, and they were in a race against time to preserve the secret, or all that Jacques Sauniere worked for would be lost. Being a genius at cryptography and hidden symbols, Saunier made the journey extremely complicated, for he wanted the ultimate knowledge to be in "the hands of the worthy." Code after code, the secret that the Priory was protecting gradually came into light for Langdon and Sophie, and it proved to be a stunning historical revelation. 

In my opinion, this novel is exceptionally well written, although quite difficult to understand at first. Take the "secret" the Priory had been protecting, for example. It took me ten read-throughs to fully understand what the secret was. Being a historical fiction novel, the book accurately reflects many historical events and groups, like the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei. Dan Brown reveals many shocking stories about Christianity and makes us look at religion from a whole different perspective. This book is worth reading, and I would even recommend reading it more than once. I promise you that you will find more and more secrets and clues every time you read it. However, I would admit that some people may find this book controversial, as some book contents overturn many of our viewpoints on religious subjects.

Nevertheless, the book's conclusion would satisfy most readers, as it answers many of the questions that appeared in our minds throughout the novel. The book is roughly 500 pages, so it requires some time to sit down and read it thoroughly. But please don't let the length of the book stop you from reading it, for the book would progress very quickly once your interest in it piques up. 

Overall, I would rate this book a 9/10. It is one of the most notable books I've ever read and made a lasting impression on me. 

Check out The Da Vinci Code from the Newport Beach Public Library.