Airport books  those novels purchased in desperation by bored, cranky travelers seeking distraction from delayed planes  get a bad rap. Oh, sure, there are plenty of trashy romances and Chicken-Soupy self-help guides on offer in airport bookstores, but on the whole, the selection isnt bad. When I have time to kill between flights, I like to wander through and browse (usually leaving a trail of knocked-over displays in the wake of my rolling suitcase). One of the books Id see over and over again was The Da Vinci Code, and each time I saw it, it piqued my curiosity a bit more; but invariably, by the time I got home, Id forgotten all about it. Finally, a friend loaned it to me, and although Id intended it as an in-flight read for an upcoming trip, I couldnt resist starting early.  
 
Robert Langdon, an expert in religious symbology lecturing in Paris, doesnt exactly live a life of danger; he works the lecture circuit, writes scholarly books, and keeps his nose buried in ancient tomes. So its something of a surprise when the police come banging down his hotel-room door. Jacques Sauniere, a curator at the Louvre, has been shot to death in one of the museum galleries; in his last moments, he used his own blood and a marking pen to arrange his body in a bizarre tableau, complete with a coded message. Langdon has ostensibly been called upon in a professional capacity to help solve the mystery. But Agent Sophie Neveu, a police cryptanalyst, reveals the truth: Saunieres dying message included Langdons name, and the police are about to wrongfully arrest him as the killer. Neveu believes in Langdons innocence, and she has a special reason for wanting to find the real murderer: Sauniere was Neveus estranged grandfather. On the run from the police, Neveu and Langdon follow a trail of puzzles and clues to find the truth behind Saunieres murder, and the knowledge he died to protect  information that reaches back through the centuries to a secret society, an artistic genius, and a priceless historical artifact.  
 
Ive always liked books that invite the reader to solve puzzles along with the characters, and Code has them in spades: anagrams, numerical cyphers, riddles, and secret scripts (at one point, a character offhandedly comments that at least 62 other words can be made using the letters of the word PLANETS, and I had to stop reading and try it out for myself). The puzzles range in difficulty from Instantly Obvious to Unsolvable Without Being Fluent In Greek. Theres also plenty of historical information, which is integrated smoothly into the prose; remarkably, even when inserted into dialogue, the explanatory asides dont interrupt the flow. Brown ensures that readers who are unfamiliar with religious iconography and cyphers have all the necessary information to fully enjoy the story, without leaving advanced readers feeling bored or patronized. Even if you know all this stuff already, the authors concise recaps are interesting and, as far as I can tell, well-researched and factually accurate.  
 
Browns writing is clean, precise, and detached, conveying information efficiently and minimizing its narrative presence in the story. The plot is appropriately full of twists and turns, with plenty of cliff-hanging action and a highly satisfying resolution, although some of the inventions seem a bit much (not only must there be a self-mutilating monk/assassin, but he must be an albino self-mutilating monk/assassin to boot). The character development is pretty much what youd expect from an action-packed thriller  which is to say, minimal, unless it provides an excuse for more ass-kicking adventure. The focus is upon the ingenious puzzles-within-puzzles that Brown has devised, rather than the characters who try to solve them; for this type of story, thats not a problem, although it does limit the book to entertainment rather than literature.  
 
A fast-paced, suspenseful, and surprisingly intelligent thriller, The Da Vinci Code deserves its good reputation. Its fascinating, action-packed, and itll do more to stimulate your mind than an overpriced mocha at the Terminal B coffee cart. If youre ready to let your powers of deduction take flight, give this first-class airport book a try.  
