Rating: 
Summary: Engaging but Simplistic Plot
Review: Mix in a little Templar Knights, a little Catholic conspiracy theory, an albino monk, a religious symbologist, and a French cryptographer, and then write a plot that reveals the mystery of the Grail and the feminine goddess in a few circuits of the hour-hand on your watch.
The premise & topic of this book is one I can find very fascinating, and that's what kept me interested in the book. But just as throwing a bunch of ingredients & spices into a recipe doesn't assure a tasty meal, I came away from this book somewhat disappointed that the end result wasn't more satisfying. Plot twists and developments seem so conveniently contrived, and there's an odd mixture of solving things too easily and of being blind to the obvious. To me, one sign of a poorly written book is when the author has to go back near the end of the story and give explanation and foundation. I had suspected the character who turned out to be the "villain", but mostly dismissed that character on the basis of all the improbable storyline twists that would be required. Then, lo and behold, the author provides just the plot twists and background so this person can be viable as the villain, while also explaining why & how all the apparent coincidences weren't necessarily coincidence. There were still enough good plot twists to keep you wondering and interested. There's not a lot of character development, however, as most of the characters simply seem to serve the role of moving the plot along. Also, the compressed time span of the main story was something requiring suspension of reason.
All in all, this book offers up a lot of interesting facts and plotting, but ends up being something less than a reader expects.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read, but no history lesson
Review: More than once during the read of this novel, I have winced at the lack of credibility--either at the story line or at one of the interjected historical lessons. To wit (page 125), Brown expects the reader to accept that male domination in political and religious life (including the lack of female Orthodox Jewish rabbis or Islamic clerics) is to be blamed on the European Catholic Church of the Middle Ages. He credits the Malleus Maleficarum for ending the "days of the goddess," expecting the reader to suspend recognition that nearly all dominant cultures throughout recorded history have had religions in which male gods dominate over female godesses and political systems in which men hold positions of greatest authority. I'm not sure The Da Vinci Code should be used as a source of credible information so much as a fun and generally clever light-weight mystery thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, but stretched credibility
Review: Most of the reviews I've read have been complimentary about The Da Vinci Code, The critics liked the book and it has become a runaway best seller, so I know I'm in the minority, when I say I thought the book was a bit lame.A book full of references to the Holy Grail, Opus Dei, the Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, the Golden Ratio and symbology in famous art works should be interesting, and the Da Vinci Code was interesting. However I thought the main characters lacked depth, the wild assumptions and conclusions made by Langdon and Sophie continually stretched credibility and I thought the plot was predictable and started to run out of steam about half way through. I regularly read in reviews that this book is 'well researched', however the constant reference to Sir Leigh Teabing as 'Sir Teabing' rather than the correct (as any commonwealth citizen knows) Sir Leigh, gave me the distinct impression that the research was quick and superficial, or at the very least, the book was in need of some rigorous editing. It's a fast-paced easy read, but I could only give the Da Vinci Code three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Topic, Stale Writing
Review: Most of the story in The Da Vinci Code is really a framing tale telling the story of the Christian Church, from blackmail, lies, and murders, up to and including devotion, faith, and love. The subject matter of The Da Vinci Code is very interesting, and information on the Grail, Da Vinci, the Knights Templar, Mary Magdelene, the Louvre, etc, is presented in such a way as to make the reader want to learn more about them. While the book is entertaining and thought-provoking, Brown's writing style seems more likely to fit in with the Young Adult section than the Literature section. First, he writes many scenes as though he's doing treatments for a movie. Second, there is hardly any suspense from about halfway through the book, although Brown tries his best to make you believe there is. You know exactly who's done what 40 pages before Brown reveals it, because Brown pretty much beats you over the head with hints. Let's face it: The Da Vinci Code is not the Book of Revelations. But having said that, it was definitely interesting, and I'm happy I read it.
Rating:
Summary: Heavy Dose of Masonic Dogma
Review: Most readers found this book entertaining. I did too. I started it and even stayed up one night for several hours reading when I should have been sleeping. A couple of glaring plot defects came through, though. 1. How did the young lady have a laser cut key which existed at least 20 years ago? I thought laser cut keys were a fairly recent development, and, 2. How did the butler meet the 'Teacher' without immediately recognising him? BUT the obvious heavy dosage of Masonic (and several other religious persuasions) dogma is dealt out with a sledge hammer. The book seems to assert that there is a huge library of documents that 'prove' that Jesus was only human, married Mary Magdaline, and moved to France, to sire several children. He asserts that the Holy Bible is a product of the tinkering of the power-hungry church officials who want only to maintain their domination and control over the minds of their poor subjects. With several other facts he has missed, he has missed the fact that the Bible was pretty much 'solidified' before the Catholic Church became the power structure that it is today. His assertion that the extra-Biblical documents 'prove' that Jesus was merely a man constitue a gratuitous assertion, which can be gratuitously denied. Proof of the pudding lies in the facts that the Apostles (most of them) went to the death for their faith, as did hundreds more in the first century. I doubt that many people would die agonizing deaths for a lie. There is also the disturbing fact of a complex mathematical code found in the New Testament writings by a Harvard Mathematician which are nearly impossible for a human writer to duplicate. To me this code shows the finger of God in the writings. Bottom Line: fun book, good story, but watch out for the propaganda.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: Most thrillers have the similar twists and turns that are somewhat predictable, but not too intelligent. This book, full of thriller novel might pull out some out the usual themes, but it is the most intelligent book I've probably ever read. You don't have to be a scholar to enjoy this -- heck, I'm a college student who majored in communications...you don't get much more basic than that! Just reading this book made me feel smart, and I did it in 3 days....a record for me! Definately give it a try, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating subject
Review: Mr Brown has really done some fantastic research and he raises some wonderfully perplexing questions about the Christian faith. I found that it made me study more on those questions and look up information about the Knights Templar and the gospel according to Thomas. The downside to this book was that it did not hold my attention as far as the story was concerned. I found it not up to par with many similar books.
Rating:
Summary: Best read I've had in years
Review: Mr Brown has taken the research of scholars and produced a thriller/mystery that's bound to entertain and educate. The book is fast-paced and impossible to put down. A hard-core mystery fan, I haven't enjoyed a read like this in...a very, very long time.
Rating:
Summary: good for delays in airports etc +ERROR about train station
Review: Mr Brown, No train for Lille departs from Gare St Lazare!!!!
Check your sources: It should have been Gare du Nord.
Details matter in Fiction too.
Rating: 
Summary: Check your brain at the door as Mr. Brown re-writes history
Review: Mr. Brown and the publisher have made an obscene amount of money by presenting a fantasy novel as an historically accurate, "exhaustively researched", and credible piece of fiction to the detriment of the reputations of others. They have perpetrated a grave injustice that is an affront to the intelligence of the reader. They should be ashamed of themselves.
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