world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol  is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol  accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

The setting for Brown’s thriller is not some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard: Washington, D.C.  The story is steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned by his old mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. But when Langdon arrives for his lecture, instead of an audience, he finds Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. A villain known as Mal'akh, a steroid-swollen, tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, has kidnapped Peter--and promises to kill him--if Langdon doesn't agree to help find a secret portal through which he will discover the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. Mal'akh wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. As Langdon follows clues, he is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth. Peter's younger sister, Kathleen, joins Langdon in his search. There’s a deadly chase that ensues back and forth, across, above, and below the nation's capital, as Kathleen and Langdon dart from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical items. As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code  and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown’s novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn.  The Lost Symbol  is exactly what Brown’s fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet.