About the book
When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered in a Swiss research facility, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man’s chest. His baffling conclusion: that it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years – reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their most hated enemy, the Catholic church. In Rome, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away, Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair – a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican. But, with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot, which leaves Langdom and Vetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invisible enemy…
Reviewed by Morning Tide WI reading group:
The story has great excitement, it is full of scientific information and detailed description of torture and murder (not for the faint hearted).
Star rating: ***
Hampshire Libraries 
Review by U3A Book Circle II Reading Group:
Most of the group found it an absorbing book and didn’t want to put it down. One or two found it difficult to get into and gave up before the end, because of the intricacies of the plot and the scientific and religious references. A lot of research has gone into it – there are inconsistencies on the science side but it is a thrilling and exciting story in the style of a James Bond novel.
Star rating: ***
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