Robert Langdon in Spain

Origin by Dan Brown

Way back in the early 2000's, when everyone was going crazy for a little book that presented "What if Jesus was married?," I started reading Dan Brown's books about symbologist, Robert Langdon. With the exception of The Lost Symbol, I have devoured each of these books in mere days, always wanting more. This one was no different.

It has to be said that Mr. Brown has a formula that works for him. There's some religious/historical crisis in a well-known city (usually in Europe, but not always), somehow the help of a symbologist is always needed, there's a hot woman, the mystery is solved (usually involving some deaths), and the crisis is averted. This one was no different.

In this case, Langdon was summoned to Barcelona by a former student who was going to reveal something astounding to the world. Something so astounding that leaders of the Catholic church, the Jewish community, and Islamic community don't want the information released into the world. Something that is worth killing for to keep it from being publicized.

Edmond Kirsh, Landgon's former student and friend has uncovered the "secret" to creation. He's an atheist and one of the world's foremost technology gurus. He stages a massive unveiling at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain, whose head curator, Ambra Vidal, is the future queen of Spain. Kirsh is assassinated in front of a worldwide audience, seconds after Langdon has been alerted by Winston, Kirsch's artificial intelligence cohort.

What follows is a mystery that takes Langdon and Ambra to Barcelona in an effort to reveal Kirsh's discovery to the world, while eluding those who are out to get them.

Like Brown's other books in the series, this one is packed with description and intrigue. I am happy to report that I did guess whodunit on this one, long before the end of the book.