As someone who considers herself fairly well read, it’s something of an embarrassment to admit that I enjoy peeling through a Dan Brown book in the bathtub. I like them for three reasons: first, I’m usually able to predict the ending with 300 pages left; second, they make me see places I’ve traveled (Paris, Rome) or live (DC) in a more mysterious light; and third, the bite-sized chapters make it easy for me to demolish a 500 page book in 2-3 days. Dan Brown’s latest book – The Lost Symbol – didn’t disappoint on any of those three points.
Even so, it was – overall – disappointing. I should’ve loved it – especially since it’s set right in my city and most of the action takes place within a ten block radius of my home. Instead, I found it a bit heavy-handed on the God-talk and a bit long in the symbolism. Add to that overly-predicatable plot twists, a very unsympathetic villain, and it was cookie-cutter thriller material at best.
Perhaps the only good thing to have come from that investment of time? I’m now inspired to tour the Masonic Temple of the Scottish Rite that’s around the corner from my house on 16th Street, and the next time I walk past the National Cathedral, I’ll definitely crane my neck to see if it really does have Darth Vader as one of the gargoyles. Otherwise, The Lost Symbol will go down as simply lost time in my book.
pithypants 
I was surprised to discover that DC cabs apparently have shields between the passenger and driver (like NYC cabs) and that there are dispatchers. If he’d said the cab driver was glued to his cell phone speaking Urdu to a mysterious spouse / girlfriend / brother in law, I would have believed that. A radio and a dispatcher? Never seen it.