In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon <b>The Da Vinci Code</b><i>,</i> Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. <b>The Lost Symbol</b> is a masterstroke of storytelling&mdash;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., <b>The Lost Symbol</b> accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.<br><br>As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object &mdash;artfully encoded with five symbols&mdash;is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.<br><br>When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon&mdash;a prominent Mason and philanthropist &mdash;is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations&mdash;all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.<br><br>As the world discovered in <b>The Da Vinci Code</b> and <b>Angels &amp; Demons</b>, 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. <b>The Lost </b>Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet.