I finally read the da Vinci code and I don't see why it was such a big deal. The book itself is not especially well written, but what really turned me off was the way Dan Brown made up "facts" when the truth would have served just as well. He comes across as either a perpetual liar or someone who is just too lazy to do basic research. Wikipedia explains it pretty well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaccuracies_in_The_Da_Vinci_Code This is the second Dan Brown book I have read, after Deception Point. I wasn't thrilled with it either. They aren't bad books, and they both have a good premise, I just don't like the delivery. In particular he builds false suspense way too often. I lost track of how many times concurrent story lines were about to converge dramatically, only to find out there really was no one behind that door they just opened. According to the wiki entry this is one of the top 5 books of all time in Australia. That completely confuses me, those people need to get to the library.