Inferno by Dan Brown

This book was good, but not as good as I was hoping (based on the first three Langdon books).  I was starting to get frustrated with how heavily the story relied on memory loss, and although everything was tied up and explained to my satisfaction, I still had to suffer through the beginning.  The story does have the vivid descriptions of art and scenery that Brown is a genius at, and the puzzles to be solved and the clues given are interesting.  Without giving any spoilers, I did find the ending a little shocking, in a good way, so that being said perhaps I did enjoy the book more than I thought (the second half is far better than the first half, so be patient).

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Before I have read any Dan Brown books I have only heard good things about his writting. I decided to see what all the hub-bub was about, but I figured I should not start with the Robert Langdon series because I may be biased due to how much I enjoyed the movie adaptations (you can do no wrong with Tom Hanks). So my Dan Brown choices for a first read were limited and Deception Point was the winner, and after I read it, I think I became the winner; the book was amazing. The amount of research/scientific knowledge/detail that went into the well thought out plot are awe inspiring. Dan Brown crafts a suspenseful story that literally can not be put down without wanting to pick it back up moments later. The characters in the book are fantastic and so diverse, from the sleazy politician, to the masculine yet vulnerable explorer, to the intelligent and independent female lead, to the comic relief of the quirky scientist; this book has it all.

The book was about a group of scientists/researchers who are being hunted down after they think they have uncovered a fatal flaw in the most historic find to all of mankind. THe great part about the book is that the mystery stays alive for the duration of the book. Although there were some aspects of the plot that you could figure out before they happened, this just lulled you into a false sense of security when you were hit with something out of the blue turning everything you thought you knew upside down. I must say I was impressed with Dan Brown, his writting, and his ability to tell a thrilling story. I was made a fan and I will definitley continue reading whatever he puts out.