The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2003 was the year of Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code. Selling over 80 million copies to date, the book was translated into 44 languages and a major movie came out a few years later. Those in the publishing world kept asking one question –could Dan Brown do it again? The Lost Symbol, released in mid September, answers with a resounding yes. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is back in Boston when he receives a phone call from the office of his mentor, Peter Solomon, asking him to quickly get on a plane and deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Yet when Langdon arrives, he finds the Capitol empty, except for Solomon’s severed hand, which is now covered with tattoos of ancient symbols.

The Lost Symbol is set over a tense evening in Washington D.C., when Langdon and Peter’s sister, Katherine Solomon join forces to not only find Peter, but to solve an ancient Masonic mystery. Brown draws readers in with short, quickly paced chapters that alternate story lines and gives readers an in-depth background of the historical Washington buildings, secret societies, the intertwined role of history and science, and hidden histories. Brown also creates one of the most evil characters in recent thrillers, Mal’akh, who brings terror to Washington, and tries to expose long lost Masonic secrets.

Those looking for a quick, thrilling read, or those interested in books set in Washington will find it with The Lost Symbol. The Tompkins County Public Library has 20 copies to check out, as well as 3 copies of the audio version. - Reviewed by Sarah

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain

The haunting relationship between Portland, Oregon cop Archie Sheridan and the most famous female serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, continues in the newest thriller by Chelsea Cain. Set just weeks after the end of her first book, Heartsick, Archie has stopped his weekly visits to Gretchen and is trying to kick his addiction to painkillers. When bodies are found in a Portland park, Archie is reminded of Gretchen constantly because that is where her first victim was found murdered. A sudden phone call from the prison explaining that Gretchen has been beaten and raped by a prison guard brings Archie back into Gretchen’s life. Little does anyone know that Gretchen is planning her escape from prison and is soon on the run – right into capturing Archie all over again.

Full of psychological intrigue, a fascinating and unhealthy sexual relationship between the hunted and the hunter, and page-turning suspense and build ups, Cain has written another superb thriller. A subplot featuring reporter Susan Ward and her investigation into a fallen Senator who ends up dead adds to the intrigue of the book and develops Susan more in this novel. For a review of Heartsick, please view http://www.tcpl.org/sarah/2007/10/55-heartsick-by-chelsea-cain.html - Reviewed by Sarah

Secret Servant by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon, master art restorer and sometime officer of Israeli intelligence, is sent to Amsterdam to purge the archives of a murdered terrorism analyst, Solomon Rosner. While in Amsterdam he uncovers a plot to kidnap Elizabeth Halton, daughter of the American Ambassador to England. Warnings to British authorities are not acted upon in time and Allon gets to the scene just as Elizabeth Halton is being kidnapped by terrorists. We follow Allon as he and his team crisscross Europe in hopes of rescuing her before the terrorists kill her.

Silva has given us an exciting novel that provides some background on the plight of the Islamic and Israeli world in the East and throughout Europe. -Reviewed by Rosie