The Lost Symbol

Stars: 4/5

Author: Dan Brown

Subjects: History, Symbols, Masonic, Washington DC, Robert Langdon, Thriller, Drama, Family, Religion, Spirituality

ISBN: 9780385504225

Copyright Year: 2009

Other Comments:

Out of the previous two books in the series following the protagonist Robert Langdon, The Lost Symbol, is defiantly the weakest of the three. It follows Langdon, on his quest to save one of his best friends, Peter Solomon’s life. Peter is like a father to Robert. He is a prominent and the highest ranking Mason in the Washington DC area. The only way to save the kidnapped man’s life is for him to be thrown headlong into the secretive Masonic world. Decoding the Mason’s most protected secret will be the only way to ensure Peter’s safety, but will Robert a non mason be able to achieve the feat? Only a wild, Dan Brown styled trip around Washington DC, studying the symbology will tell us now.

The Sherlockian

Stars: 4.5/5

Author: Graham Moore

Subjects: History, Crime, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Historical Fiction, Secret Societies, Murder

ISBN: 978-0-446-57259-0

Copyright Year: 2010

Other Comments:

This is a great Historical Fiction novel. Although it is a work of fiction it is steeped in real historical knowledge. It follows the search for the missing diary of Dr. Doyle, by Harold White after the death of a prominent member of the secret society, The Sherlockian, who claims to have found the diary. The only real issue I have with the book is it is a little bit hard to follow. The novel has alternating chapters between two settings: the first in the present and the second in the 1890s-1900s. The point of view switches every chapter from the present to the actual missing diary entries of Dr. Doyle. The plot weaves an intricate web that keeps the reader hanging on until the very end.

The Good Thief

Stars: 2.5/5
Author: Hannah Tinti
Subjects: orphans, New England, United States History 1783-1865
ISBN: 9780385337458
Copyright Year: 2008
Other Comments: I actually had the pleasure of meeting Hannah Tinti at an author reading at Salem College.  She explained this novel was about different types of "monsters" - dwarfs, giants, murderers, the undead, etc. The setting of the novel is New England sometime during 1783-1865.  The novel follows Ren, a young orphan who lost his hand at a young age.  Benjamin Nab whisks him away from the orphanage on a dangerous and dark adventure to make money any way possible - including grave robbing.  In the end, Ren comes face to face with the man who killed his mother.  There were several things about this piece of historical fiction that turned me off.  First was all the violence.  There were bloody scenes of dismemberment and murder all throughout the novel.  Second was the fact that the title wasn't very fitting.  I didn't consider any of the characters "good".  Finally, the ending felt very rushed and abrupt; especially after all the lead up and the short appearance of the main villain.  I usually can handle dark fiction, but this gave me a very disturbed after taste and I am not sure I will be reading anything else by Hannah Tinti.