The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was originally published in 2003 and has become an international bestseller, with sales of over 80 million. It was made into a popular movie starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, and Ian McKellen. The novel is Brown’s fourth, a fast-paced thriller with political, historical, and religious overtones. Its initial release generated controversy for perceived condemnation of the Catholic Church and historical inaccuracies. Despite the charges, The Da Vinci Code remains one of the bestselling works of fiction ever made.

The novel has a character who is referred to as “The Albino,” an offensive characterization of people with albinism.

Plot Summary

Renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris for a lecture. Bezu Fache, a detective with the French Judicial Police, summons him to the Louvre. The Louvre curator, Jacques Sauniére, has been murdered, a cryptic message written next to the body alongside Langdon’s name. Langdon had been scheduled to meet with Sauniére earlier that evening, and he senses Fache considers him the prime suspect. While Fache questions Langdon, agent Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist, bursts into the museum gallery. Pretending to have important information for Langdon, she bustles him into a bathroom where she informs him that Sauniére was her grandfather and that his messages were intended for her.