This book is the first Robert Langdon adventure and takes place a year before the "Da Vinci Code." Langdon is called in to assist Joy, a member of an International Science Group, after a gruesome murder of one of the organization's lead researchers. They are pitted against the mysterious secret society, "The Illuminati!"
Langdon must race against the clock, unraveling clues with the assistance of the murdered scientist's daughter, in order to save Vatican City, Rome, and the lives of four kidnaped cardinals.
I read this book in preparation for reading the "Da Vinci Code," prior to seeing the movie. It was the first Dan Brown book I had read. I found this book to be suspenseful and a very well researched piece of literature. As with any work of fiction, there were sections that had so much detail they bordered on being over done, and then some that left the reader craving more explanation.
I liked this book and would recommend it, but while both "Angels and Demons" and "Da Vinci Code" stand alone, you should read them in order because there are offhand comments in the "Da Vinci Code" that only truly makes sense if you have read "Angels and Demons."
