I truly believe that you have to read The Da Vinci Code on the side to understand this book, or before it. Or simply don't read it or them at all. As they say: Don't mess with fire.

If you are into History this book is for you.

I finished it for the sake of accomplishment and thank God it's over - I can move on to new things now!

Thanks for the experience though :) ( )

The Catholic take on the issue. Very thorough. Very deep.

Readable and convincing, but marred by juvenile sneers.

In a long time, this is the first non-fiction book I have read all the way through in just two sittings. Its sole purpose, of course, is to refute the absurd claims of the highly overrated phenomenon known as the Da Vinci Code.

This book tackles most of the controversial "truths" presented by Dan Brown, and it does so with an impressive representation of scholarly sources. However, it is such a shame that the authors could not keep a more scholarly tone throughout their presentation. It is heavily interjected with sneering remarks about Dan Brown, his sources and his fans, and it is coated with an off-putting "see, I-told-you-so" attitude. These unprofessional interjections very much degrade an otherwise excellent attempt to present thoughtful and critical analysis of not just Brown's work, but also of the more general contemporary hunger for Catholic-bashing. I am not Catholic (or a subscriber to any particular religion); however, the reason I picked up this book was my fatigue of modern PC claims of the Evil Church.

I recommend this book mostly too those who want an in-depth historical analysis of the specific religious claims made by Dan Brown; however, be aware that if you come to this book with an open mind, you will most likely have to filter out the acidic editorial comments to fully appreciate its thorough research. ( )

An excellent book that tears to shreds the falsehoods of Brown's The Da Vinci Code. This is a must read for everyone so that one can know what is fiction and anti-Catholic polemic in Brown's book.

NF