Author Dan Brown "astounded" at copying claim

LONDON (Reuters) - Author Dan Brown said on Monday he was "astounded" at allegations by two historians that he copied their work wholesale when he wrote the best-selling religious thriller "The Da Vinci Code." In a statement released to reporters after he took the witness stand for the first time, the 41-year-old also pointed out that he credited the work of Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh in the body of his novel. "I would like to restate that I remain astounded by the claimants' choice to file this plagiarism suit," he said. "For them to suggest, as I understand they do, that I have hijacked and exploited their work is simply untrue." [More]