Deciphering Dan Brown

A new thriller has forced the best-selling author out of his hideaway and into an unwelcome spotlight, writes James Button. It was the usual busy week in Britain's High Court. A drug dealer got a year knocked off his six-year sentence; a murderer appealed his life sentence and lost; and the appeals of a host of failed asylum seekers inched forward. But few people came to watch these cases. Instead, they were all in Court 61. The room was so packed that people had to stand, or sit on the floor. An attendant scribbled a "Court Full" sign on a piece of paper and taped it to the door. Inside, all eyes were on the front bench where the antagonists sat, their eyes studiously averted from each other. On the left, Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent. On the right, Dan Brown. [More]