To continue our monthly series of book lists, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following fast-paced thrillers with intriguing details from the worlds of art, religion, politics, science, and the occult.
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. Cotton Malone, retired top operative of the U.S. Justice Department, comes to the aid of his former supervisor Stephanie Nelle, who is pursuing the legendary treasure of the Knights Templar. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2006. Cassette book RC 61331. Large Print book LP 22205. Digital book DB 61331.
Genesis Code by John Case. In an Italian Church, a doctor confesses to a sin so detestable that the priest refuses him absolution. In Washington, D.C., an agent investigates the mysterious murder of his sister and her son. His probe uncovers a plot by a secret sect in Italy, which involves the unspeakable sin. Strong language and violence. 1997. Cassette book RC 45547. Large Print book LP 13980.
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell. Princeton seniors Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris unravel the secrets of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a baffling Renaissance text. Using the Rule of Four, they decode a hidden crypt's location and quickly face revelations, bizarre events, and even death. Some descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language. Bestseller. 2004. Cassette book RC 58297. Digital book DB 58297.
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Casaubon, a student of philology in the 1970s, is writing a thesis on the Templars, a monastic order of knights officially disbanded in the 1300s, though some say it only went underground and is still active. Casaubon discusses the order with his friends, Belbo and Diotallevi, and they decide to construct a bogus "Plan for the Templars." Before long the plan they invented has become real, and what started as a joke has become a nightmare. Bestseller. Braille book BR 8034. Cassette book RC 30338.
The Gospel of Judas by Simon Mawer. Biblical scholar Father Leo Newman travels to Jerusalem to translate a newly discovered scroll believed to be a fifth gospel written by the apostle Judas. Meanwhile he is having an affair with a married woman, reminiscent of his mother's past. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2001. Cassette book RC 55217. Digital book DB 55217.
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. Boston, 1865. Famous poets and scholars, including Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell, are preparing the first American translation of Dante when a serial killer strikes with gruesomeness reminiscent of the "Inferno." They help African American policeman Nicholas Rey investigate the murders. Some violence and some strong language. 2003. Cassette book RC 55723. Large Print book LP 19859. Digital book DB 55723.
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Julia is an art restorer, and she has before her a fifteenth-century Flemish painting of two noblemen playing chess. X-rays of the painting reveal a curious inscription: "Who killed the knight?" Julia shares this secret with three of her close friends, and shortly thereafter one is dead. Julia then begins receiving notes about the murderer's next move with clues taken from the game depicted in the painting. Cassette book RC 41515.
The Codex by Douglas Preston. When Tom Broadbent and his brothers discover that their tomb-robbing father has taken his priceless collection of antiquities (including a Mayan codex) and gone into hiding, they search the globe for him. Others soon join the hunt. Some descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language. 2004. Cassette book RC 59287. Large Print book LP 20378. Digital book DB 59287.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Epic tale of World War II, cryptography, and high-tech finance. Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, mathematical genius and Allied codebreaker, joins other individuals in clandestine encryption operations. Years later, those secrets could liberate or destroy the cybertech revolution. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Locus Award. 1999. Cassette book RC 57249. Digital book DB 57249.