[2][3] It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of The Da Vinci Code, and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters.
[4] Released on September 15, 2009, it is the third Brown novel to involve the character of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon, following 2000's Angels & Demons and 2003's The Da Vinci Code.
On its first day the book sold one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the UK and Canada, making it the fastest selling adult novel in history.
He infiltrated the organization in order to obtain an ancient source of power,[9] which he believes Langdon can unlock for him in return for Peter Solomon's life.
Peter flew to Turkey and was given the chance to obtain his immediate release in exchange for a bribe, but decided to have Zachary extradited in a week's time in order to teach him a lesson about using money to avoid the consequences of one's actions.
Surviving the fall, Dareios nursed himself back to health, covered his scars and eventually his entire body with tattoos and set off on a mission to infiltrate the Freemasons and gain access to their secrets, adopting the name Mal'akh.
As Langdon deals with the events into which he has been thrust, Mal'akh destroys the Smithsonian-sponsored laboratory of Dr. Katherine Solomon, Zachary's younger sister, where she has conducted experiments in Noetic science.
When Peter claims that he will do so without hesitation to avenge his son and mother, Mal'akh shocks Peter by revealing that he is actually Zachary Solomon himself, having conspired with the prison warden to fake his death by disfiguring the body of another inmate beyond recognition (at the same time, Katherine and Bellamy discover several photos of Zachary in Greece after his supposed death that show his gradual transformation into Mal'akh).
Langdon realizes that the words inscribed in the base of aluminum capstone (Masonic pyramid) atop the Monument spelled out Laus Deo which translate to "Praise God".
The Lost Symbol had been in development for several years; originally expected in 2006, the projected publication date was pushed back multiple times.
[14] When officially announced, the hardcopy book was on pre-order lists for months leading up to its release, being heavily ordered both in the United States and Canada.
The book immediately broke sales records, becoming the fastest selling adult-market novel in history, with over one million copies sold on the first day of release.
[6] The New York Times praised the book as being "impossible to put down" and claimed Brown is "bringing sexy back to a genre that had been left for dead."
[34] Time said the plot was fun, if bruising, but "It would be irresponsible not to point out that the general feel, if not all the specifics, of Brown's cultural history is entirely correct.
He loves showing us places where our carefully tended cultural boundaries — between Christian and pagan, sacred and secular, ancient and modern — are actually extraordinarily messy.
[36] The digested read by John Crace in The Guardian ends with Robert Langdon begging Dan Brown "Please don't wheel me out again.
[38] Following the worldwide successes of The Da Vinci Code in 2006[39] and Angels & Demons in 2009,[40] which were both based on Brown's novels, starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and produced and directed by Ron Howard, Columbia Pictures began production on a film adaptation of The Lost Symbol.
[41][42] Hanks and Howard were expected to return for the film adaptation of The Lost Symbol, along with the franchise's producers Brian Grazer and John Calley.
Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Samie Falvey and Anna Culp will act as additional executive producers.