Not my typical choice in material, but I recently read both "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons." Had I paid more attention I would have read them in the correct order, but it doesn't really matter as they mostly stand on their own. Both were very readable and I enjoyed both, but I have to say I liked "Angels and Demons" more. Not quite sure why.

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"Nothin' up my sleeve. . ." --Bullwinkle J. Moose