Whenever I read a 454 page book in one sitting, it's probably a safe bet for me to think that other people will like the book. Not that my criteria for excellence necessarily matches that of the literary masses -- but the words "breakout thriller" certainly apply here. Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is going to make publishing history. Trust me. There are already tables at the local Barnes & Nobles featuring books about the Freemasons, biographies of Leonardo Da Vinci, guidebooks to the Louvre and Renaissance art, all centered around Brown's book. And the book has been out less than two weeks.

It's good, damn good. The Da Vinci Code has all the right ingredients to create a massive market share of the fiction sold during the next year. The characters are believable, the fictional premise intriguing, and it has two major components to insure sales -- the Knights Templar and the search for the Holy Grail.