Da Vinci Code author planned to set latest novel in UAE

CAIRO – 13 October 2017: American author Dan Brown, famous for his bestselling hit “The Da Vinci Code,” has recently released the newest installment of his mystery series on October 3.

In an interview with the National, he professed an interest in originally setting the book in Abu Dhabi.

“I have to admit that I saw the proposed blueprint for the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi and it will be one of the most spectacular buildings in the world,” he told the National.

“I think if that building was finished when I started this book there would have been a good chance the plot would have moved to Abu Dhabi. Call me when (The Louvre Abu Dhabi) is done. I want to see it,” Brown said.

Brown became a big name with the 2003 release of the Da Vinci Code, which eventually got adapted into a feature film starring Tom Hanks in 2006.

The book was the second part of a mystery novel series featuring the character Robert Langdon, a Harvard University symbol expert who decodes some of history’s greatest secrets. Starting with “Angels and Demons,” the latest installment is this year’s “Origin,” which explores the conflict between scientific enlightenment and spiritual tradition, and whether mankind’s reliance on technology could one day replace religion.

The Da Vinci Code alone sold well over 80 million copies, making Brown one of the modern era’s best-selling mystery authors.