Dan Brown is nothing but a hooker.But a great one. If you've read the opening lines of the prologue ("House of the Temple") to his latest opus, "The Great Symbol" - reprinted in the Sept. 13 issue of Parade Magazine (an insert of the Sunday papers including the Los Angeles Times)-you know what I mean. It begins with these tantalizing sentences, "The secret is how to die. Since the beginning of time, the secret had always been how to die." Then he goes on with his narrative. Of course you want to read on. You want to know what the hell he's talking about. You're hooked. Then he finishes the prologue with another 'prophet of doom' line: "Soon you will lose everything you hold most dear." It's reported that only one day after its release, "The Great Symbol" sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S., England and Canada. Now, I'm not exactly nutty about Dan Brown, per se. I've read the "Da Vinci Code" and I thought it was OK. No, I haven't, and don't plan to, read "Angels and Demons." I think I can do without his perceptions/theories/imaginings about a number of things. But I think I want to read his latest, if only to surmise how he constructs his story. I've got to hand it to him. He has captured the imagination of the public. He has hit a nerve in me at least. It could be he might rank eventually as a great storyteller. For now I'll say he's a hooker. A great hooker. * As far as Jay Leno's 10 o'clock show is concerned, I say it sucks.

********** Published: October 2, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 24