From Amazon:

When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine - encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant and beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage...not by guns or bombs, but by a code so ingeniously complex that if released it will cripple U.S. intelligence.

Sigh. This book reminds me of fast food - it tastes good, it's easy to consume, but somehow you know you're selling yourself short and could do so much better.

This is probably the weakest of Brown's books - the writing isn't good, the characters are one dimensional and the plot just ridiculous. It didn't help that I couldn't sympathise with the need of the US government to be able to read my email...

What really got me was the sexism - the fact that the main (female) character had an IQ of 170 AND was incredibly beautiful/ sexy/ blah blah blah was soooo astonishing that it had to be commented on several times. I noticed that the equally sexy male characters didn't have their IQs questioned in relation to their looks, however...

So, for that reason alone I would give this book a low rating. For generally terribly writing and a silly plot, it gets even lower. What saves it from nul points was the fact that it kept me entertained (loving to hate it) and the pages turning on my commute into work - so it gets a grudging 1 star...

Now off to read something worthwhile and good...

RELEASE NOTES:

Somewhere inside...