Dan Brown to release new book in September

Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown will be releasing a new book this fall, four months after the theatrical release of "Angels & Demons," the film adaptation of his first bestseller.

The Last Symbol will have a first printing of five million copies and will once again feature Brown's trademark protagonist, Robert Langdon, according to a recent announcement by Sonny Mehta, chairman and editor in chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Doubleday, which will be publishing the novel in the United States and Canada, is an imprint of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

"The Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller," commented Mehta.

"Dan Brown's prodigious talent for storytelling, infused with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display in this new book. This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait," he added.

Though little is known about the upcoming book, what is known is that its narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period and that Brown spent five years researching for the story.

Some have also claimed that the book involves Freemasons and the Kryptos sculpture in Langley, Va., while others suggest that the setting could be Washington, D.C., where Brown has been spotted over the years, reportedly researching Masonic temples.

Experts, however, say there's no point in speculating about the novel's plot as it is likely to be vigorously protected until closer to the release date.

Still, many – supporters and critics – are curious as the two bestsellers that he has written so far both involve the Catholic Church and conspiracies that Catholic faithful have strongly rejected as lies.

Brown's two other books, Digital Fortress and Deception Point, respectively written two years before his 2000 and 2003 bestsellers, focused on agencies of the U.S. government.

Commenting on the upcoming novel, Brown's longtime editor, Jason Kaufman, simply said, "Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel."

"Dan's readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises," added the vice president and executive editor at Doubleday.

The Lost Symbol is expected to hit bookstores on Sept. 15.