What are some cool fast-paced conspiracy, mystery-fiction novels similar to The Da Vinci Code?

Little Brother.

The Camel Club and its sequels by David Baldacci.

@sanari
Wow It’s licensed under CC!
I didn’t expect that. :)

Thanks for mentioning. ^_^

If you havent already, you may as well read Deception Point too.

I just started ‘The Memorist,’ by M.J. Rose and it seems to be in a similar vein. I’d also recommend ‘Chateau Beyond Time,’ by Michael Tobias, ‘People of the Book,’ by Geraldine Brooks and ‘Interred with Their Bones,’ by Jennifer Lee Carrell.

I’m not saying that any of these are great works of literature, mind you, but I’ve found all of them to be entertaining.

Crap, I’m trying to remember this one book – guys, help me out here.

It was a political/military/science fiction thriller. A meteor crashes into Earth, and it contains a whole slew of fossilized micro-organisms. Scientists think it has come from a distant planet that exploded or whatever. The main character is a female… working for the CIA? Man, I have no clue where the book went – it was really good (right up @archaeopteryx ‘s alley). I can’t give away too many plot points because I don’t want to spoil the story, but does it sound familiar to anyone here?

Though it had a few sci-fi plot pointsi, it was still a political thriller – rooted in reality. One particular part I remember was when they explained a new form of weaponry with unlimited ammunition. If a troop was deployed in a sandy area, he can pick up a handful of sand, feed it into a small machine and make glass bullets. Similarly, if he was deployed in a snowy area, he could make ice bullets.

Ring any bells?

@archaeopteryx – thanks for asking this question!!!!

Little Brother was a great suggestion, @sanari! It’s one of the best of these kinds of things I’ve ever read. I loved it. And it’s free online.

The Historian is a bizarre mix between fast-paced conspiracy stuff and very enjoyable “history”. Um, it’s vampire-ish and not sci-fi, though.

@EmpressPixie – I believe it is a cardinal sin, if not an albatross sin to mention something is free on line on Fluther and not link a brother/sister up?

Nothing like the movies, but The Bourne Trilogy is pretty good series. It does not include all of the rich and varied historical and art references, though.

@Bri_L

You can google it. :)
It’s not only totally free, it’s also licensed under Creative Commons.

@archaeopteryx – I know I was just fooling around and teasing. See where I said Cardinal sin and albatross sin. hehe I actually had googled it already.

Thanks again for this question. I was just thinking how much I enjoyed Angels and Daemons and wondering what I could read that would be similar.

There is a website that lets you put in the name and author of a book you like and makes suggestions but I can’t remember what it was.

In the Historical-Action-Adventure-Thriller Category—Steve Berry’s “Cotton Malone” books and James Rollins “Black Order” books are fun reads. Not great Literature, but they will keep you turning the pages.
I liked The Last Templar—it’s a bit more of a twisty read. It was recently a TV movie and it did not do the story justice. The author’s follow up, The Sanctuary, was okay but not great. Interesting airplane reading.

Oh, Michael Crieghton’s Timeline was good, too. Also, made into a movie, but I read it before that came out and really enjoyed it. So, if you have not seen the movie try the book.

Are the National Treasure movies also books? Those are fast-paced… and entertaining.

The Day After Tomorrow
by Allan Folsom

This book was an amazing read that was hard to put down.
Don’t worry, it is not the same story in any way as the movie by the same name.