Is it a good read? Certainly. Is it at the level of Da Vinci Code? Almost certainly not. As something of a world traveler, I figured out the probable location of the villain's "infernal device" long before protagonist Robert Langdon does. Stop reading here if you wish to avoid spoilers.
My primary concern is with the premise which obsesses the villain - Malthusian overpopulation. This is futurism which has been overtaken by reality unlike that foreseen by the author.
As you know if you've been paying attention, population growth in all developed countries today probably averages zero. Rates in a number of places including Western Europe, Japan and Russia are clearly negative, their populations are shrinking.
Even in underdeveloped countries birth rates are falling. A more realistic piece of futurism would deal with our species' desperate attempts to convince people to have children. Maybe if we all became Mormons...?
