The countdown to oblivion has started - who will stop the clock? A famous scientist is found dead, a mysterious symbol burned into his skin. Many miles away in Rome, the world's cardinals gather to elect a new pope. Little do they know that beneath their feet, a vast bomb has started to tick. Professor Robert Langdon must work out the link between these two seemingly unconnected events if he is stop the Vatican being blown sky high. `A breathless, real-time adventure' San Francisco Chronicle