Title: The Da Vinci Codebreaker Author: “James L. Garlow](http://www.jimgarlow.com/main/main.cfm (“blog](http://www.jimgarlow.blogspot.com/) Published by: “Bethany House Publishers](http://bethanyhouse.com, 2006 Genre: Christian Non-Fiction “Buy from Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0764201859&tag=indianajost-20&camp=1789&creative=9325 “Buy from the publisher](http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=D51639BB659A43CCB92C75B8E67F8A11&nm=Search+by+Topic&type=EcomBB&mod=E%2DCommerce%3A%3AProduct+Catalog&mid=70B7D6357AC74DCE82EF28E7D375E854&AudID=A1C951EB965A42EB8ED3E14BD33C93E4&tier=3&id=C4527D72B4344F919BEBA37549062E14&ntier1=&ntier2=&ntier3=&ntier4=&ntier5

There are books on my nightstand for bedtime reading, one in my purse for a long and unexpected wait, a ton in boxes which may never see the light of day again, and then there are books on my bookshelf in my office which serve as perpetual reference for me on any given day. The Da Vinci Codebreaker is one of those books.

“I knew something was wrong when Priscilla greeted me that morning with urgency. ??’My brother-in-law has just read a book attacking the Bible and Jesus, and he believes the book.’??

??’What book?’?? I asked.

??’The Da Vinci Code!’?? she exclaimed. ??’Furthermore, it claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that they had a child.’??

I’d never heard of _The Da Vinci Code_, which was just starting to be noted by the reading public. ??’If it’s a novel, don’t worry about it. No one will ever believe it.’??

I was wrong.”

I felt about the same thing the first time I heard about Dan Brown’s book. I figured no rational and intelligent person would take a fictional novel as fact. I imagine there are thousands of others who thought that as well, which is what makes this book so important. The Da Vinci Code is presented with mutations of fact mixed with honest fiction and in stealth presented as viable truth. The Codebreaker breaks through assumption and gives you evidence.

Written to be a reference book, with an alphabetical sequence of facts as well as drawings, photos and maps to accompany them, The Da Vinci Codebreaker is more than a handy fact-checker but a real necessity in dealing with the controversial book that has fooled so many people. Everywhere people today are citing passages from Brown’s book as if it is their bible and without a book like The Da Vinci Codebreaker a lot of smart, faithful Christians will be turned away from the truth in favor of a seductive and plausible lie.

I wholly recommend this book to anyone who has or has not read The Da Vinci Code, though it’s best to have the two books side-by-side as you read. My only hesitation in giving a full five stars for this book is the lacking bibliography. Chock-full of facts, I would love to have seen those facts backed up with more references and additional helps for people looking to do their own study. Besides adding credibility, it gives others the opportunity to seek out the information on their own, although one can obviously find many leads throughout the book’s pages to get started in the right direction.