Dan Brown's 4th Robert Langdon Thriller, Inferno, To Be Published May 14th

Doubleday Publishing announced today that Dan Brown's fourth Robert Langdon thriller — Inferno — would be published on May 14th, 2013. Set in Italy, the novel centers on one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces, Dante's Inferno.

"Although I studied Dante's Inferno as a student, it wasn't until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante's work on the modern world," said Brown. "With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm … a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways."

Here's a brief synopsis for the book: In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces … Dante's Inferno. Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante's dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust … before the world is irrevocably altered.

Dan Brown's previous books in the series have been bestsellers, two of which have been made into blockbuster films: The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Doubleday plans an initial printing of 4 million copies of Inferno.