New Dan Brown Novel, 'Inferno,' Set for May Release

Dan Brown

Dan Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons," is set to release his latest Robert Langdon mystery this spring.

"Inferno," will be published in the U.S. and Canada on May 14 by Doubleday Publishing. The novel focuses on the same main character as Brown's most popular novels, symbologist Robert Langdon.

The novel is "set in Italy and centers on one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces, Dante's Inferno," according to the Doubleday statement.

"In Inferno…[we follow] Robert Langdon back to the heart of Europe, where he becomes entwined in a mystery has had global ramifications…tied to the ominous and truly mesmerizing details of Dante's masterful work," Jason Kaufman, Executive Editor with Doubleday said.

The title of the novel was a mystery until today. Publishers posted a puzzle on Dan Brown's Facebook page for fans of the novels to try their hand at solving puzzles like Langdon.

Brown decided to focus on Dante's epic poem while working in Italy.

"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," Brown said in the statement.

"The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons" were turned into films, starring Tom Hanks as Langdon. "The Da Vinci Code" spent 144 weeks at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, has been translated into 51 languages and has sold 81 million copies worldwide.