The Ludwig Conspiracy
by Oliver Pötzsch Published: 2011 (2013 in English) I can vividly recall reading (and raving about) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, written way back in 2003. I was ahead of the curve on that one, having found it shortly after it hit bookstores. I couldn't wait to start reading each evening, and though I hate the hackneyed "couldn't put it down," I did more or less experience that sense of not wanting to fall asleep too few chapters in each night until I was finished. It was that experience that makes me wonder how I missed this almost equally delightful book. It follows a similar kind of theme - an unusual hero, Steven Lukas, an antique book dealer (shades of The Ninth Gate?) is drawn into a mystery surrounding a desperate message, a strong woman who partners with him on the chase, and an enigmatic real character, in this case, the wild and possibly crazy Ludwig II of Bavaria. One of the reasons I was so intrigued by Brown's novel was his exploration of Da Vinci ...
