by Ian Caldwell
First published 2005
Tom Sullivan and his three Princeton classmates stumble upon clues that could unlock the secrets of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a cryptic fifteenth-century text written by a Roman priest in 1499. The book weaves together multiple languages in puzzles about art, animals, sexuality, and religion. As the students decode the linguistic and mathematical labyrinths, they realize they're approaching what could become history's greatest discovery. The text contains five sequential riddles spanning different fields of knowledge, followed by coordinates hidden in the four cardinal directions that lead to a crypt filled with priceless Renaissance artwork. But someone else knows the treasure's value and will kill to possess it. The students find themselves trapped between their academic breakthrough and mortal danger. What began as scholarly research transforms into a deadly game where genius meets madness, friendship faces betrayal, and murder stalks the Princeton campus. The mysterious pull of the ancient text itself seems to drive everyone who encounters it toward obsession and violence.
Genres: art, adventure, mystery, thriller, academic
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-thriller, obsession, treasure-hunt
Setting: Princeton
Period: 1499, 15th-century
429 pages · Paperback · Planeta
Content warnings: violence