Four Rules

Author: Ian Caldwell
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: A mysterious book hidden in codes, a strange and gruesome murder case on an Ivy League campus, a shocking mystery from the Renaissance, a suspenseful coming-of-age novel with astonishing power and depth, leading you into an intellectual labyrinth of betrayal, madness, seduction, and love. A global bestseller with over 10 million copies sold, topping The New York Times Best Seller list for nine months! A champion on The Washington Post Best Seller list, The Los Angeles Times Best Seller list, The Denver Post Best Seller list, The San Francisco Chronicle Best Seller list, BOOKSENSE Best Seller list, the largest Barnes & Noble Best Seller list in the U.S., the Independent Booksellers Association of North Carolina Best Seller list, and a champion on multiple Taiwanese bookstore bestseller lists such as (Reads), (Eslite), and (Mingtai). This book is about to be adapted into a film by Warner Bros. Pictures. If F. Scott Fitzgerald, Umberto Eco, and Dan Brown had co-authored a novel, the result would be The Four Rules! — American bestselling author Nelson DeMille. Combining the mystery of The Da Vinci Code with elegant and delicate prose, it is a highly readable novel. — People Magazine. A fantastic novel where the hidden codes reveal a dark secret from the Renaissance. The author's erudition makes it a rare and rewarding puzzle book! — The New York Times. A thrilling and addictive suspense novel. The public is right; the dark side hidden in this novel reminds one of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose! — The New York Post. In the seemingly innocent campus of Princeton, a gunshot suddenly rings out, uncovering the unexpected truth behind the facade of academia. It all stems from an ancient book from the Renaissance, The Love-Lorn Labyrinth. This is a cryptic and obscure tome written in coded language, marking the secret locations of invaluable Renaissance treasures. For five centuries, generations of scholars have poured over it, desperate to solve the hidden mystery, yet none have succeeded. Paul, a Princeton senior, has obsessively studied The Love-Lorn Labyrinth for four years. Now, as he gets closer to the truth, he seeks help from his friend Tom. For Tom, studying this book is like carrying on his late father's lifelong passion. But the Love-Lorn Labyrinth is a curse of the sirens, always ensnaring its researchers in obsession. After Tom starts helping Paul, his relationship with his girlfriend, Katy, is clearly affected. Caught between friendship and love, Tom is torn between advancing and retreating. Meanwhile, they stumble upon a long-lost diary. The clues in the diary are crucial to unlocking the secrets of The Love-Lorn Labyrinth. Just as they think they have the final piece of the puzzle, the graduate student who gave them the diary is shot and killed on campus. Amidst layers of suspicion and mystery, trust or betrayal becomes impossible to discern. Through the process of unraveling the puzzles, the book leads readers step by step into the shocking historical truth. It not only offers a gripping suspense but also explores the struggles of human nature and the entanglement of love and hate, creating a masterpiece that blends friendship and love, literature and history, betrayal and murder.