Codex 632 is dos Santos's third novel, and one that soon became the first of a series of blockbusters. The God Formula, which hinges around a lost Einstein manuscript and mixes religion with science, and The Seventh Seal, dealing with global warming, soon followed to eager readers (although unfortunately neither has yet been translated into an edition in English). But it is Codex 632 which set dos Santos apart from other controversial thriller writers, even knocking Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code off the shelves when both books were released in Portugal the same year.

In this novel, Thomas Noronha, a history professor and expert cryptographer, sets about trying to find out what a recently deceased professor had unearthed about the discovery of Brazil. Noronha stumbles upon something greater as he follows the dead scholar's trail into the past of Christopher Columbus. This research takes him to Brazil, esoteric places in Portugal, and to the Middle East, as he discovers ancient court documents, records, and letters, all with inconsistencies and the suspicion of forgery about them. There are secret codes, Kabbalistic hidden messages, anagrams, and cyphers. Distracting him in his research are problems with his marriage, the increasing needs of his daughter with Down Syndrome, and an affair with one of his female students. Slowly, Noronha reveals a very startling picture of just who Christopher Columbus really was and why he made that first voyage.

I'm a puzzle enthusiast, and I found the research and puzzle-solving stimulating. This was like a more reader-friendly version of Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln's non-fiction book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which eventually spurred the Da Vinci Code novel, which was obviously more action oriented. Dos Santos is very thorough, and I would expect some readers would find the research a bit dry. Codex 632 does take the reader through every small step of the research as Noronha consults with experts or reports to those who are interested in the results of his task. But the thing that really kept my interest, though I know this is a novel, was a small author's note which read: "All of the books, manuscripts, and documents mentioned in this novel do exist. Including Codex 632." Needless to say, I was hooked.

Dos Santos also has an incredible gift for description. As Noronha travels exploring libraries, landscapes, and cultural and religious monuments, we readers see everything as if we were there with Noronha, even down to foods, smells, and the way the light hits a particular building.

If you think you know all about Christopher Columbus, dip into Codex 632 and see infinite possibilities.