New Dan Brown novel coming in May

A new Dan Brown novel, called "Inferno," is due out on May 14, and the subject is Dante.

Doubleday announced Tuesday that the author will again feature Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, the protagonist for his blockbuster "The Da Vinci Code" and for the million-selling followup "The Lost Symbol." The story will be set in Europe as Langdon probes the "harrowing" world of a "mysterious" literary masterpiece. "The Da Vinci Code" was centered on a masterpiece of painting, the Mona Lisa.

"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 a statement. "With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm.a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways."

The title was revealed Tuesday, piece by piece, through a mosaic on Brown's website, www.danbrown.com.

Brown's 2006 best-seller, "The Da Vinci Code," was later turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks. "The Los Symbol," set in Washington, D.C., came out in 2009.