The Rule Of Four, Ian Caldwell; Dial Press

“An ivy league murder, a mysterious coded manuscript, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince collide memorably in The Rule of Four—a brilliant work of fiction that weaves together suspense and scholarship, high art and unimaginable treachery. It’s Easter at Princeton. Seniors are scrambling to finish their theses. And two students, Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris, are a hair’s breadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili—a renowned text attributed to an Italian nobleman, a work that has baffled scholars since its publication in 1499.”
Robin’s Note: If you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, there are a slew of books that are just as engaging and have a similar, addictive feeling.  Dan Brown’s other books, of course, are always worth checking out (Deception Point, Angels and Demons).  The Rule of Four was published just after the Da Vinci Code, and it has a very similar feel—secret codes, a murder mystery, and a puzzle from generations past.  The college setting makes it a bit younger (just in terms of the protagonists), and there’s a ring of truth to it all as the authors are college best friends.  Another one to try is Katherine Neville’s The Eight, a long but incredibly absorbing quest novel involving chess, mysticism, mathematics, alchemy, and everything in between.