The Gaudi Key starts with a burst of excitement. Antonio Gaudi is “key” to this story: when the Grand Master of an devout ancient brotherhood nears death, he entrusts a vital secret to the renowned Spanish architect.

The destiny of a religious object lies in his hands when the master passes on to Gaudi the mission of preserving the object’s secrecy as well as keeping it out of the hands of those who would try and do harm. This mystery object has been a shielded secret since early Christian times, and Gaudi must honor his pledge with his life. Gaudi cleverly hides the priceless secret in the center of what is his most prized creation. Later, members of an order known as the Corbel try to kill Gaudi and make it look like an accident. They want to finish what is left of the Knights of the Moriah, who they knew were protecting the greatest secret in religion.

In what starts to feel vaguely familiar and so much like The Da Vinci Code and The Last Templar, Moriah’s last grandmaster, Juan Givell, passes what he knows to his 26-year-old granddaughter, Maria Givell, who takes up the fight before her grandfather dies in a nursing home. Helping Maria is Miguel, her brilliant boyfriend who is also a great mathematician and puzzle solver. Together they try to find an answer to the symbolic message left by her grandfather. Miguel (thank goodness) is also an excellent swordsman, which comes in handy on their quest to find the symbolic message to Catholics all over the world.

Juan Givell tells his granddaughter of his childhood and how he knew the famous architect Gaudi. He reveals the whole amazing story to her about the mysteries and how it will surely make her the target of those who are enemies of the Knights. Maria doesn’t believe how dangerous this all is until she and Miguel are shot at and her grandfather murdered. Without even knowing what the treasured object is, let alone where it is, Maria begins her journey to satisfy her grandfather’s dying wish.

The Gaudi Key brings in riddles, death, murder, and action, but also has at times so much detail that it becomes long-winded and hard to follow, unless you are really a fan of this type of information. The search is complex and so is much of the novel. While the premise is good, the story can be more confusing to the reader than to the characters. However, overall, it will be welcomed by lovers of this genre and mysteries.