As midnight approached, I chatted with about a half-dozen Dan Brown fans who were browsing in the Lutherville Borders, waiting for sales to begin for "The Lost Symbol." Brian Wit of Lutherville, who admires Brown ability to weave science and history into his fiction, was there. He couldn't sleep so he stopped by to get the book, and planned to start reading on his lunch break today.

Barbara Geelhaar of Parkville had never been to a midnight release (neither had I), but she admires Brown's creativity, especially in "The Da Vinci Code." She recalled reading that book while attending a Christian school, where the pastor objected to it. "I kind of rebelled and kept reading it. It's fiction, not what I believe," she said. Brian Pugh of Lutherville also was among the first buyers. He recently re-read Brown's three big novels, and was eager to start "The Lost Symbol" when he got home. But he didn't plan to finish the 509-page book in a single sitting. "It won't be like a Harry Potter marathon. I have to work."

Until 12:01 a.m., the books stayed in their cardboard boxes, locked in a cage in the stockroom, General Manager Mark Diller said. But as soon as the release time arrived, the cash registers started ringing up sales at 40 percent off the list price -- that's $19.01 with tax. And Brown's fans slowly filed into the night, to start on the book's opening sentence: The secret is how to die.

For reviews of the book, try these from The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.