The Rule of Four

The Rule of Four is a brilliant piece of fiction that masterfully combines suspense and academia, high art and unfathomable malice. It tells the story of an ivy league murder, a strange coded book, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince.

At Princeton, it is Easter. Seniors are working frantically to complete their theses. Additionally, two students named Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris are only a few steps away from deciphering the secrets of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a famous book that has confounded academics ever since it was published in 1499 and is credited to an Italian nobleman. Their investigation has served as both a bridge to Tom's family history and a barrier between him and the lady he loves. It has turned into Paul's preoccupation and his primary motivation for life. However, as their deadline approaches, research has stagnated—that is, until a long-lost journal turns up that contains a crucial hint. And only hours later, Tom and Paul discover they are not the only researchers who have seen into the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia when another researcher is killed.

The two companions are starting to see the book in a new light—not only as a narrative of religion, sexuality, and pedantry, but as a strange, coded mathematical maze—as they sort through the codes and riddles at its core. Suddenly, the stakes are heightened. They also realize that their own lives are in grave danger as they get closer to solving the last piece of a book that has destroyed friendships, families, and jobs. because having too much knowledge has resulted in at least one death. More is known by them.

The Rule of Four transports us to a startling, 500-year-old murder scene, the drama of a young man's coming of age, the streets of fifteenth-century Rome, the exclusive world of Princeton, and more. It is an enjoyable and enlightening journey through history that culminates in an almost unbearably suspenseful finale.