I think the fact that the information about Christ and the cover-up was presented as historical fact was the issue. Unfortunately, many Christian organizations respond by making a fuss rather than educating themselves and others. I"m sure Dan Brown was happy for the uprising as it certainly added a few zeros onto the end of his paycheck.
The uproar sure did do that...
Good fiction, which is what DaVinci is, can often be written with technique and style that makes it seem real. That is what Brown did. The result was, as Jeffrey and Rob so well put it, a number of extra zeros. Publicity money could not buy
