Did you like “The DaVinci Code,” but longed for something more challenging? Did you get bogged down in “The Name of the Rose” and its infinite details? Well, your prayers have been answered: Augustus Rose’s debut novel, “The Ready-made Thief,” comfortably inhabits the middle ground between Dan Brown and Umberto Eco with an intricately plotted yet accessible mystery tale.

As a conspiracy thriller, explanation of art and physics, and a look at the lives of teenagers, Mr. Rose’s book defies categorization. Instead, the author draws on an impressively wide-ranging and well-researched mix of topics — alchemy, secret societies, unified field theory, and the artist Marcel Duchamp to name just a few — to craft a thoughtful and labyrinthine story that will keep readers on their toes.

Lee Cuddy is a teenage girl who has just escaped from a juvenile detention center in Philadelphia and is looking for a place to stay. She’s relieved when she chances upon the “Crystal Castle” — an abandoned building housing an array of homeless young people — but Lee soon finds that there’s something sinister happening. When she impulsively steals an item from the man in charge, she runs, only to discover how relentless her pursuers really are.

Homeless and scared, Lee meets Tomi, a young hacker who introduces her to urban exploration, the dark Web, and Duchamp’s work, while the Société Anonyme — the cabal behind the Crystal Castle — pursues Lee for their own secret plans. Together, Lee and Tomi must work out the connections between this group and the rise of mysterious drugs, secret raves, and Duchamp, even as Lee struggles to understand who, if anyone, she can trust.

Mr. Rose’s biography describes him as a novelist and screenwriter, and the influence of film is evident: cliffhangers abound, a large cast of characters sprawls through the plot, and the resourceful Lee reads like a gutterpunk Robert Langdon. “The Ready-made Thief” also neatly dangles the possibility of future installments, as if this book is just the introduction to a recurring heroine. Although Lee spends most of the book hiding from the malicious Société Anonyme, it never feels like she’s in any real danger, keeping the stakes relatively low.

More than a boilerplate thriller, however, “The Ready-made Thief” is also a literary exploration of a myriad number of subjects. While it’s entertaining to see Mr. Rose bring these disparate strands together, the constant stream of information and the resulting “overstuffing” of the plot with academic concepts can be difficult to follow. Elsewhere, the book ends up seeming like work; for example, Marcel Duchamp is the backbone of the book, so his pieces are frequently referenced.

Unless one is familiar with Duchamp, though, readers will probably find themselves having to put down the book in order to Google images of the artworks in question. For some readers, that extra effort may be enjoyable, while for others the interruptions might be reason enough to put the book down for good.

Essentially, enjoyment of this book depends on the reader’s willingness to follow both Lee — a scrappy heroine, if not a particularly accurate depiction of a teenager — and a simultaneously outlandish and academic plot that mystifies all the way to its conclusion. But, “The Ready-made Thief” may also require the reader to develop an interest in a wide range of subjects, and quickly at that. Put it this way: If you look at Duchamp’s “Fountain” — you know, the urinal one — and find yourself intrigued by the theory and meaning behind it, then definitely pick this book up and dive in.

On the other hand, if you look at “Fountain” and roll your eyes, then you’d be advised to give this story a miss. Art — both visual and literary — is subjective, after all.

Wendy O. Wright is a freelance writer and editor living in Pittsburgh.

First Published: August 20, 2017, 4:00 a.m.