Angels & Demons question

I think the point of Dan Brown is that we need to ignore the writing idiosyncrasies and wallow in the plot and excitement. There are a lot of problems with the way he writes.

As a retired English teacher, I support the use of the active voice but.... I am no longer as critical in my reading as I once was and find that putting the "grammar police" in the closet, although extremely difficult, doesn't make a big difference to my reading pleasure.
Unfortunately, our language world has changed big time and correct grammar is .... shudder.... not embraced as it once was.

As an editor, I consider the reason an author is using the passive voice before I change a verb. The passive voice distances an "actor" from her actions. Sometimes, particularly in dialogue, that is the author's intention. In action scenes, though, the passive voice is bulky, and it slows the pace. I'd definitely tweak those passages.