Deception Point by Dan Brown

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Genre: Fiction

Published in 2001

Recommended Age Group: Adult

Summary: Deception Point is about an amazing NASA discovery in the arctic during an election year. Senator Sedgewick Sexton his opponent in the race for the oval office was attacking President Herney, a huge supporter of NASA, about NASA’s lack of success. The discovery of a meteorite with evidence of life on other planets couldn’t have come at a better time for the President or a worse time for the Senator. President Herney took enormous precautions to check the meteorite’s authenticity before going public with the information. Meanwhile Senator Sexton continued his attacks on the President and NASA only securing his fate once the information was finally made public.

In order to convince members of his staff President Herney asked Sexton’s daughter Rachael, who regularly briefs the White House Staff on important issues, to endorse the meteorite. Rachael finds herself alongside two civilian scientists who were called in to authenticate the meteorite. Michael Tolland, a famous oceanographer who had a national television show, and Corky Marlinson, a decorated astrophysicist. These three in an effort find proof for the meteorite continually find information that causes them doubt. They then find themselves in a whirlwind adventure trying to run for their lives while finding proof that the meteorite is a fake. While on the run Michael and Rachael begin to fall in love and wonder about the timing of life. In the end they are surprised to find who was trying to kill them and the mastermind of the whole plan, they also save one candidate's job while destroying that of the other.

Personal Notes: I enjoyed nearly everything about this book. I guess I'm a sensitive soul because I didn't like reading about the few deaths that occurred in the book but Brown wrote them so well that I truly felt for the victim. When scientist Wailee Ming drowned in the extraction pit Brown told it third person giving details of his thought process like, "The sheer terror of his own impending death was something he never imagined he would experience. And yet here he was...sinking slowly down the sheer ice wall of a two-hundred-foot-deep hole in the ice." It was so well researched; Brown seemed comfortable with complex scientific explanations and made them exciting for the reader. He talked about the meteorite like he was a member of NASA but kept it simple for us non rocket science types. I enjoyed all the plot lines and the different angles that we were able to follow at the same time. It made the story more full and interesting. I also enjoyed the hint of a love story between Michael and Rachael. It was more complex because of the situation and both of their pasts. Overall a smart and exciting book a definite page-turner.

Other reviews available:

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown