Product Description

A shocking scientific discovery.
A conspiracy of staggering brilliance.
A thriller unlike any you've ever read....

When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory -- a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery -- a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, December 2001: In the world of page-turning thrillers, Dan Brown holds a special place in the hearts of many of us. After his first book, Digital Fortress, almost passed me by, he wrote Angels and Demons, which was probably one of the half-dozen most exciting thrillers of last year. It is a pleasure to report that his new book lives up to his reputation as a writer whose research and talent make his stories exciting, believable, and just plain unputdownable.

The time is now and President Zachary Herney is facing a very tough reelection. His opponent, Senator Sedgwick Sexton, is a powerful man with powerful friends and a mission: to reduce NASA's spending and move space exploration into the private sector. He has numerous supporters, including many beyond the businesses who will profit from this because of the embarrassment of 1996, when the Clinton administration was informed by NASA that proof existed of life on other planets. That information turned out to be premature, if not incorrect. (This story is true; I repeat, Dan Brown's research is very, very good.) The embattled president is assured that a rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice will prove to have far-reaching implications on America's space program. The find, however, needs to be verified.

Enter Rachel Sexton, a gister for the National Reconnaissance Office. Gisters reduce complex reports into single-page briefs, and in this case the president needs that confirmation before he broadcasts to the nation, probably ensuring his reelection. It's tricky because Rachel is the daughter of his opponent. Rachel is thrilled to be on the team traveling to the Arctic circle. She is a realist about her father's politics and has little respect for his stand on NASA, but Senator Sexton cannot help but have a problem with her involvement.

Adventure, romance, murder, skullduggery, and nail-biting tension ensue. By the end of Deception Point, the reader will be much better informed about how our space program works and how our politicians react to new information. Bring on the next Dan Brown thriller! --Otto Penzler

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Deception Point        Rating:

I enjoyed the concept but there was so many characters I had a hard time getting them straight and their part in the story.

A good summer read.        Rating:

Although I have not read Dan's more accepted books, I did enjoy reading Deception point. The story kept my interest and I found the last hundred pages full of action and unexpected turns.

Deception Point        Rating:

Dan Brown is truly one of America's greatest living writers. He is meticulous in his research and when he weaves his mysterious trail telling you a story you feel you are right there with the characters encountering all of the amazing dilemmas that Dan Brown comes up with. It's hard to put a Dan Brown book down.

Best Dan Brown book out!        Rating:

This is one of the few books that actually kept me wanting to know what happens next. I have enjoyed this book so much that I have recommended it to pretty well anyone I know.

Arctic Dan Brown Thriller        Rating:

A strange asteroid is discovered buried in the arctic ice. Does it hold evidence of extra-planetary life?

Deception Point, unlike Dan Brown's later stuff, (which can be heavy on religion and mysticism), is just a scientific and political thriller. It's my favorite of the bunch. The science seems plausible rather than outrageous, the Washington politics are largely possible, and the adventure plus chase is tons of fun. The characters are sympathetic, though not especially memorable. The twists are not telegraphed. I enjoy a book that will take me to another world. The combination of the alien nature of Washington backroom politics in conjunction with the bleak cold of the Arctic is just the ticket.

I have only two problems with this book: the survival of NASA could not realistically drive so much mayhem. And there's a bit too much engineering explanation about the technological devices. I don't need to know all about robot insects to get interested when a character get stung in the eyeball with one. But I suppose all that techno-explaino is a Dan Brown hallmark.

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