Deception Point

Dan Brown

Penzler Pick, December 2001: In the world of page-turning thrillers, Dan Brown holds a special...more

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly Struggling to rebound from a series of embarrassing blunders that have jeopardized its political life at the start of this lively thriller, NASA makes an astounding discovery: there is a meteor embedded deep within the arctic ice. And it isn't just any meteor. Inside the huge rock, which crashed to earth in 1716, are fossils of giant insects proof of extraterrestrial life. Yet, given NASA's slipping reputation, the question arises: Is the meteor real or a fake? That uncertainty dogs NASA and its supporters in Brown's latest page-flipper, a finely polished amalgam of action and intrigue. Trying to determine the truth are intelligence agent Rachel Sexton and popular oceanographer Michael Tolland, both among the first to suspect something is amiss when the meteor is pulled from the ice. Their doubts quickly make them the targets of a mysterious death squad controlled by someone or something that doesn't want the public to hear the meteor may be a fraud. Together, Sexton and Tolland scramble across arctic glaciers, take refuge on ice floes, are rescued by a nuclear submarine, then find themselves trapped aboard a small research vessel off the coast of New Jersey. All the while, the nation's capital is buzzing as to whether NASA has engaged in deception. Or is NASA just a dupe for aerospace companies that have long wanted a bigger share of space contracts? Brown (Angels & Demons) moves into new territory with his latest. It's an excellent thriller a big yet believable story unfolding at breakneck pace, with convincing settings and just the right blend of likable and hateful characters. He's also done his research, folding in sophisticated scientific and military details that make his plot far more fulfilling than the norm. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.   hide

As with all of Dan Brown’s books, I really enjoyed this one. It is my least favorite of his...more

As with all of Dan Brown’s books, I really enjoyed this one. It is my least favorite of his works so far because the action doesn’t really kick in until you’re about halfway or so through the book. Aside from Rachel and Michael, absolutely none of the characters are likable. It’s difficult to read a book when you hate all of its characters.I might write a more detailed review at a later point. For now, words escape me.   hide

I decided to check this one out because I was impressed by the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. ...more

I decided to check this one out because I was impressed by the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Brown pretty much used the same formula in this book that he did with the others: intrigue, suspense, having us suspect all the characters, you know... basically a thriller. But I found it a bit lacking. My eyes would glaze over sometimes in reading these wordy, and imo, boring descriptions of glacial formations or chondrules and the like. Regardless, I was pulled in and I found myself rooting for the character of Rachel Sexton because I found her to be a more likeable character than Robert Langdon. I gotta hand it to Brown though for going so far as to having us suspect the President of the United States was part of this conspiracy. If you're into Dan Brown books, I think it's worth checking out because it did hit me with a few "oh shit!" or "oh my god!" moments.   hide

This is another of Dan Brown's books that repackages stuff you've already read in his other novels....more

This is another of Dan Brown's books that repackages stuff you've already read in his other novels. And while Deception Point tries to look well researched, at times it's just pure fantasy and the good guys get very, very lucky! President Zachary Herney is facing a very tough re-election. His opponent, Senator Sedgwick Sexton has picked NASA's overspending as a campaign issue. So when the president hears NASA has found an unusual asteroid in the Arctic, he chooses Sexton's sceptical daughter as one of the team that will verify the claim. It's very convenient that Rachel Sexton is an analyst at the National Reconnaissance Office and doesn't like her father much. But then you'd better get used to handy coincidences if you're going to read this book. Not as good as Angels and Demons or the DaVinci Code.   hide

Enda en extravagant og nervepirrende thriller fra Dan Brown! Det som gjør "Iskaldt Bedrag" så...more

Enda en extravagant og nervepirrende thriller fra Dan Brown! Det som gjør "Iskaldt Bedrag" sÃ¥ vanvittig spennende er de storsilte konspirasjonene og sammensverelsene som er satt i verk i kampen om makt! Boken blir best hvis du ikke leser omtalen først som avslører for mye av handlingen og dermed vil ødelegge mye av spenningen og forbløffelsen. "Iskaldt bedrag" er skrevet etter samme oppskrift som de andre umÃ¥telig populære bøkene til forfatteren. Dan Brown har funnet et konsept som slÃ¥r pusten ut av deg med storstilte konspirasjoner og sammensvergelser og historien som plutselig fÃ¥r en totalt forbløffende og uventet vending! Vil den sjokkerende sannheten komme for dagen eller vil de som vet for mye bli drept?   hide