Rating: ****
Tags: Fiction, General, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Detective, Political, Suspense, Thrillers, Suspense fiction, Meteors, Conspiracies, Political fiction, Presidents, Americans - Arctic regions, Presidents - Election, Scientists, Americans, Arctic regions, Lang:en
Summary
Penzler Pick, In the world of page-turning
thrillers, Dan Brown holds a special place in the hearts of
many of us. After his first book,
, almost passed me by, he wrote , 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
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.Amazon.com Review
From Publishers Weekly