Deception Point (Four Stars)

mainstream fiction
Deception Point
Dan Brown
Pocket Books
©2001
ISBN 0-671-02738-7
558 pages
$7.99 US/$11.99 CAN

"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."

It was my best friend, Dene Eva, who introduced me to Dan Brown. I had heard of him, through the making of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ but I wasn’t sure I wanted to read him. She went into transports of glee talking about his books and convinced me I needed to read him. She warned me to read ‘Angels and Demons’ before ‘The Da Vinci Code’, and I did so. And loved them.

I found ‘Deception Point’ at a flea market and bought it immediately. Anything by Dan Brown has to be good. And boy, it is. I rocketed through this book. He is a master storyteller – knowing just how much information to give the reader, and just how much to keep secret. Only at the very end does he reveal his hand, in conclusions that make perfect sense all along. I marvel at his research capabilities – he comes up with the most amazing stuff! It is no wonder to me that this man is a Bestselling Author. Bravo.