Deception Point

Deception Point
Brown, Dan, 2003.
Deception Point.
New York: Atria Books.
464 pages, hardcover.
$24.00

ISBN 9780743490306.

Format: book
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
NASA believes it has just made an enormous discovery – a rare object (a meteorite with fossils of giant insects) buried deep in the ice of the Arctic that could provide proof of life on other planets. A discovery that just might redeem their agency for all of the recent major, very public gaffes.

Top-secret government agency, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is tasked with gathering or reviewing complex data and abbreviating it down to a single-page report for presidential review. Those skilled at this job are known as a gister.

Not wanting to risk a major NASA blunder during a presidential year, President Herney calls upon Rachel Sexton, a gister with the NRO who just happens to be the daughter of his leading presidential opponent. Senator Sexton is outspoken and has made his intentions known – to reduce NASA’s spending and open the doors of space exploration to those with funding the in the private sector.

Rachel and a team including oceanographer Michael Tolland are sent to the Arctic to investigate this finding, and report back directly to the president. When they both start to suspect that something isn’t quite right, Rachel and Michael become the new targets.

Critical Evaluation
With an opening prologue offering a mix of confusion and a bizarre murder, Brown quickens the pulse of readers from his first pages of Deception Point and makes it nearly impossible to put this book down.

Brown’s writing builds a world of governmental agency secrecy, which is trustworthy because he quickly establishes his credibility by blending absolutely true stories and believable governmental detailed history.

In typical Brown thriller-fashion, nothing goes as planned, and as the team makes progress in trying to establish the validity of the scientific find and as further details emerge – details that are a mix of truth and deceit, they all lead to adventure, romance, and murder. With involvement of the military, NASA, NRO, White House, media, and many others, it becomes difficult to distinguish the good guys from the bad. And, even the most attentive reader won’t be able to predict every twist and plot turn Brown uses in this one, and with so much suspense it had me holding her breath with every intense scene.

Reader’s Annotation
A surprisingly rare object is found buried deep in Arctic ice, detected by a new NASA satellite. This find may help support the struggling agency and the entire space program, but first, on a directive from the White House with the presidential election at stake, it must be confirmed by a team of experts including a top Intelligence analyst who is also the daughter of the president’s political opponent.

Information About the Author

Dan Brown was raised by a religious New England family and graduated from Amherst College. While attending prep school Phillips Exeter Academy prior, he became fascinated "with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion" (Brown, 2011), which is the foundation of all of his books. He and his wife still live in New England.

He returned to Phillips Exeter Academy to teach English before deciding to write full-time. He is a New York Times bestselling author of Digital Fortress, and both Angels & Demons and The Da Vince Code made it to #1 as NYT bestsellers. His books have been published in 52 languages, his website in 7 worldwide sites besides the United States, and he has sold more than 200 million copies of his books. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Both Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code were made into major motion pictures, and The Lost Symbol is currently in the works.

(Amazon, 2011) and (Brown, 2011).

Genre

Fiction: Mystery & Suspense – suspense

Read-Alikes
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin
Zoo by Graham Marks

Curriculum Ties
Deception Point could support a close-up study of a presidential campaign, how propaganda is used, the use of and manipulation of and by the media, the interrelationships of governmental agencies and how far they would go to advance their agenda, as well as a study on the implications of science and technology.

Booktalking Ideas
1) opening scene with appearance of a rescue, that really isn’t
2) NASA discovery conversation between president and his analyst, Rachel Sexton, who is also the daughter of his presidential opponent

Book Trailer Links
Book Trailer by a Reader

Reading Level/Interest Age
Adult / YA cross-over

Challenge Issues
violent murder, government secrets, political deception, scandals, romance, extraterrestrial life, NASA cover-up, conspiracy

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards

N/A

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
Though not as popular, Deception Point is one of Dan Brown’s greatest books and one of the five I would select if stranded on a desert island for any length of time. It blends all of my favorite subjects: science, technology, astronomy, government, travel and adventure into an edge-of-my-seat read.

Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, St. Petersburg Times, People