Unless you live in a cave (I’m not judging) then you’ve probably heard of Dan Brown. If you haven’t heard of Dan Brown then you’ve probably heard of “The Da Vinci Code”. If you’ve heard of neither then I suggest you watch less TV and stop collecting porn from the internet. (I’m still not judging). I won’t blog on about how fantastic the Da Vince Code is (it really is) or how mind-blowing the concepts where (they really were) or offer my thoughts on the validity of Dan Brown’s research for the book (not enough time in the day). Nope. This is about one of his earlier novels: Deception Point.
If you’ve not read it, then stop reading this puerile obfuscation of the written language (that’s this blog by the way) and go read it now. If you need a little tease (still not judging) then reads on…. (Please affect your best “Deep Movie Trailer Voice”). There are no direct spoilers here, but if you prefer not to know anything about this book, turn away now. Not looking at your computer screen now? That’s a bit silly. President Zach Herney is in trouble. He’s taking a beating in the polls for the forthcoming presidential election. A stoic supporter of NASA, he’s backed and funded from tax payers money a string of expensive NASA blunders.
His rival, the ruthless Senator Sedgewick Sexton, is riding a wave of unrest from the American people he’s stirred by condemning the billions of tax payers money that’s been wasted on failed NASA projects and he’s all but guaranteed the presidency. As the situation gets even more desperate for the President, a new NASA satellite detects evidence of an astonishing object buried deep in the Arctic ice: a meteorite containing the fossilized remains of extra terrestrial life. The floundering space agency appears to have struck gold and will silence all their critics with their find.
The President dispatches Senator Sexton’s daughter, NRO intelligence analyst Rachel to the Arctic to verify the find. She’s accompanied by a team of NASA and civilian experts, including the charismatic “Amazing Seas” presenter Michael Tolland. Their every move is watched by the mysterious Delta Force taking orders from “the controller”. However, things start to unravel quickly when Rachel uncovers that the object isn’t all that it appears to be. A shocking discovery that will plunge the country into controversy. Before Rachel can make her findings known she realizes that her discovery puts her life, and the lives of others in danger.
Fleeing for her life with Michael Tolland and Corky Marlinson – a NASA scientist – in the dangerous Arctic conditions they have only one hope for survival: to find out who’s behind the deception. Back in Washington, the election grows closer and the stakes get higher. William Pickering, the NRO director is frustrated with NASA’s regular security leaks which put their technological advances into the hands of the highest bidder. The NASA administrator, an ex-Pentagon man is fighting to keep NASA from being restructured as part of the governments intelligence community joining the FBI and the CIA.
The President, taking advice from his sly senior advisor Marjorie Tench, prepares to tell the world of NASA’s discovery. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It is. Dan Brown has really done is research and although you’re entertained, you also learn a fair bit about the Arctic, meteorites and fossils. His technical detail is on par with Tom Clancy although it’s not as dry as some of Clancy’s work. His real flair is in involving the reader. This is a book that you won’t want to put down. Now, go read it.