Deception Point

Microscopic structures on the meteorite Allan Hills 84001 which were seen as possible evidence of Martian life; this inspired the plot of Deception Point. Deception Point is a 2001 mystery-thriller novel by American author Dan Brown. It is Brown's third novel. It was published by Simon & Schuster.

The novel follows White House intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton's involvement in corroborating NASA's discovery of a meteorite that supposedly contains proof of extraterrestrial life, resembling the ALH84001 case. The discovery comes at a time close to the United States presidential election in which her father is running. The discovery will aid the campaign of her employer, the incumbent president of the United States, Zachary Herney, but put her further at odds with her already estranged father, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, who is running for election. Ms. Sexton, accompanied by a team of experts, must prove the authenticity of the meteorite, which will either make or break the campaign of President Herney.