Fault Line

Ben Treven, Book 1

By: Barry Eisler

Narrated by: Barry Eisler

In Silicon Valley, the eccentric inventor of a new encryption application is murdered in an apparent drug deal.

In Istanbul, a cynical undercover operator receives a frantic call from his estranged brother, a patent lawyer who believes he is the next victim.

And on the sun-drenched slopes of Sand Hill Road, Silicon Valley's nerve center of money and technology, old family hurts sting anew as two brothers who share nothing but blood and bitterness wage a desperate battle against a faceless enemy.

Alex Treven has sacrificed everything to achieve his sole ambition: making partner in his high-tech law firm. But then the inventor of a technology Alex is banking on is murdered...and the patent examiner who reviewed it dies...and Alex himself narrowly escapes an attack in his own home. Off balance, out of ideas, and running out of time, he knows the one person who can help him is the last person he'd ever ask: his brother.

Ben Treven is a Military Liaison Element, an elite undercover soldier paid to "find, fix, and finish" high-value targets in America's Global War on Terror. Disenchanted with what he sees as America's culture of denial and decadence, Ben lives his detached life in the shadows because the black ops world is all he really knows - and because other than Alex, who he hasn't spoken to since their mother died, his family is long gone.

But blood is thicker than water, and when he receives Alex's frantic call, Ben hurries to San Francisco to help him. Only then does Alex reveal that there's another player who knows of the technology: Sarah Hosseini, a young Iranian American lawyer who Alex has long secretly desired...and who Ben immediately distrusts. As these three radically different people struggle to identify the forces attempting to silence them, Ben and Alex are forced to examine the events that drove them apart - even as Sarah's presence, and her own secret wants, deepens the fault line between them.

Fault Line centers on a conspiracy that has spun out of the shadows and into the streets of America, a conspiracy that can be stopped only by three people - three people with different worldviews, different grievances, different motives. To survive the forces arrayed against them, they'll first have to survive each other.

©2009 Barry Eisler (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

A stand-alone novel; back-story to the Rain Series

This is a stand-alone novel that is also backstory for the John Rain series, which is among the best I've read or listened to. Notice how inexpensive they are.

I wrote an enthusiastically positive and extended review for Book 1: "Clean Kill in Tokyo."

Eisler is a smart and accomplished guy. Checkout his website and his Wikipedia bio.

Warrior Tactics in the Suburbs

Alex and Ben, brothers, have been estranged for 8 years. Alex is a lawyer and Ben is in the military but cannot reveal where he is located.

Alex is able to get in contact through the army base and Ben returns home to evaluate Alex's plea for Ben's help.

The novel is exciting and I wanted to keep listening until I reached the end. Fault Line kept me on the edge of my seat. There was a lot of action that kept me wanting more.

The narrator was the author, Barry Eisler, who did a good job. There was one word, " to", when used at the end of a sentence made me cringe. Don't ask we why because I actually don't know but my ears were offended.

I've read many of the John Rain series written by the same author and I've enjoyed them. There are two books in the Ben Treven series. I don't if there are more books but I'm sure that I would read them, too.

The book is enjoyable and worth your money or credit. I think this book was quite inexpensive. I'll purchase and listen to the second book, too.

***reader

this was a fast pace thriller. i am looking forward to next book. The Narrator knew the book and this helped to make the book interesting.

Different Type of Story (In a Good Way)

I think this was a different type of story than I am used to Barry Eisler writing, namely his famous John Rain series. This story took a little time to rev up, but once it did, all the chess pieces that Mr. Eisler put in place made sense. I recommend this book to followers of Barry Eisler’s writings. Even though I am hooked on John Rain, this was an outstanding book.

Always exciting!

I always enjoy Barry Eisler’s books, and his narration. I love the way he lays out the fight scenes in the way we can be a part of it. Mr. Eisler, please never stop writing!