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kaisersozee's review
5.0
Another great writer!! Cool hero and nice character development. Looking forward to reading all his books after I finished this.
ingo_lembcke's review
4.0
Started January 16th, 2014.
Lend this with Amazon Prime.
Reality factor: very high. Special Ops, Silicon Valley, Cryptography, Patents - all very plausible integrated in this thriller.
So why only 4 stars?
Somehow it was not the page-turner for me I anticipated. Some romance I could have done without, but nicely done and a short non-detailed sex-scene.
While it has no mistakes I noticed, and has a high standard of (american) english, it felt wrong, I cannot put my finger on the reason.
Very good, and this is why I gave 4 stars and not 3, as I guessed during reading, being at least 50% into the book: the ending and the information after that. This book provides a section with further reading for the interested mind. In my ebook these are clickable links.
So someone has done his homework and done it right. This is missing from a lot of books, which are based on reality and not entirely fiction.
The author was working for the CIA for a few years and knows his stuff.
The scenes which explain the technical stuff for non-computer-safy-people are spot on, both not too deep and explaining it right.
Also, make no mistake, after the Snowden-revelations (which are still on-going), the theme of this book is more relevant than ever.
The ending also shows that this is nothing like the uncritical books by [a:Brad Thor|5088|Brad Thor|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288917p2/5088.jpg] which left a bad aftertaste in my mouth after reading his hurray-special-ops-we-like-to-torture-scenes.
And this no black-and-white-ending, more different shades of grey, and this is both good, and realistic (for me, at least).
Other books (the action and the decisions by the people in the books are not as good, being desk-jockeys the action and dangerous situations are not too realistic) with similar themes: [b:Trojan Horse|13538906|Trojan Horse|Mark Russinovich|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1332949569s/13538906.jpg|19101258] and [b:Zero Day|9763010|Zero Day|Mark Russinovich|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312002496s/9763010.jpg|14652376].
So, I recommend this one, and will certainly read the next one in this series, [b:Inside Out|6947577|Inside Out (Ben Treven, #2)|Barry Eisler|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320410861s/6947577.jpg|7170752].
Lend this with Amazon Prime.
Reality factor: very high. Special Ops, Silicon Valley, Cryptography, Patents - all very plausible integrated in this thriller.
So why only 4 stars?
Somehow it was not the page-turner for me I anticipated. Some romance I could have done without, but nicely done and a short non-detailed sex-scene.
While it has no mistakes I noticed, and has a high standard of (american) english, it felt wrong, I cannot put my finger on the reason.
Very good, and this is why I gave 4 stars and not 3, as I guessed during reading, being at least 50% into the book: the ending and the information after that. This book provides a section with further reading for the interested mind. In my ebook these are clickable links.
So someone has done his homework and done it right. This is missing from a lot of books, which are based on reality and not entirely fiction.
The author was working for the CIA for a few years and knows his stuff.
The scenes which explain the technical stuff for non-computer-safy-people are spot on, both not too deep and explaining it right.
Also, make no mistake, after the Snowden-revelations (which are still on-going), the theme of this book is more relevant than ever.
The ending also shows that this is nothing like the uncritical books by [a:Brad Thor|5088|Brad Thor|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288917p2/5088.jpg] which left a bad aftertaste in my mouth after reading his hurray-special-ops-we-like-to-torture-scenes.
And this no black-and-white-ending, more different shades of grey, and this is both good, and realistic (for me, at least).
Other books (the action and the decisions by the people in the books are not as good, being desk-jockeys the action and dangerous situations are not too realistic) with similar themes: [b:Trojan Horse|13538906|Trojan Horse|Mark Russinovich|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1332949569s/13538906.jpg|19101258] and [b:Zero Day|9763010|Zero Day|Mark Russinovich|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312002496s/9763010.jpg|14652376].
So, I recommend this one, and will certainly read the next one in this series, [b:Inside Out|6947577|Inside Out (Ben Treven, #2)|Barry Eisler|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320410861s/6947577.jpg|7170752].
funreader's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely might not my style. Right wing author with gun IDs and silly stuff. Move on.
jmoses's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first John Rain book, in my opinion, but entertaining and the characters have some interesting growth potentials.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Richard Hilzoy and his attorney, Alex Trevan have arranged a meeting with Kleiner Perkins. A company who is considered to have the Midas touch. Richard is really excited to meet with the people of Kleiner as he has come up with a really great inventor. It is called the Obsidian, the world's most advanced encryption algorithm, that is it will be the world's most advanced as soon as he and Alex can seal the deal. Alex has been striving hard for the past few years to move up in the law firm he works for. He just might have received his biggest break with his latest client Richard. Alex has a bad feeling when Richard doesn't show up for their meeting. He tries calling him but just gets his voice message machine.
Shortly after, Alex gets his answer as to why Richard Hilzoy didn't show up for their meeting with Kleiner Perkins. A detective Gamez with the San Jose Police Department informs Alex that Mr. Hilzoy's body was discovered outside his home. It looks like a drug deal gone wrong. Alex suspects something is up, especially when his good friend Hank Shiffman dies. Supposedly Mr. Shiffman died of a heart attack but Alex knows that can't be right as Hank was the healthiest man he ever knew. It just so happens that Hank was helping Alex and Richard with the Obsidian project. Alex is the only one left alive who has any knowledge of what Richard was working on. Alex arrives home to find someone is in his house. Alex scares the intruder away. It seems someone or somones would do anything to get their hands on Obsidian...even kill for it!
Alex is fearful that his last hour is rapidly approaching. He turns to the one person he can count on to help him...his brother. Ben Treven works for the military as a skilled killer for the Joint Special Operation Command. He takes out the bad guys. Ben hasn't seen or talked to his family in a very long time. So you can imagine his surprise when he receives an email from Alex asking for his help. Ben knows he can't ignore Alex no matter how much he wants to as Alex is his little brother. Ben doesn't know what kind of trouble Alex has gotten himself into this time but whatever it is it must be big.
While I have never read anything by Mr. Eisler before I did enjoy this book. I just wish I could have gotten into it more as it had good potential. There was lots of action and adventure. What I feel the issue was for me is that the characters didn't draw me in and make me want to stay. So I guess you could say I did find a little fault with Fault Line but not enough to make me not want to give Mr. Eisler a second chance. I do have to say that I can see why his books are being made into movies.
Shortly after, Alex gets his answer as to why Richard Hilzoy didn't show up for their meeting with Kleiner Perkins. A detective Gamez with the San Jose Police Department informs Alex that Mr. Hilzoy's body was discovered outside his home. It looks like a drug deal gone wrong. Alex suspects something is up, especially when his good friend Hank Shiffman dies. Supposedly Mr. Shiffman died of a heart attack but Alex knows that can't be right as Hank was the healthiest man he ever knew. It just so happens that Hank was helping Alex and Richard with the Obsidian project. Alex is the only one left alive who has any knowledge of what Richard was working on. Alex arrives home to find someone is in his house. Alex scares the intruder away. It seems someone or somones would do anything to get their hands on Obsidian...even kill for it!
Alex is fearful that his last hour is rapidly approaching. He turns to the one person he can count on to help him...his brother. Ben Treven works for the military as a skilled killer for the Joint Special Operation Command. He takes out the bad guys. Ben hasn't seen or talked to his family in a very long time. So you can imagine his surprise when he receives an email from Alex asking for his help. Ben knows he can't ignore Alex no matter how much he wants to as Alex is his little brother. Ben doesn't know what kind of trouble Alex has gotten himself into this time but whatever it is it must be big.
While I have never read anything by Mr. Eisler before I did enjoy this book. I just wish I could have gotten into it more as it had good potential. There was lots of action and adventure. What I feel the issue was for me is that the characters didn't draw me in and make me want to stay. So I guess you could say I did find a little fault with Fault Line but not enough to make me not want to give Mr. Eisler a second chance. I do have to say that I can see why his books are being made into movies.
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting thriller about a rather dysfunctional family (second novel with similar theme in last week for me - following Kevin Wignall's "The Fragile Thing").
Ben Treven is not very social person. You wont find him talking much about his feelings or thoughts. This led to dark cloud casting its shadow on Ben's relations with his family after particularly heart-breaking incident. Since nobody talks with anybody and everything is based on assumptions tensions grow.
Ben feels his family shunned him so he seeks [and ultimately finds] his purpose in the field that looks for that exact type of person, quiet professionals - military intelligence. He moves from assignment to assignment, acting as a robot, attacking enemies of his country mercilessly until his brother Alex calls him and asks him to help him. Somebody wants Alex dead and he wants to find out who and why.
This brings Ben from the shadows and sets him on course that will test his family ties but also his relation with the army and shadowy intelligence agency he trusts fully and without reserve.
Recommended to all fans of thrillers and action.
Ben Treven is not very social person. You wont find him talking much about his feelings or thoughts. This led to dark cloud casting its shadow on Ben's relations with his family after particularly heart-breaking incident. Since nobody talks with anybody and everything is based on assumptions tensions grow.
Ben feels his family shunned him so he seeks [and ultimately finds] his purpose in the field that looks for that exact type of person, quiet professionals - military intelligence. He moves from assignment to assignment, acting as a robot, attacking enemies of his country mercilessly until his brother Alex calls him and asks him to help him. Somebody wants Alex dead and he wants to find out who and why.
This brings Ben from the shadows and sets him on course that will test his family ties but also his relation with the army and shadowy intelligence agency he trusts fully and without reserve.
Recommended to all fans of thrillers and action.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
What a good book! Very believable, which is sometimes a problem with this genre. Our "good" guy is a tough guy to beat all tough guys, but you find out he's not a machine after all. I'll be looking for more in this series!
mskeesh's review against another edition
4.0
I am a huge fan of thrillers and this book did not disappoint. Alex Treven is a lawyer who has been estranged from his brother for years due to a family tragedy. However, Alex finds himself in dire need of his brother's help to protect him because one of his client's dies a very suspicious death and Alex is next on the hit list. Ben, a special forces operative reluctantly agrees to help his brother. The friction between the brother's is ongoing and complicated by the fact that both are attracted to the same woman. This is the first book I read by this author and it was thoroughly enjoyed. There was lots of action, the characters were believable and realistic, and the story moved along fluidly. The writing style was great...not too wordy or technical, although there was a lot of techno jargon. This is a book I would recommend!
bookworm_anna's review against another edition
4.0
It was equal parts a story about family drama/relationships as it was a thriller about government conspiracy. Enjoyable, but spent a little too much time describing the geography of the SF area.