FAULT LINE
Barry Eisler
Ballantine Books
Thriller
ISBN: 9780345505088
What words can I use to describe Barry Eisler’s first stand-alone thriller, FAULT LINE? Riveting? I couldn’t put it down. Exciting? There should be a special set of chairs designed with a couple of extra inches on the seats just for reading this, so you don’t fall off the edge. Imaginative? You bet. Deep? For sure. Take two estranged brothers who are very different, throw them reluctantly together, insert an attractive, brilliant woman into the mix and have a gang of mysteriously omnipresent bad guys after them with malevolent intent. Add Eisler’s award-winning style, and --- dare I say it --- you just might forget about John Rain. Maybe I shouldn’t go that far, but his latest novel is one heck of a ride.
FAULT LINE represents some changes for Eisler. Instead of lone wolf Rain, it introduces a new version of oil and water in the form of Alex and Ben Treven. Rather than the exotic Asian environs of the Rain novels, it is set in the more familiar, more laid-back Northern California region, in Menlo Park and San Francisco. And while Rain often played out his violent though reluctant actions against a backdrop of darkness, this book is a bit less introspective. Think of Eisler as a master illusionist, about to unleash a stunning new set of presentations, and you’ll get the idea.
As indicated above, Alex is very different from brother Ben. He is a button-downed and moussed attorney who is on a fast track for his law firm’s partnership, in no small part due to his client, Richard Hilzoy, who has designed a piece of security software known as Obsidian. Hilzoy has described Obsidian as the world’s most advanced encryption algorithm; it is going to make Hilzoy, and Alex, very rich. When Hilzoy is suddenly murdered, however, Alex finds himself in the crosshairs as well. Alex is woefully unprepared to deal with this type of situation and does the one thing that he wishes he did not have to do: he calls Ben for assistance.
Ben is one of a small group of elite special operatives, the best of the best. As is demonstrated conclusively near the beginning of the book, he is geared up for this type of situation. What he is not trained for, however, is dealing with his brother, who has been estranged from him for years and is so very different from him. To make matters more complicated, there is Sarah Hosseini, an associate of Alex’s law firm and one of the few people on earth capable of coming close to understanding Obsidian. Sarah is smart, beautiful and Persian. She and Ben instinctively distrust each other. Alex secretly has a crush on her. And some mysterious pursuers are trying to kill all three of them. Before the story is over, alliances are changed, lives are lost, and everything and everyone is either moved a bit closer or somewhat farther apart.
FAULT LINE is so good you’ll be tempted to read it twice in one sitting. Indulge yourself, especially if you missed Eisler’s sly and ever-so-brief allusion to John Rain the first time through. He also gets into the complications that arise when circumstance, happenstance and coincidence collide and result in a group of folks we call a family. Eisler is very subtle about it --- this is a thriller, after all, in every sense of the word --- but he goes deep into the topic without missing a beat of the plot. And take notes: there is a sequel coming next year.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.
© Copyright 1996-2010, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
