Fault Line by Barry Eisler

Fault Line by Barry Eisler
ISBN: 978-0-345-50508-8
Pages: 302
Inside Flap Description:

Silicon Valley: the eccentric inventor of a new encryption application is murdered in an apparent drug deal. Istanbul: a cynical undercover operative receives a frantic call from his estranged brother, a patent lawyer who believes he'll be the next victim. And on the sun-drenched slopes Sand Hill road, California'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, the patent examiner who reviewed the innovation dies--and Alex himself narrowly escapes an attack in hi sown home. Off balance, out of ideas, and running out of time, he knows that 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 the United States' 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, whom he hasn't spoken to since their mother died, his family is long gone.

But blood is thicker than water, and when Ben receives Alex's frantic call he 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 whom Alex has long secretly desired--and whom Ben immediately distrusts. As these three 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 yearnings, deepen the fault line between them.

A full throttle thriller that is both emotionally and politically charged, Fault Line centers on a conspiracy that has spun out of the shadows and onto the streets of America, a conspiracy that can be stopped by only three people--three people with different worldviews, different grievances, different motives. To survive the forces arrayed against them, they'll first have to survive one another.

My Rating: A-

My Review:

This is a wonderful book for a person who normally reads mainstream fiction and wants to break into thrillers. I found that the back story was just as wonderful and thought out as the main plot. I enjoyed how well rounded these characters were and how they worked together, or didn't.

The reason I think it's so perfect for someone looking to ease into this genre is because the back story was very elaborate and surrounded Ben and Alex's family history. This worked into the way that the reacted to the events that were unfolding around them wonderfully.

The 'thriller' part of this book was also very exciting and easy to get into. I was a bit wary by the fact that it's a technological thriller and I don't know quite enough about the subject matter, but the author explains everything like a 101 class but works it into the story in just the write way to keep you interested.

The only issues I had with the book was the fact that I thought the ending was a bit flat. The climax was a bit short lived, but for the most part it made enough sense to keep me from being completely disappointed.

I would recommend this book as an easy read and for anyone who doesn't usually read thrillers and is trying to start.