Fault Line (Ben Treven Series) Audio CD – CD, October 13, 2015

In "Fault Line", Barry Eisler takes a break from assassin John Rain to introduce Ben Treven, an agent for a black ops unit within the U.S. intelligence services. Ben has recently completed a mission in Istanbul and is laying low in the aftermath, when he gets a message from his younger brother, Alex, a successful Silicon Valley attorney.Alex had been working to patent new software called Obsidian, a breakthrough in encryption technology, but within the space of two days, the straight-laced inventor has been murdered in what looks like a drug deal gone bad, the otherwise healthy patent attorney has died of a heart attack, and someone has broken into Alex's home. Something is not right, and Ben knows Alex is desperate because the two of them haven't spoken beyond angry recrimination since the Treven family fell apart in the wake of their sister's death. Ben begrudgingly races back to the States to help Alex and Sarah, the young associate who had been helping him with Obsidian, but it is all the two siblings can do to be civil, putting efforts to keep everyone alive, and uncover exactly what is going on, in jeopardy."Fault Line" is a much lesser work from this author than one would expect in the wake of the John Rain novels, which are some of the very best in the action-thriller genre. The characters are, by and large, two-dimensional tropes, and there is so much immaturity displayed by all at hand, that at times, it strains credulity that each of the protagonists has been as successful as they have, in their chosen fields. Worse, they are often just plain unlikable, and the third person omniscient voice in which the book is written repeatedly violates the cardinal "show don't tell" rule of great storytelling. (The Rain books are almost entirely written in first person.) The foundations of the plot, too, aren't particularly original.Is this book terrible, then? No - the author still provides the kind of propulsive plot, great action, and in-the-know intrigue we have come to expect from him. It's just that we've seen a lot of it before, and some of that was in the Rain books. Ben Treven seems less like a character that Eisler finds compelling, and more like one he has built so he can surface issues about which he cares strongly, such as the "War on Terror", privacy rights, and the treatment of Muslim Americans. John Rain isn't the right character to do that, so Ben Treven fills a void. (Interestingly, there is a conversational aside early in "Fault Line" which indicates that Treven and Rain share the same universe.)If you're looking for an introduction to the works of Barry Eisler, skip this and go straight to the John Rain novels. If you've read the Rain books and are looking for a fix, this will tide you over, but you'll notice the drop in quality.

I so wanted to hate this book. Halfway through I was bored with the storyline...brothers who can't get it together, blah blah blah. This was so not a John Rain book that makes me think and be empathetic with the characters. Then, I realized that it was written deliberately not to be confused with John Rain. I kept plodding through as the speed of the story picked up, and then...the twist, and then another twist. Now, this was Barry Eisler writing. I will only give it 4 stars because of the first half, but the second half is worth 5 stars.

The primary problem with "Fault Line" is that it's based on a erroneous understanding of technology.1. No one would use an encryption method unless it had be thoroughly vetted by the encryption community. So if that encryption technology had been announced, no one would use it until it had been analyzed and submitted to analysis. It would take quite a while but, if the method appeared interesting, the encryption community would attempt to find weaknesses in the method and ways to break it. Read about the analysis that was done for the Advanced Encryption Standard (check Wikipedia for a short review).2. You do not submit source code when you apply for a patent. Source code is simply one implementation of the technique. The patent has to describe the encryption method and that is done by describing how the plain text is manipulated to encrypt it. You would only submit source code for a Copyright.But if you can get by those errors, the book is okay.

Most anything written by Barry Eisler is extraordinary in terms of suspense and detailed immediacy, no matter what the setting for the violent and deadly confrontations facing the protagonist. In this case it was a new assassin, Ben Treven, an American army E-8 whose family tragedy he feels responsible for, and has embarked on a career of assigned killing for the cause of anti-terrorism. He returns to his California home when his estranged brother calls him for help after attempts on his life. What distinguishes this book from the others about John Rain is Ben's detailed agonizing about family dynamics following the death of his sister that he may have been responsible for. The book is narrated in the third person, rather than John Rains' first person narrative. The interactions between Ben and his untrained, civilian younger brother have the effect of humanizing the killing machine Ben has become, without losing any of the suspenseful action as he takes on seemingly impossible odds. The book has a surprise twist at the end that is satisfactorily resolved, and there is an introduction to future adventures that Ben will encounter in two or more following books. I would say that Ben gives the reader an even more accessible protagonist than John Rain, given that he has a family and a flawed moral background that haunts his consciousness as he considers each episode in his career.

A worthy kickoff to the Ben Treven series, and a good read, to boot. Eisler continues to impress with his ability to tell a story and to develop characters. A note to Eisler readers just starting Treven: if you haven't read The Detachment, I'd read it first. It isn't absolutely necessary, but I think knowing too much about the Ben Treven when reading the Detachment might actually detract from the story somewhat.My fear was that the Treven series would just be a John Rain reboot, but such is not the case. Treven is a very different character, and Eisler makes it absolutely clear from the beginning. While Fault Line will not disappoint any of Eisler's fans, I find myself missing John Rain here and there throughout the book- Treven is a great character, but more flawed in real ways than Rain, and with more baggage and insecurities. He's probably a more complex character than Rain for that reason, and therefore more of the writing is devoted to Treven than to his exploits.A great story, a great character, and - I hope - a long series of new books from Barry Eisler.

Really enjoy this author and the spectrum and depth covered in his books with this being no disappointment at all. In fact gives some great background on Treven for understanding in later books. I unfortunately didn't read it in order but still really enjoyed this book.Thank you Mr Eisler!

Having read Eisler's John Rain tales, a new set of characters was always going to be a hard sell. Even allowing for that, the story lacks cohesion and the fluid prose of his earlier works.This stand alone story follows the tale of two brothers, one the stay at home, admin type with the expected baggage, the other a flawed intelligence agent and their involvement with the same woman as they attempt to unravel a conspiracy.Avoid. Stick with his assassin stories. They are superior in every way.

The first of Eisler's book not to feature his excellent creation John Rain. It is sometimes a wrong move by an author who has established a good series featuring the same character. Personally I prefer authors to write about new characters each time out but there are some exceptions and Barry Eisler's John Rain books are very good and the Japanese settings add a little of the exotic. With Fault Line he has created another character that could have some legs. Check it out

Great - I like lee child , baldacci, Flynn and wasn't disappointed !

Having read a lot of Barry eisler novels i took advantage of an offer of buying some at 77 pence and i have to say I was not disappointed. Ben treven has to be one of my favourite characters in any book I have read. Keep the stories coming barry!!!!!!!