.com Book 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 hell be the next victim. And on the sun-drenched slopes of Sand Hill Road, Californias 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 his own 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 hed 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 Americas 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 hasnt spoken to since their mother died, his family is long gone. But blood is thicker than water, and when Ben receives Alexs frantic call he hurries to San Francisco to help him. Only then does Alex reveal that theres 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 Sarahs presence, and her own secret yearnings, deepens 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, theyll first have to survive one another. Barry Eisler on Fault Line Fault Line, my first standalone, introduces military assassin Ben Treven, and my previous six books were a series centering around freelance assassin John Rain. Fault Line includes some pretty explicit sex, and the Rain series has its fair share, too. I think we have enough data now to be confident all these assassin stories with lots of sex in them are not just a coincidence. I get asked often what's behind these recurring elements. Here are a few thoughts on the matter. Im not sure exactly what draws me to characters like Rain and Ben. I think its that, on the one hand, theyre like you and me. Theyre not sociopaths; theyre normal. And yet theyre not normal, because they can do--and live with--acts that would crush a normal psyche. I guess Im drawn to the idea that a person can transcend--commit the ultimate transgression, in fact--without being punished for it. An ability like that would be an almost god-like kind of power, wouldnt it? Raskolnikov without the guilt. Ahab without the catastrophe. And yet these men arent free of consequences--there is a cost of it, as a Vietnam vet friend whos taught me a lot puts it. That cost, and the way these men shoulder it, is something else that fascinates me, and that I try to reflect in my books. It's not just Rain grappling with the weight of what he's done; it's how it effects his ability to have a relationship with a woman--even a fellow professional like Delilah. And the wall Ben feels between men like himself and civilians creates a painful barrier between him and Sarah Hosseini--a barrier that will be put under tremendous pressure by their mutual attraction. Okay, now sex... There are three general ways to get to know someones character: time, stress, and sex. In a novel, you dont have time, meaning you need an accelerant, and that leaves you with sex or stress. Violence is one of the most stressful experiences we humans can face, which is why violence can be such a powerful tool in stories. But sex is also enormously revealing, which is why the biblical euphemism that Abraham knew Sarah is so apt. Also, sex can be an incredibly powerful pivot. Sex changes everything. Remember when John Cusack and Ione Skye finally make love in Say Anything? Cusack then tries to pretend that it doesnt matter that much, and Lili Taylor says to him something like, Yes it does! It changes everything. Decades could go by without you seeing each other... and then, when youre in your sixties, you might bump into each other, and youll say, 'Hi, how are you?' and shell say, 'Fine, how are you?,' but what youll really be thinking is, We had sex! Which is why I had so much of a blast with the buildup to what happens in Fault Line and with its culmination. These are characters caught for a variety of reasons between powerfully conflicting feelings of antagonism and attraction. They know they shouldnt, they even tell themselves they dont want to... and yet of course they do. What would happen to two people with feelings like that, pressurized by shared danger, enhanced by distrust, catalyzed by violence? Not going to tell you here... youll have to read the book to find out. --Barry Eisler (Photo Charles Bush)From BooklistEisler fans looking for the return of John Rain wont find him here, but they wont be disappointed. Silicon Valley patent lawyer Alex Treven is counting on a big payday when he closes a potential multimillion-dollar deal with the inventor of an encryption program, but his prospects change quickly when the inventor is murdered and Alex is attacked in his home. To uncover the truth of the murder and survive himself, Alex will need to call in the services of a man he never wanted to see again: his estranged brother, Ben, who works for a secret anti-terrorist military organization but agrees to fly from Istanbul to San Francisco to helpand immediately becomes a target. Also involved is another lawyer, an Iranian American woman who also knows about the encryption program and may or not be trustworthy. Rich characterizations and family dynamics blend seamlessly with gripping action scenes. Eisler has himself another winner. --Jeff Ayers Thriller fans already know that Barry Eisler is one of the brightest stars out there. But now, with Fault Linea breathlessly exciting, lightning-paced, and moving tale of suspenseI predict a whole lot more readers are going to discover how terrific he is.Joseph Finder, author of Power PlayAn exciting, believable, and well-written thriller . . . Put Fault Line at the top of your reading list. I'm a new Barry Eisler fan!Ridley Pearson, author of Killer ViewFrom the Hardcover edition. what are web forms used for Fault Line (Ben Treven series) (Volume 1)
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. give it a chance, John Rain readers...By Bruce MilesI 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.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not the same smart stuffBy CPJSThis first story in the Ben Treven series seems greatly watered down in sophistication and writing compared to the many John Rain books I enjoyed. The plot, violence, and sex all seemed "cartoony" and phoned in to me. I particulaly disliked the awkward and telegraphed hook-up between Ben and Sarah -- the culminating scene bordered on a pretty ugly sterotypical macho rape fantasy (in my opinion). Anyway, it's unlikely that my tastes have matured, so I have to conclude that the new Ben Treven series just isn't as well written as I expected. I don't think I'll read more of these. Too bad -- I was looking forward to more of Eisler's smart stuff.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. what a garbageBy Bordeaux DogueIt is very hard to believe that the creator of John rain failed, so utterly, in this book. The story is stupid, as are its characters and one cannot avoid jumping from page to page in anticipation of the moment the childish relationship between the characters ends.The carachters are shallow as shalllow can be. The sory is Young Adult at its worst.At the beginning one thinks that this might be one of Eislers first books, but mention to real life events very regrettably show us otherwise.What a waste of time, what a disappointment.