Monday, February 7, 2011

Crime Fiction Alphabet: E is for Fault Line by Barry Eisler



The Last thing Richard Hilzoy thought before the bullet entered his brain was, Things are really looking up.


Title: Fault Line
Author: Barry Eisler
ISBN: 9780345505088
Publisher: Ballantine Books/March 2009
Pages: 302

Alex Treven, a top shot laywer is scared to wits when two of his associates are murdered and his house is burgled. All of them are in one way or other, involved in the invention of encryption application and patent for it is pending. Alex has no family, as they are all dead, except for an enstranged older brother Ben, who has not been in the vicinity for the last seven years, not since their mother died. 

Alex, after much thought turns to Ben, who is an undercover agent, who is currently in Istanbul, having the dirty job of eliminating terrorists. Or find, fix and finish, as he calls it. Although Ben resents Alex contacting him, he nevertheless arrives to save Alex. Another lawyer Sarah Hosseini, who too knows all about the encryption, has to be taken into confidence. Although Alex trusts her, Ben does not. And he has reasons not too. All the while the resentment the brothers have for each other, boils over and almost escalates into one killing the other. 

It has lots of actions, twists and turns of events, the bonding between the brothers, although both don't know it nor show it. Both are likeable in their own quirky ways. One can't write more without revealing the plot and that is not done for crime fiction.

As with most thrillers, it too is unputdownable. One really likes the unhurried, detailed way Ben goes about his work. He knows he has to clean the world and he goes about it in a clinical manner. Barry Eisler is a writer worth checking out. 

6 comments:

Julie said...

I love the quote you included! This sounds like a wonderful ride of a book! Thanks for the review.

Kerrie said...

Thanks for this contribution to the CFA Gautami. I'm enjoying reading everyone's suggestions. Barry Eisler is another author I haven't read enough by.

Dorte H said...

A great review, but I seem to have gone off thrillers for the time being.

Well, maybe my appetite will return.

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

I haven't come across Eisler, but I'm not sure I want to read a thriller right now.

Bev Hankins said...

Eisler is a new author to me. Probably because it's rare that I read a thriller. Glad you're enjoying it though!

Here's my "E": http://myreadersblock.blogspot.com/2011/02/alphabet-in-crime-fiction-letter-e.html

Anonymous said...

Gautami - Thanks for this review. Ordinarily I'm not the biggest of thriller lovers, but this one sounds intriguing and like Julie, I love that first line!