Book Review – Fault Line by Barry Eisler

Fault Line was the first book by Barry Eisler that I’ve read, but you can be sure it won’t be the last. Not only did it have an intriguing, fast-paced plot, but it added another element I always love: a dramatic personal story among the characters.

The book begins with the murder of an inventor just before he can patent his encryption program. His lawyer, Alex Trevyn, appears also to be on the short list for murder, along with his associate, Iranian-American Sarah Hosseini. Alex is forced to call his estranged brother Ben for help, and Ben, a secret American military assassin, reluctantly comes home to help.

Throughout the cat-and-mouse game they play with their deadly pursuers, the brothers trade accusations and bitter recriminations, finally forced to address the family tragedies (more than one) that had driven them apart. Ben takes Alex and Sarah on the run as they try to discover what makes the encryption program so important. And both brothers face betrayals that finally force them either to work together or kill each other, with Sarah caught in the middle.

The book keeps you eager to know what will happen next, as the three fugitives stay barely a step ahead of those who want to kill them. You really feel for Ben and Alex as you learn more and more of what happened to their family when the brothers were in high school. You keep hoping you’re not going to see the final destruction of what used to be a five-person family.

You also really enjoy how Sarah stands up to Ben, frequently letting him have it in ways that he — the guy with the guns — probably hasn’t been stood up to in years. She, as a person of Iranian background, is an automatic source of suspicion for Ben, but she forces him to examine his existing views of politics, the secret espionage world, and his own place in the scheme of things.

Eisler keeps things moving, and each new revelation – both about the mysterious program and about the brothers’ past – unfolds naturally. Eisler gives you characters you care about, living an intriguing story. I love how he really incorporates the internet world into the story, referring at one moment to political sites like MoveOn.org, or at another moment to open source software sites like SourceForge.net. I’m sure there are other mysteries and thrillers out there that build their plot so that the internet is as important as it is in the real world, but this is the first one I’ve read where it’s so matter-of-fact and everyday.

The only thing that made me raise my eyebrows a little was the final resolution of things. Not the resolution of the encryption program, but the way the fate of the three main characters was resolved. I just can’t quite believe they’d get the consideration they do, in the real world.

However, given that Eisler himself has done covert work for the CIA, and also worked as a technology lawyer, maybe he knows something I don’t. Or maybe he knows this makes a more satisfying ending to the story. Either way, he writes a very exciting, and at times quite moving story, and I recommend it very highly.

Can’t wait to find my next Barry Eisler book!

Fault Line was published in 2009, by Ballantine Books. Visit Eisler’s Fault Line page, where you can read the synopsis, watch the trailer, and also watch a couple of short interviews with Eisler himself.

(I’d post these YouTube videos here except, as usual, WordPress won’t work when I follow their instructions – to the letter – for embedding. I am about to do some serious, major complaining at their site, believe me. This is getting infuriating.)

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