Fans that were hoping to see
Japanese-American assassin,
John Rain, in a followup to
Eisler’s bestselling series will be in for something slightly different in Eisler’s first stand-alone thriller,
Fault Line. The first paragraph opens up with a hook that will lock in Eisler’s fans and many more. Readers unfamiliar with Eisler’s work will be instantly drawn into a page-turning experience.
The story focuses on a young
patent lawyer, Alex Treven, who expects to strike oil when his latest client, Richard Hilzoy, presents him with a revolutionary technology called
Obsidian. Alex anticipates being the talk of
Silicon Valley and becoming partner in the firm. However, Hilzoy is murdered in an apparent drug deal, the
patent examiner dies, and Alex barely escapes with his own life after an alleged burglary in his own home. When the police offer little assistance, Alex turns to his estranged brother, Ben—a special-ops soldier—for help. Ben rushes to Alex’s aid and forces Alex’s
Iranian-American associate, Sarah Hosseini to go underground with them because of her knowledge of Obsidian. Ben distrusts Sarah and believes that she is working for clandestine powers that are bent at stealing Obsidian. As a result, Alex is thrown head first into Ben’s world and must follow his brother’s rules in hopes of surviving further attempts on his life by the forces they hope to expose.
Ben’s paranoia and methods of survival are reflected in Eisler’s experience as a
covert operative. Eisler has mastered the art of creating situational tension while weaving in character tensions. Ben’s main objective of keeping Alex and Sarah safe is complicated by unresolved family issues that led to Ben’s estrangement. Further complications also result from the animosity Ben and Sarah have towards each other. There is excellent character development that is not overdrawn. There are also interesting plot twists which make Fault Line a gripping and easy read.
Image via Wikipedia This week I continue with my spotlight of former CIA operative and bestselling thriller author, Barry Eisler, where I do a dramatic excerpt from Fault Line on The Russell Show. (Excerpt chosen by Barry Eisler and done with his permission).
