Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$7.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.99
with membership

Hardcover
$10.99

Paperback
$10.99

$10.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Friday, April 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Wednesday, April 16. Order within 17 hrs 41 mins.

In Stock

$$10.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$2.29

This item is in overall good condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have minor wear including slight curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages are intact but may have minor highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have slight wear overall. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. Minor shelf wear overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you! This item is in overall good condition. Covers and dust jackets are intact but may have minor wear including slight curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages are intact but may have minor highlighting/ writing. Binding is intact; however, spine may have slight wear overall. Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. Minor shelf wear overall. Please note that all items are donated goods and are in used condition. Orders shipped Monday through Friday! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you! See less

$3.99 delivery April 22 - 28. Details

Or fastest delivery April 17 - 22. Details

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$10.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from and sold by Goodwill of Colorado.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (32) from $6.28 & FREE Shipping

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Name: Amazon.com: Fault Line (Ben Treven): 9781481205252: Eisler, Barry: Books
Price: 10.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.2 (2373 reviews)

Barry Eisler

Follow

Fault Line (Ben Treven) Paperback – March 27, 2013

by Barry Eisler (Author)

2,373 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$10.99","priceAmount":10.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"10","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"LeIwySDExTF9TRJA7mmRjS0L1E5dwSgh6MhJEJueB6ee7d%2B23i1m3bZcSAcNFmbLARNBp4GUPsoBN2%2BqOp0%2BZCKJnBZY34kIC%2BXdp7MY6ln5Y4zA46as5j7BZaa%2FkDUNxj9n5FUKwceyJkTnUooTng%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$2.29","priceAmount":2.29,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"2","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"29","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"LeIwySDExTF9TRJA7mmRjS0L1E5dwSghqrMa0KTKsJHXyCUVknFIrXIohurQ9cwdce2HKz0WZxe4MIRKvjIyn9TcjCLEtsor7RQfsltg8thOwLX%2Btkep7uSc36MGc1Kn7lMEoju5KXTPSxJ5xwLF%2BEsaPzMgpuLJmGVprvM6lWC37BXDK1a08g%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In Silicon Valley, the eccentric inventor of a new encryption application is murdered in an apparent drug deal.In Istanbul, a cynical undercover operator receives a frantic call from his estranged brother, a patent lawyer who believes he is the next victim.And on the sun-drenched slopes of Sand Hill Road, Silicon Valley’s 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 ambition: making partner in his high-tech law firm. But then the inventor of a technology Alex is banking on is murdered… and the patent examiner who reviewed it dies… and Alex himself narrowly escapes an attack in his own home. Off balance, out of options, and running out of time, he knows the one person who can help him is the last person he’d 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 America’s Global War on Terror. Disenchanted with what he sees as America’s 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, who he hasn’t spoken to since their mother died, his family is long gone.But blood is thicker than water, and when he receives Alex’s frantic call, Ben hurries to San Francisco to help him. Only then does Alex reveal that there’s another player who knows of the technology: Sarah Hosseini, a young Iranian American lawyer who Alex has long secretly desired… and who Ben immediately distrusts. As these three radically different people struggle to identify the forces attempting to silence them, Ben and Alex are forced to examine the events that drove them apart—even as Sarah’s presence, and her own secret wants, deepens the fault line between them.Fault Line centers on a conspiracy that has spun out of the shadows and into the streets of America, a conspiracy that can be stopped only by three people—three people with different worldviews, different grievances, different motives. To survive the forces arrayed against them, they’ll first have to survive each other.“The first blogosphere thriller... Eisler’s novel, which turns entirely on a super-secret assassinations program, is looking less like fiction and more like the work of someone who has a firm grip on what’s really happening.”—Scott Horton, Harper’s Magazine

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler's bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous "Best Of" lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he's not writing novels, blogs about torture, civil liberties, and the rule of law. www.barryeisler.com

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1481205250
Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (March 27, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781481205252
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1481205252
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.66 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,744,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,960 in Assassination Thrillers (Books)
- #25,031 in Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction
- #65,612 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
2,373 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Barry Eisler

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

I've been blessed with a variety of interesting jobs: a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations (now called the National Clandestine Service); attorney in an international law firm; in-house counsel at the Osaka headquarters of Panasonic; executive in a Silicon Valley technology startup.

But the best job by far has been novel writing, and who'd have guessed that my agency training, my time as a lawyer, my experiences in Japan, and a background in martial arts would form a good background for political thrillers? I get a lot of my material from actual US government craziness (assassinations, torture, indefinite imprisonment, bulk surveillance…you know, everything needed these days to to Keep Us Safe). As I like to say, what’s bad for America is good for thriller writers.

A lot of what I’ve speculated about turns out to be true: the kill list, or "International Terrorist Threat Matrix," I introduced in 2004 in Winner Take All, for example, came to light in 2012 and 2013 as the “Disposition Matrix,” courtesy of the Obama administration. The safety shortcomings of Japanese nuclear reactors I described in 2003 in A Lonely Resurrection were documented following the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe. And the pacemaker hack that kicked off my first book—A Clean Kill in Tokyo, in 2002—turns out to have been a real concern of Dick Cheney’s, as revealed in his memoirs (it also turned up in the second season of Homeland).

The books have won a bunch of awards and made various “Best of” lists, which is nice. If you want to follow what I’m up to beyond the books, Twitter’s a good bet—@barryeisler. And then there’s Facebook; the mailing list you can find on my website; and my blog, The Heart of the Matter.

Customer reviews

2,373 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book a compelling read with meticulously well-developed characters and a fast-paced narrative filled with plenty of action. Moreover, the story is presented in a realistic and believable manner, and customers consider it a great addition to the Eisler series. However, the excitement level receives mixed reactions, with some finding it extraordinary in terms of suspense while others say it becomes predictable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Readability Character development Realism Pacing Value for money Excitement

122 customers mention "Readability"100 positive22 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written, with one customer noting how it keeps readers fully involved.

"...Whatever the case, I found him conflicted, likable, and perfectly developed for the story...." Read more

"I'm a fan of Barry Eisler's books because they generally deliver a good story, are fast paced with plenty of action and have just about everything..." Read more

"...Just a super read and well worth those five stars." Read more

"...No - the author still provides the kind of propulsive plot, great action, and in-the-know intrigue we have come to expect from him...." Read more

47 customers mention "Character development"35 positive12 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them meticulously well-developed and likable, with one customer highlighting the interesting emotional development of the main protagonist.

"...I found the main character to be very believable, maybe because I knew people like him in the military or maybe because I've been exposed to a lot..." Read more

"...There are three main characters, one being a hired assassin for the Government, so you can expect some tense moments, violence and lots of blood..." Read more

"...I’m a huge Eisler fan, but this book and character are disappointing...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

35 customers mention "Realism"25 positive10 negative

Customers appreciate the book's realism, finding it well-researched and detailed, with one customer noting its vivid portrayal of situations.

"...by Barry Eisler is extraordinary in terms of suspense and detailed immediacy, no matter what the setting for the violent and deadly confrontations..." Read more

"...The issues Barry Eisner touches on are thought provoking and well researched but more importantly, presented in a very realistic believable manner;..." Read more

"...Worse, they are often just plain unlikable, and the third person omniscient voice in which the book is written repeatedly violates the cardinal &#..." Read more

"...The story is good, the principals are believable, and I found it hard to put down. Having read many of Eisler's books, I was not disappointed...." Read more

23 customers mention "Pacing"19 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, describing it as fast-paced with plenty of action that keeps the story flowing.

"...'s books because they generally deliver a good story, are fast paced with plenty of action and have just about everything else you could want in a..." Read more

"...of the back story makes the plot drag a little, but otherwise it's fast paced and action packed...." Read more

"...in previous reviews, so I'll just add that if you like great writing, pacing, sex, dialogue, action, and twists, then Barry Eisler is the author for..." Read more

"Author Barry Eisler has crafted another exciting, fast paced plot with a rough edged, but secretly good hearted protagonist in Ben Treven...." Read more

10 customers mention "Value for money"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value, with one mentioning it's a worthy kickoff to the Ben Treven series and another noting it's an excellent addition to the Eisler series.

"A worthy kickoff to the Ben Treven series, and a good read, to boot...." Read more

"I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the first part, especially the scenes with Ben tracking down bad guys in Ankara...." Read more

"Loved the John Rain series as well as God’s Eye View, and Livia Lone. Love this new (to me) character!..." Read more

"...Overall, a good introduction to the brothers Treven." Read more

72 customers mention "Excitement"43 positive29 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's excitement, with some finding it extraordinary in terms of suspense and interesting to the very end, while others report becoming bored with the storyline and find the ending rushed and hokey.

"...covers all the stuff you love about the Rain books, field craft, combat tactics, and an interesting character arch...." Read more

"...The problem is the software around which the story is written is never fully explained and I never understood what was so important about it and why..." Read more

"Good, solid, well written book...." Read more

"...No - the author still provides the kind of propulsive plot, great action, and in-the-know intrigue we have come to expect from him...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

Dave Lakhani
Excellent Book With A Change In Scenery And One That Tackles Real Issues Like Cyber terrorism and Homeland Security
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2009
Verified Purchase

I read the negative reviews of this book and let me say this, this isn't a John Rain book, get over it. At the same time, it isn't a total departure for Barry either, he still covers all the stuff you love about the Rain books, field craft, combat tactics, and an interesting character arch.

I liked this book most because of the way he talks about and addresses many issues currently facing us today, issues like FISA, Homeland Security, and Cyber Terrorism.

I found the main character to be very believable, maybe because I knew people like him in the military or maybe because I've been exposed to a lot of interesting training. Whatever the case, I found him conflicted, likable, and perfectly developed for the story.

Now, I like many would have liked to see a little more of the detail that you get in the John Rain novels but I think every author has to experiment with style and tone if he is going to be more than a one trick pony.

I got into the book fast and was drawn quickly along and deep into the plot. I had a hard time putting the book down, so hard in fact I agreed to an outing to Chuck E Cheese with my five year old daughter and her friend so that I'd have an hour and a half to read while they played!

If you are an Eisler fan, you'll like this book ... a lot. If you this is your first experience, dive immediately into the Rain novels, you'll love them.

Personally, I can't wait for the next book!

Read more

17 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
vegasbill
Not Eisler's best
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'm a fan of Barry Eisler's books because they generally deliver a good story, are fast paced with plenty of action and have just about everything else you could want in a thriller. This book introduces a new character, Ben Treven, who works as an assassin for a secret branch of the CIA. The story follows a predictable path of intrigue. The first 25% of the book starts slowly as Eisler lays the ground work necessary for the plot to unfold. The problem is the software around which the story is written is never fully explained and I never understood what was so important about it and why it was so important to control it. There is a coincidence in the book that was too bizarre for me to make the leap of faith and that coincidence was critical to the plot. Finally I thought the book built to a very soft finale. Four stars because even a flawed Eisler book is an entertaining read. I'll probably read the next in the series to see if it improves.

Read more

Helpful

Report
claudette valliere
Another good read from Eisler.
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Good, solid, well written book.

This one has Ben Traven headed home to California after getting a call from his younger brother Alex.

Seems Alex is a attorney working for a pretty large firm.

Alex was working as a patent attorney for a man with a program that is currently undergoing the patent process. Both the author of the program and the patent office employee shepherding the program end up dead.

Alex decides that this "coicidence" along with someone breaking into his house is a bit much. Alex had to defend himself and knows he's way out of his league. Hence the call to Ben.

Ben is a covert operative for the USA. He "fixes" things that need fixing. If deadly force is needed to "fix" things, thats what occurs. He's a killer and works for "Hort" Horton. Horton is a man Ben has loads of respect and trust for.

Ben is also estranged from his family. Alex is the only member of his family that still alive. Loads of baggage there.

So begins one damned fine read.

Ben, Alex and Sarah, a woman of Iranian descent and a lawyer in the same firm as Alex, end up in a race for their lives. A race that includes the Russian Mafia, folks looking for Alex and Bens own boss.

Along the way Ben and Alex try to mend fences and Sarah and Ben start a relationship worth having.

Ben also starts to rethink his life and what he's doing with it.

Just a super read and well worth those five stars.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
PBI
A lesser Barry Eisler work
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
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.

Read more

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

cornelius herbert
Fault Line
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2022
Verified Purchase

Wow,I have read this book before,but second time around I was totally blown away,you are a genius at telling a story.the whole tale seamlessly fell into place.I am now going to read book 2,and I look forward to reading lots more of your work.

Read more
Report
RRU
Spannend und abwechslungsreich
Reviewed in Germany on February 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Wieder eine super spannende Geschichte, abwechslungsreich und hervorragend erzählt. Die Charactere unterscheiden sich wohltuend von den anderen Serien und trotzdem sind bei Berey immer alle Romane miteinander verflochten.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Mojo
だいぶパターン化されてきたような...
Reviewed in Japan on December 5, 2010
Verified Purchase
Barry EislerのものはRainシリーズから全部読んでます。法律事務所の弁護士Alexが暗号解読ソフトを巡る殺人事件に巻き込まれ、AlexのSOSを受けて兄弟のBen（アメリカ政府の傭兵）が登場します。

暗殺者にねらられる中で、兄弟の確執・愛憎がボトムラインとなっています。

ただ、なんか、毎作、主人公のタイプや属性が同じで、新鮮味がなくなっています。例えば、「俺たちのようなプロがいつも裏の汚れもの（テロリストとか）をきれいにしているから、一般市民は安穏と暮らせんだ」というフレーズはどの作にも共通です。

どんでん返しもないですし。

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Amazon Customer
Un peu déçu
Reviewed in France on August 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
Je suis complètement fan de John Rain, un tueur à part, avec une épaisseur psychologique, des histoires captivantes, etc. Je me suis dit, "testons le nouveau Eisler" et là, déception : le héros est un super Rambo, fort, brillantissime, beau, et tout et tout. On n'y croit pas du tout. En plus, il tue pour les USA donc tout est justifié, c'est juste du Rambo 3.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Gail A Smith
good plot; well developed
Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
good plot ; well developed characters

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Amazon Prime includes:

Follow the author

Fault Line (Ben Treven) Paperback – March 27, 2013

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Barry Eisler

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book With A Change In Scenery And One That Tackles Real Issues Like Cyber terrorism and Homeland Security

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Eisler's best

5.0 out of 5 stars Another good read from Eisler.

3.0 out of 5 stars A lesser Barry Eisler work

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Fault Line

5.0 out of 5 stars Spannend und abwechslungsreich

2.0 out of 5 stars だいぶパターン化されてきたような...

2.0 out of 5 stars Un peu déçu

5.0 out of 5 stars good plot; well developed

Excellent Book With A Change In Scenery And One That Tackles Real Issues Like Cyber terrorism and Homeland Security

Not Eisler's best

Another good read from Eisler.

A lesser Barry Eisler work

Fault Line

Spannend und abwechslungsreich

だいぶパターン化されてきたような...

Un peu déçu

good plot; well developed