Boy was I wrong

Would you listen to Fault Line again? Why?

I would. But with 200+ books in my library and 15% waiting to be read....

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fault Line?

How Ben and Alex blame each other for the "issues" in their lives. Then how Ben becomes more self aware.

What aspect of Barry Eisler’s performance would you have changed?

Really very little. He gave each character their own personality and "voice".

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

When Katie died. Being a father with a daughter named Katie well there it is.

Any additional comments?

Here is the explanation for my headline. I was reluctant to purchase Barry Eisler's book as he was the narrator. What a self absorbed (fill in your own expletive) that only you could bring your book to life. Mr. Eisner I was VERY WRONG! Your narration was great. I thought I might like the story, well there I was wrong as well. I lLOVED the story. Last but not least thanks Audible for the promotion that moved me to purchase this as well as Rain Fall which I have yet to read but am looking forward to. And....I just bought two more of Mr. Eisler's books!

25 people found this helpful

Excellent! Better then the Rain series.

Would you listen to Fault Line again? Why?

If I didn't have another book to listen to I probably would.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ben Treven - I would hope!

Any additional comments?

This was a really good book. I liked it much better then the John Rain series. Fast paced thriller with ever changing enemies. I hesitated about this purchase because of both the price and the narrator who is also the author (Barry Eisler). I'm not sure why it is so little, $4.79 I think. But this is better then some of the much more expensive books I've purchased. Eisler did a superb job with his narration. His inflections came through perfectly, I imagine just the way he intended when he wrote it. Makes sense. My next purchase - the second in this series, I hope he's working on book three.

23 people found this helpful

Extremely disappointing

Unworthy of this author. The story line is thin and uninteresting but much worse is the psychological improbability of the actions off all the characters. At the heart of it lies a simple and contrived family drama that leads to endless flashbacks and inner monologues that are dimply childish. Waste of time and money.

8 people found this helpful

A stand-alone novel; back-story to the Rain Series

This is a stand-alone novel that is also backstory for the John Rain series, which is among the best I've read or listened to. Notice how inexpensive they are.

I wrote an enthusiastically positive and extended review for Book 1: "Clean Kill in Tokyo."

Eisler is a smart and accomplished guy. Checkout his website and his Wikipedia bio.

8 people found this helpful

Pretty Decent Rain "Side-story"

I'm a huge fan of the John Rain series; it's fantastic.

Fault Line is #1 of 3 "side-stories" in the Rain series. It's written in identical prose, and follows similar plot lines. Note: this trilogy occurs during the 10 year gap when Rain has fled Tokyo and is working as a 'freelance mercenary'.

Fault Line introduces us to several new characters; however, not nearly enough time was put into their development, therefore, they're not nearly as interesting as Rain. This book also includes the backstory for a character who ultimately becomes one of Rain's primary "future" enemies (hint, he's a tough ex-spec ops leader).

The writing is excellent, the narration is excellent, and the plot is pretty good (that is, until the last three chapters; it's the worst ending Eisler ever wrote). That being said, if you're a fan of Rain, you'll enjoy this. It's about 50% as good as any novel in the Rain series, which is still quite good, nonetheless.

3 people found this helpful

it was good

I enjoyed the story. the narrator did an excellent job of keeping me listing. I like this author. He is one of a few the can narrate his own books.

3 people found this helpful

Barry Eisler at his best!

Fault Line was originally published in 2009. Eisler then published the Kindle ebook version and the Audible version which he narrated early in 2014. At the same time he also released digital versions of Book 2 in the Ben Treven series (Inside Out) which was originally published in 2010. I read both books soon after their original releases. In my opinion the Ben Treven two book series along with The God's Eye View, which was released early in 2016, are 5 star novels and the three best books Eisler has written.

I have Audible versions of Eisler's 8 John Rain novels and all are wonderful. My intention is not to denigrate them; it's just that in my opinion they do not measure up to the the three books in the above paragraph.

Barry Eisler started to narrate his own books with John Rain #7 (The Detachment) in 2011. Early in 2014 he re-released the first 6 John Rain novels changing the titles of most. He also narrated the audiobook versions of the six re-released John Rain novels. Eisler may be as excellent a narrator as he is an author. Although I had earlier released Audible versions of the 6 re-released novels, I purchased most of the Eisler narrated versions. Barry Eisler made a great call in narrating his own novels.

Some comments on upcoming releases by some of my favorite mystery/thriller authors: The upcoming releases of the latest David Baldacci (Amos Decker) and Brad Thor (Scott Harvath) audiobooks are already listed under "Coming Soon" at Audible. Brett Battles' new Jonathan Quinn novel The Unleashed is not yet listed but it is out on Kindle already and the author says he expects the audiobook to be available during May. First Strike (Dewey Andras) by Ben Coes and Ghosts of War (Pike Logan) by Brad Taylor are expected to be released on June 28, 2016. The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon) by Daniel Silva should be released on July 12. A new Gamache (A Great Reckoning) by Louise Penny will be released in August. A Kept Woman (Will Trent series) by Karin Slaughter will be released in September. The next Mitch Rapp novel is expected for October. The next Jack Reacher arrives just after election day at the same time as the new, and I hope last. Clifton Chronicles novel. Mark Greaney's newest Jack Ryan book is scheduled for early December. Marc Cameron is expected to release his latest Jericho Quinn thriller just before the new year. I look forward to listening to all of the above mentioned novels.

14 people found this helpful

Not up to the usual Barry Eisler quality

Would you try another book from Barry Eisler and/or Barry Eisler?

Definitely

Would you recommend Fault Line to your friends? Why or why not?

No.
This pertains to the audible version. I've enjoyed all of Barry's John Rain books. Audible wise, he does his male characters extremely well. The female's not so much but, because they aren't heavy primary's, I've been able to handle the female characters. Well, Delilah got to me a bit but the story got me though.
In fault line, that wasn't the case. From the moment Sarah opened her mouth with Ben, her dialogue and voice caused my skin grated. Add to that the ignorance of Sarah and Ben requiring explanations for things anyone could figure out for themselves. The "romance" was flat and unbelievable.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Barry Eisler?

For the men, I'd keep Barry. For the females ....maybe Lily Swan

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

2 people found this helpful

Not this author's best, fersure

While I am a BIG fan of Barry Eisler, this Book 1 of the back story of Ben Treven isn't worth it, IMO. I had plans to go further in this back story with Book 2, but after listening to Book 1, decided to pass. Your mileage may vary.

1 person found this helpful

Two idiots

Little brother and Sara were overdone as idiots. Just too much. I wanted to shoot them both and put them out of their misery. Some things are just plain simple and don't require explanation. For example, if the house is on fire you don't need to explain why you must get out. Those two would require an explanation and then they would argue. Bang, Bang. Done.

3 people found this helpful