Ben Treven Books In Order

Publication Order of Ben Treven Books

Ben Treven is the lead character and the latest creation of bestselling author Barry Eisler. After a achieving a tremendous success in John Rain series which was adapted into a movie, the author opted to take a break from the series and focus on a new and exciting fictional character. Meet Ben Treven working for the CIA to solve various crimes including homicide cases and working on some undercover missions.

The first novel in the series Fault Line was published in 2009 while the second book was published in Inside Out published in 2010.

Fault Line

Fault Line is the first novel in Ben Treven series by Barry Eisler. The story starts off after the murder of an eccentric inventor of a unique encryption application in Silicon Valley after an apparent drug deal gone sour.

On the other hand in Istanbul, a cynical covert agent receives a panic-stricken call from his long time brother, now a patent lawyer who believes that he is the next victim on the killer’s list.

Moreover, on the slopes of Sand Hill Road, Silicon Valley’s core of technology and money, two blood-related brothers wage war against a faceless adversary.

Alex Treven has sacrificed everything he ever owned for one sole ambition: making partner in his law firm. However, the inventor of the technology that Alex is banking on is killed and subsequently the patient partner who also reviewed it dies as well while Alex narrowly escapes an attempt on his life in his own home as well. Out of balance, ideas and running out of time, Alex knows only one person who can help him is the last person he would ever seek assistance from; his brother.

Ben Treven, an elite undercover agent, a military liaison element usually paid to “find, fix and finish” critical and high profile targets in America’s War on Terror. Disappointed in what he sees as America’s culture of decadence and denial, he lives his life in shadows because the black operation world is all he knows and because other than his estranged brother, his family is long gone since their mother died.

However, it is indeed true that blood is thicker than water. When Ben receives Alex’s panic call, without hesitation, he hurries to San Francisco to help him. Only then does his brother reveal to him that there is another player who also knows of the technology: Sarah Hosseini, an Iranian American Lawyer whom Alex secretly admires and whom Ben suddenly distrusts.

As the three radically distinct people attempt to struggle and identify the evil trying to silence them, Alex and Ben are forced to have a closer look at the events that drifted them apart- even as Sarah presence, dark secrets enlarges the fault line between them.

Politically timely and emotionally charged, Fault Line centers on a conspiracy theory that has spun out of the dark shadows into the streets of the united states, a plot that only three people can stop it- and apparently, the three individuals have very different grievances, worldviews, and different motives. Moreover, to survive the evil forces rallied against them, they will have to survive each other.

The author, Barry Eisler has done a fantastic job by mixing spy/military technique, technology, some family pain and a little of romance to string together this fast –paced narrative that will keep you interested in reading more and more without leaving a feeling of hyperbole or manipulation that most thrillers do. The characters seemingly are honest, real and the fighting, the guns and the technology featured is true as well. Eisler also does an excellent job of presenting the individual character’s beliefs on the evil and good, the worthy pursuits, and the necessity of the means without condemning any of their points of view.

Inside Out

Inside Out is the second novel in Ben Traven series by Barry Eisler. It is believed that during the reign of Gorge Bush as the president of the United States of America, the CIA recorded various interrogations and it was later reported in the press that the tapes were destroyed.

However in the second book of Ben Traven series, it is revealed that the tapes were not destroyed, but they were indeed stolen by a rogue agent who is now blackmailing the United States that he will release the tapes to the world unless he is paid $100 in diamonds.

However, Ben is hired by Horton, his superior at the JSOS to hunt down the person who took the tapes. In his mission, he is joined by an FBI agent named Lanier to hunt down the rogue agent. They are aided by a tip from the agent’s wife, which leads them to Costa Rica.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Ulrich, the former assistant to the vice president who now serves as a lobbyist learns about the whereabouts of the tapes. He knows that the tapes were never destroyed as he was responsible for creating the cover story of their destruction when they were reported missing. He contacts Clements, a senior official of the CIA who is also in search of the missing tapes. Apparently Ulrich does not trust the CIA, and as a result, he gathers his personnel to find the tapes. He does not want to ruin his life for the misdeeds featured in the tapes since he was involved with the Caspers, the innocent people who were tortured and later killed by the United States government.

Overall, Inside Out is an exciting thriller, and the story is fun. It is fast paced, features lots of tactics, and the plot is full of twists that will keep you guessing until the last pages when the truth is finally revealed. You will love how the author describes places; he does an excellent job of describing and explaining areas. The book contains lots of sources that show that the book may not be fiction as one might think, and some of this does touch in real life. If you are a conspiracy fiction fan, you will love the subject theme of the CIA interrogation tapes that was top some years ago.