Inside Out

May 3, 2010
Eisler’s rock-solid sequel to Fault Line finds black ops spy/assassin Ben Treven dealing with anger management problems that have landed him in a grim Filipino jail. To the rescue is his old boss, Col. Scott “Hort” Horton, chief of Ben’s secret unit, “the absurdly blandly named Intelligence Support Activity.” Hort tried to have Ben killed in the last book, but no matter—in exchange for his release, Ben must hunt down fellow agent Daniel Larison, a rogue who’s demanding $100 million worth of uncut diamonds in exchange for 92 secret tapes showing extreme torture, instigated and sanctioned by the office of the U.S. vice president. Caught in this rapidly escalating disaster are various high-level government officials, all of whom are willing to do whatever it takes to keep the tapes from being revealed. The open ending promises to unite Ben with Eisler’s other series hero, John Rain, a matchup that should prove to be thriller gold for anxiously awaiting readers. 10-city author tour.

March 15, 2010
Eisler (Fault Line, 2009, etc.) centers his latest thriller on iffy protagonist Ben Treven, a ruthless assassin with an angst-ridden past and a tendency to relentlessly overexplain the tools of his trade as he targets another killer.

The action begins with Treven senselessly beating an Australian to death in a bar fight that lands him in a Manila jail. Treven doesn't take well to imprisonment—the food makes him throw up, the heat is stultifying and he has to sleep on the concrete. Good thing his old nemesis/boss/friend/enemy Hort finds him and gets him out. But, of course, Hort doesn't do it because he's a buddy—he wants Treven to help him find some missing tapes. The tapes, which document the CIA torturing terrorist suspects, are being held for ransom by a man named Larison. Larison, who is as proficient and deadly a killer as Treven, grabbed the tapes and threatens to upload them on the Internet unless the government gives him millions in diamonds—something those in the know want to avoid. While Larison plots to stay ahead of his pursuers while sharing time with the Costa Rican man for whom he left his wife and son, Treven teams up with Paula, a sexy FBI agent, to track Larison to his tropical hideout. Treven and Paula share some sexual tension, lots of adversarial banter and barely avoid being killed in the bloodbaths that seem to surround any business Larison conducts. The pursuit gives Treven a chance to show off his skills as a killer, and it allows him to out-macho everyone with whom he comes into contact, except Larison. As it turns out, both men have problems with torture, even though they show a willingness to butcher anyone who gets in their way.

This testosterone-soaked tale features unlikable, cardboard characters and a plot that disappears under the weight of implausibility.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from May 1, 2010
Eisler, who spent a covert three years with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, drives this locomotive of a story full speed into the façade on the war on terror. Black ops soldier Ben Treven (last seen in "Fault Line") is sent to find a rogue specialist who stole 92 videotapes from a secret prison at Guantánamo Bay. Fast-action scenes alternate with Treven's education in the cynical arts of policymaking, and the quickening pace of the story culminates in a bombshell revelation. VERDICT One sex scene fits neither the story nor the characters, and the violence may make even the most jaded reader uncomfortable, but this is a relentless and revelatory look into the human cost of those who torture on behalf of their country. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ"3/1/10; ten-city tour and library marketing; ebook ISBN 978-0-345-51929-0.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Eisler continues to rest John Rain, the character who made him famous (in novels such as Requiem for an Assassin, 2007). This second adventure starring black-ops agent Ben Treven is based on real events involving the disappearance of videotapes documenting American torture of suspected terrorists. In Eislers fictional handling of the story, Ben is tasked with finding out who has the tapes and is now blackmailing the U.S. government. But hes not the only one looking for the tapes, and he soon discovers that finding them could mean walking the thin edge between life and death. This is a good novel, solidly written and hard edged, but fans of Eislers Rain series will sense something missing. The Rain novels were taut thrillers that compelled readers to stay bolted to their chairs until the end. This one, despite some very good moments, doesnt have that feel, perhaps because Treven is not as compelling a character as Rain. For thriller fans unfamiliar with the Rain novels, Inside Out will prove perfectly entertaining, fast moving and skillfully plotted. Rain fans, though, will long for the drought to be over.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)