Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940015720457 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Barry Eisler |
| Publication date: | 12/11/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Sales rank: | 72,913 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Inside Out
3.9 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
80 reviews.
 |
I was so fraught with trepidation about the "end of John Rain".
BUT!!!! Eisler has maintained the SAME writing style and dialogue and twists and turns. I have a suspicion we gonna see more of John Rain - In fact Eisler probably is devising a way to create a super secret team.
Please don't keep me waiting too long for the next book...
Can someone direct me to 'similar' authors such as Eisler?
Nooksan
|
|
Inside Out by Barry Eisler a CIA ThrillerMy rating: 4 of 5 starsExcerpt from Inside out by Barry Eisler."This is the propulsive thriller that only former CIA operative turned bestselling novelist Barry Eisler could write.Marooned in a Manila jail after a bar fight fatality, black ops soldier Ben Treven gets a visit from his former commander, Colonel Scott Horton, who explains the price of Ben¿s release: Find and eliminate Daniel Larison, a rogue operator from Ben¿s unit who has stolen ninety-two torture tapes from the CIA and is using them to blackmail the U.S. government.But other players are after the tapes, too, and to find Larison, Ben will have to survive CIA hit teams, Blackwater mercenaries, and the long reach of the White House. He¿ll also have to find a way to handle Paula Lanier, a smart, sexy FBI agent who has her own reasons for wanting the tapes and is determined to get them before Ben does. With the stakes this high, everyone has an angle¿everyone but Ben, who will have to find the right alliance if he wants to stay alive.From the Hardcover edition."My Take:First I'd like to thank Goodreads for winning this book in their First Read giveaway. When I started reading Inside Out by Barry Eisler I read it like any other fiction book, as fiction. This book is filled with many twists and turns of survival in the pursuit of finding CIA interrogation tapes of torture on the captured individuals allegedly responsible for the 9/11 hijacking and destruction of the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon building and the Pittsburgh hijacking and crash. As I came closer to the end of the book it became very clear to me that the events discussed in the book were actually true. The characters were very well articulated throughout the book and I felt as though I was right there in the midst of the action as I was reading.It really hit home when I read the author's notes regarding the tapes and how finding them may overtake his story and his explanation stressing the fact that the tapes would never be found. The author's source list of the events are overwhelming and gave me the feeling that things aren't always what they seem in our nations government.I would like to read Barry Eisler's book "Fault Line" to have a better understanding of Ben's life before this book.
|
|
I enjoyed this book at the start. I enjoyed it in the middle. It fell apart for me at the end.The subject matter interested me as well as the behind the scenes politics. The action was mostly good. I didn't like the ending. It really didn't seem to end. Just kinda dwindled away.
|
|
Read this book as an early reviewer. It was pretty good overall and as some of the other reviewers here have noted, it does a very good job of describing Washington's bureaucracy. It also uses a lot of real news articles for the basis of the entire story and as proof of the way the oligarchy currently runs America. I thought the relationship between Ben and Paula was well written and while at some times the action was a bit slow, the book was very good.
|
|
I have been reading Barry Eisler¿s books for a couple of years now and have enjoyed them immensely. He has the ability to create characters that draw you in despite the fact their unconventional lives require them to do things the average person cannot quite comprehend. The characters become very real and Eisler allows us to see they aren¿t so different from us after all. They have just chosen a different path or perhaps were guided down a different path.Inside Out is by far my favorite Eisler book. Although the book is fiction the storyline is taken from the headlines of major newspapers which make the book that much more compelling. This book is fast paced thriller that I was unable to put down. Ben Treven, disillusioned with the path his life has taken, finds renewed purpose in the mission he is given by his commanding officer. This mission takes him on a journey where he comes full circle back to the disillusionment. The story includes all the alphabet soup agencies in DC on a scavenger hunt to find the missing CIA tapes that began making headlines back in 2007. I was lucky enough to be able to an early reviewer for Inside Out. The only downside is how long I¿m going to have to wait for Eisler¿s next book since Inside Out doesn¿t even go on sale until June 29th. Future books promise to bring great characters from Eisler¿s John Rain books together with Ben Treven. The good news for you if you like thrillers is you have some time to read Eisler¿s other books before the follow up to Inside Out comes out.
|
|
As a collector and reader of Thrillers,I give this one five stars because it breaks out of the thriller mold with several new twists.It is however, not without it's faults. like Silva, Barry Eisler bases this one on the fact of The USA torturing Islamic terrorists. That's the one fact that appears irrefutable. I've not read all of Eisler's previous books-only two. i found the first John Rain books a bit too wordy and stopped reading Eisler. But this one is great. Ben Trevan is a great Bad-__s, in the Jack Reacher tradition. And Eisler promises us that Ben, Larison, Rain and Dox will meet up in forthcoming books. The Thriller innovations (at least to me) in this book are- Our white hero's sexual exploits with the female black FBI agent--great scenes-Introducing a gay Bad-__s good/bad guy. The possible turncoating of a former good guy turned bad--You've got to read the book. And here's one of the big faults- Eisler places all the references--he calls them "sources" in the back of the book because he does not want to burden us during our reading- why not just leave them out all together? We read the papers. Eisler calls the book fiction based on the fact above. But who is to say that all of his sources are fact?--just because they are in print? Furthermore in the final chapters where the author quickly wraps up all the loose ends, is a whoppingly huge analysis of what the United States "oligarchy" has become. This is a little bit much. He could have ended the book at Chapter 40 (out of 43) and we all could leave happy. Any way, this is one of the best contemporary thrillers I've read in some time and I read a lot of them. I'll read the next ones too.
|
|
Flows right along from Fault Line. Almost too close for comfort in the possibilities, just as Eisler admits in the dialogue-with-the-author at the end of the audio version. Yes, it's a thriller novel first and foremost but beyond that is the close tie to the political reality of the past decade. Sometimes truth IS just like fiction.Eisler does the reading and is just terrific---he definitely knows what he writes and how he wants it to sound to the listener!
|
|
I previously received a copy of Barry Eisler's Fault Lines from the Early Reviewers program. I had never read any of his books before, but after reading that one I was hooked. I immediatley began to seek out others.I was thrilled to receive a review copy of Inside Out]. It follows Ben Treven, the character introduced in Fault Lines. I read the entire book in about two days because I just couldn't put it down.Though Ben Treven is a hard man with a harder job, the humanization of his character makes you root for him. His situation at the beginning of this book draws you in slowly. Then the thrill ride begins. The CIA has discovered that videotapes documenting torture and the existance of ghost detainees have gone missing. Treven is tasked with tracking them down. In a plot line that seems to dance frighteningly close to reality the reader discovers that the shots are being called by players that are most concerned with preserving their own power and position. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the next in this series.
|
|
I was introduced to Barry Eisler's books when I received a copy of Fault Line through Library Thing's Early Reviewers Program. My husband and his family have known about Eisler for awhile since he lives in the same town as them and have also read all the his John Rain books. Anyway, I enjoyed Fault Line and was thrilled to get a copy of Inside Out for review.Inside Out begins not too long after the end of the events in Fault Line. Ben Treven is a bit down and out and has found himself in a Manilla jail. The man who tried to have him killed in the last book is back but this time to ask for his help. Another agent, thought to be dead, has tapes that document the US governments use of torture during the War on Terror and is holding them for ransom. It is Ben's job to try and get the tapes before they can be released to the public as other agencies try to get their hands on the tapes as well.The plot is complex, the action is non stop and it is relevant to what is going on in the world today. Scary, but true. What is needed to keep the American public safe? Do we need to know the truth about what the government is doing or should we just be happy in the fact that we are "safe"? All questions that come up in the book and fuel an interesting ending.I enjoyed the book, just not as much as Fault Line. I think what I enjoyed most about that one was the sibling interactions and that was definitely missing from this book with Alex barely getting mentioned. I am hoping that he will make another appearance in later stories. He is my favorite of the two brothers.Inside Out did get me thinking, though, and definitely kept me entertained. It has also got me excited to see what happens in the next book if two of Eisler's characters come together. Treven and Rain. That will make for quite an exciting read.
|
|
This is a great political thriller. I like it a lot. However, like other reviewers suggested, its ending is not very satisfying.This book is my 2nd Eisler novel, I will definitely read more of his work.
|
|
Not nearly as good as Eisler's books about John Rain. I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters and wound up skimming the last half of the book to see where it ended.
|
|
I liked the pace of this book as well as the characters. The author gets a bit preachy toward the end of the book and spends a few pages on politics, but overall I really enjoyed the story. I appreciate that Eisler does not beat around the bush when it comes to the use of torture to extract information. I found myself thinking about the circumstances that would bring one human being to subject another to some of the torture methods described in the book. Contemplating that can be disturbing.
|
|
Ben Traven is in jail in Manila when his boss, Scott Horton, manages his release. Scott needs Traven to perform a vital mission.Rogue agent, Daniel Larison feels betrayed by the government and has stolen ninety-two torture tapes from the CIA. He is blackmailing the government and will release the tapes to the media unless he gets his payoff.The CIA, FBI and other agencies are after Larison and Horton wants Ben to locate him.Ben gets a lead from Larison's former wife, Marcy, that he may be in Costa Rica. The FBI has been watching Marcy's home and two agents attempt to force Ben to accompany them and both wind up in the hospital. However, a petite young black FBI agent, Paula Lanier, gets the drop on Ben and convinces him that they should work together.Like many thrillers, there is competition between government agencies and when independent contractors from Blackwater are brought in, to apprehend Larison, they seem to have no intelligence for field work. Larison is able to spot them and eliminate twelve men without much effort. The disregard for life and unemotional approach to killing fellow Americans left me cold. The fact that Ben was ordered to observe the action and did little to prevent it, also seemed inconsistent with what an honorable agent would do.The story also had its mandatory romance scene. The rough sex action added nothing to the plot and was unnecessary.I found that the characters were stereotypical, both the agency leaders and the agents in the field. The story also meandered and didn't hold my attention as well as it should have. Finally, the conclusion was unsatisfactory.I could see that there was a good deal of research about these tapes but after reading the author's excellent John Rain novels, this novel disappointed.Note: one fun item is that Ben's boss is named Scott Horton and that is the name of one of the people who wrote blurbs on the novel's back cover.
|
|
Very good continuation of the Ben Traven character. Eisler goes deep into fictional (and non-fictional) American politics at the highest level. His opinion of our seeming oligarchy and "war on terror" is quite clear, lol.Lots of thrills and a reasonable number of twists. I didn't like that the original characters from the first novel, brother and love interest, are only mentioned in passing. Cute, how John Rain, Jim Hilger, and Dox (all from the Rain series) get mentioned. Their backstory gets nicely integrated if you read that other series. It adds depth to the plotting here.I enjoy Eisler's tone of authenticity as I mention in other reviews. He lso rarely writes something that makes me pull my head out of the story. You could say his words go down smoothly. I call that good editing. Perfect? No, but nothing to whine about.You get a great sense of the box Ben finds himself in. You can also just smell book #3 coming...
|
|
I agree with some of the reviews on the back on the book --- is this real or fiction?!? It seems pretty close to being real and that's a wee bit scary!!!! Ben Treven is tasked with finding an ex-soldier who is blackmailing the government with previously unknown torture videotapes. I love the character of Ben Treven and can't wait to read more of him in the future books. He's definitely flawed and I like that he knows that about himself. Ben Treven is one scary dude, right up there in ranks with John Rain (also of Barry Eisler fame). In fact, there seems to be a teaser that Ben and John and Dox will meet up in future books. Color me excited if that were to happen.
|
|
Eisler has cemented himself as one of my favorite modern thriller writers. More importantly, he has, I believe, established that he is simply one of the best thriller writers in the business. He creates three-dimensional characters with strengths and weaknesses and real motivations and concerns; he creates characters that the reader cares about, something all too-often lacking in thrillers. Eisler is also one of those writers who is able to give readers a true sense of place; you feel very much as if you are in the places his characters experience and describe. Whether Costa Rica in Inside Out, the Bay Area in Fault Line, or most impressively Tokyo in the John Rain novels, locales become characters in Eisler's books. In addition, when Eisler has a character talk about or participate in combat or espionage-related activities, he is able to impart to the reader a real sense that what Eisler is telling you is, in fact, either true or largely accurate; in other words, when it comes to things like combat and tactics, you don't feel as if Eisler is making it up as he goes. Given his experience as a CIA operative, that isn't too surprising. Inside Out is the second novel to feature Ben Treven (introduced in Fault Line). And for fans of the John Rain novels, Eisler makes it very clear (adding on to the hints in Fault Line) that Treven inhabits the same universe as John Rain. The plot of the novel in some ways reminded me of some of the best novels from Robert Ludlum's heydey, when the protagonist isn't always quite sure which side he is on or who, exactly, is the opposition. More importantly, without getting into spoilers or giving anything away, good and evil, at least in the organizational, rather than indiviudual, sense, is a bit more gray and less black and white. 'Bad guys' have motivations that may not necessarily be intrinsically evil and 'good guys' can do bad things. At its core, though, Inside Out is a book that takes today's headlines and wraps a fictional (or is it?) story around them. Eisler even goes to the trouble of providing lists of sources and a bibliography at the conclusion of his novel. Treven chases after the notorious missing (destroyed?) CIA torture tapes. In so doing he begins to learn about and question much of what he has been told and much of what he has previously thought. In Fault Line Treven began to learn that things were not always what they seem and his shift in viewpoint began. Inside Out continues that evolution of character. If I had to register a complaint, it would be that Treven seems a bit quick to make some of leaps of understanding, but that is a minor criticism. One other thing to make note of (spoiler alert): Eisler makes the interesting choice of making both a primary antogonist and a secondary antagonist minorities. Were Eisler a different writer, this might have come off as motivated by prejudice. But Eisler is able to handle this decision with skill and, more importantly, gives a reason for having done so. That he can make his 'bad guys' minorities without making minorities the bad guys is a true literary feat for which he should be commended. Some may not like the politics of Eisler's book. However, I'd suggest that fans of Vince Flynn or Brad Thor give Eisler a try and compare some of the views that he expresses with those pontificated (at unfortunate length) by Flynn and Thor. And after reading Inside Out, take some time to really think about the news stories that form the basis for the plot and think about Eisler's suggestions and undestandings of the political system and the implications of some of the things he describes (was that cryptic enough)? Anyway, stop reading this and go get a copy of Inside Out (or at least pre-order a copy...). And then put Eisler on your must read list.
|
|
If you're looking for a political thriller with the bite of reality, then go no further. It's got good pacing, action, and an ear to the underbelly of the CIA political regime.
|
|
not my cup of tea. i don't like fiction about evil america. first of all who cares and second no country is smart enough for tremendous conspiracies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore More Items
