The Fear Index

As always, Robert Harris is a masterly writer. The language never gets in the way of the reader - or listener - but creates and maintains the atmosphere of authenticity so characteristic of his other titles.

In this book the threat of imminent financial collapse is the backdrop - a bit too close for comfort. He uses Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species to kick off the suspence. Quotes from the same work introduce each chapter. Not surprisingly the theme is fear but not the usual and superficial kind of horror stories.

Well-researched and convincing. Well-plotted.

Kudos to Christian Rodska as narrator. I especially enjoyed his perfect switch between the American main character and the accents of the other nationalities: Nigerian (just three words, but convincing!), Polish, French-Swiss, and Dutch.

An enjoyable experience.

The beginning is unsettling and gripping, the ending is disturbing. Harris has again written a thoroughly intelligent thriller, this time grounded in the world of finance, hedge funds and computers. He succeeds because the novel has a lot of truth in it from his thorough research (and the research never overshadows the plot), he has cleverly given it a tight time-frame, and he has layered it with philosphical and scientific ideas which bring a further richness to it. And the icing on the cake; it is read by the wonderful Christian Rodska.

Robert Harris has never failed me yet. This book is an addition to the long list of his titles that I have enjoyed. I was initially worried that it might be a bit 'dark' but it was just a thoroughly enjoyable read - and right up-to-date!

It's a good idea for a book for sure and in a way there aren't enough books like this - clever novels written by someone who knows how to write and who understands the world of hedge funds and what people get up to at the exotic murky end of the finance sector. lots of well observed and clever things. I can't put my finger on it but in the end something was missing so it falls short of great. Either it's in the way it's read out or more fundamentally in the depth of the characters.

Despite working out "whodunnit" very quickly, the plot raced along nicely and I was sufficiently gripped to want to hear the book all the way through.

The characterisation was good and though I failed to warm to any of the people in the book, they were sufficiently sympathetic to make me want to know what became of them.

The book taps into a couple of current areas of paranoia and as such should strike a note with many listeners.

It was well narrated, and fast moving to a point but fell away at the finish.

Worth a listen though

This is the first if Harris' books I've listened to, and wow I'm really impressed. Fast paced, gripping story. Interesting and believable characters with just the right level of background info delivered when needed.

The reader has a pleasant voice that is nice to listen to and does a very good job of helping the listener differentiate between characters.

Definitely recommend this audiobook

I'm a big fan of Robert Harris and I think he's a masterful writer. So it's mystifying how he could write this drivel that reads like a poor imitation of a Michael Crichton novel. There are definitely hints of his usual descriptive panache (the only reason I didn't give it only a single star) but it's not enough to sustain a very weak storyline full of plot-holes and characters that never fully develop. In the end, it's a waste of time and potential readers should focus on Harris' other works.

The plot builds-up the tension very nicely. I couldn't stop listening towards the end as I needed to know how the story was going to pan-out. Excellent narrator. I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a thriller.

I learn't a few things along the way about the world of finance. I thought the plot line was good, and the story line kept me thinking in different directions. As a geek I really enjoyed this and maybe a sequel would be possible.
Just hope HAL and vxl4 don't merge.