Review: The Fear Index

The Fear Index by Robert Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Who knew that this random thriller about finances and computers was exactly what I needed?

Here's the plot: Eccentric billionaire, Alex Hoffman, is less into making ridiculous amounts of money and more into developing the tech behind it. But when an intruder breaks into his mega-secure mansion he begins to realise someone is out to get him.

This is one of those clever books that works partially because you really don't know if Alex is entirely sane or not. He does some strange things and behaves oddly often, so when people around him begin to question if this paranoia is all just in his head, we as the reader do too.

I know absolutely nothing about the stock market or hedge funds or computers, but I never felt completely in the dark. Sure, a lot of the numbers meant nothing to me, but its all explained quite well so that the tension is still there, and still taut. The human factor keeps things dynamic; we've got Hoffman's partner, Quarry, who is definitely in it for the money; Hoffman's wife, the artist; an almost-retired cop who is far more interested in investigating Alex than finding the guy who broke into his house. Plus a host of others who have their own intriguing motivations amongst all the drama. So there was always something to get swept up in, and I actually really enjoyed the balance of all these things coming together.

There is plenty of mystery around who it is that may be setting Alex up, and I had some interesting guesses along the way without ever really figuring out what was going on. This is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the action moving too fast for you to really draw your own conclusions.

I also really loved all the Darwinian talk and how it was being related back to artificial intelligence. I was not expecting this book to delve into AI as much as it did, but found I was pleasantly surprised by that aspect.

All in all, this was a quick one to get through. It keeps the pace fast and there are plenty of vastly different yet complementary elements to the story that will easily keep you entertained. There are probably a few technological plot holes, but I'm definitely not smart enough to find them. It wasn't an unforgettable, brilliant piece of literature by any means, but it sure as heck kept me thoroughly hooked for the day it took to read it.

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