The Fear Index
From the Sunday Times bestselling author
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3.7 • 28 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
***PRE-ORDER THE SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION OF PRECIPICE, THE THRILLING NEW NOVEL FROM ROBERT HARRIS, NOW. PUBLISHING AUGUST 2024, AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE STOCK LASTS AND EXCLUSIVE TO THE FIRST PRINT RUN***
'Harris is a master of pace and entertainment' Observer
'Could scarcely be more of the moment' The Times
Nothing spreads like fear . . .
In the secretive inner circle of the ultra-rich, Alex Hoffmann is a legend.
He has developed an algorithm for playing the financial markets that generates billions of pounds - and feeds on panic.
When one day his system is threatened by a terrifying intruder who breaches the elaborate security of his lakeside home, his life becomes a waking nightmare of violence and paranoia.
But who is trying to destroy him? And is it already too late?
'There are moments when this book feels so up to date it could have been written next week . . . spookily exciting' Express
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this smart but uneven thriller on technology run amok from bestseller Harris (The Ghost Writer), Dr. Alex Hoffmann, an American scientific refugee from the abandoned Texas supercollider who lands on his feet at CERN in Geneva, eventually goes on to found one of the world's most successful hedge funds. Hoffmann's secret VIXAL-4, an artificial intelligence project that forecasts financial market movements, appears to have a mind of its own, which is more than can be said for its creator. Unbeknownst even to his English avant-garde artist wife, Hoffmann has shown signs of serious mental problems in the past. Could a series of strange occurrences in the present be random, the work of a mole in Hoffman's company, or part of his unconscious pattern of self-destruction? Pure science enjoys an uneasy existence with large profit making at the expense of downward-market spirals. Despite some less than engaging characters and a story that sags a bit, this novel's philosophical underpinnings will keep most readers engrossed. 200,000 first printing; 5-city author tour.
Customer Reviews
Not the best Robert Harris...
I’m sure Robert Harris never has and never will write a bad book. I’ve read all but one and all the others, except this one, I just could not put down, couldn’t wait to read the next bit, had that approach-avoidance conflict of really want to get to the end to know what happens but really don’t want it to be over. Not with this one. With this one I was able to put it aside and wait a day to read the last two chapters. I’ve never done that with a Robert Harris book before. It might be that Alex. The central character, was less easy to relate to than other characters. Or that the subject matter - computers, money - was less relatable. Or perhaps some difference in the way it was written..