Customer Reviews

The Bank of Fear

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a superb "spy" thriller surrounding the mysterious
and often cruel military regime of Iraq. It took guts to write
a book exposing torture practices of such a regime, and
the nasty financial practices and human rights grievances
of what the author disguises: the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Those in exile from their country are
blackmailed into working for corrupt Iraqi agents...it depicts
this as a multi-tentacled octopus that chokes the life out
of these exiles and forces them to live lives of slavery and terror.

Sam Hoffman is a very likeable hero, and Lena a frightened woman who discovers reserves of bravery. A great read.
I don't know what the previous reviewer was thinking, when he called it a "cliche'd" thriller...I found it very unique and couldn't put it down.

No, it may not be 'Nostromo' or 'Brighton Rock', but Ignatius has spun some enjoyably indentifiable characters in this spy thriller. Given the world's current state of affairs, a Hollywood producer would be wise to pick up the options on this novel for film adaptation (assuming it hasn't happened already). Taken in context, this is a wonderfully crafted novel with vivid scenery and palpable suspence. Ignatius creates such lush scenes and characters, while also highlighting America's covert involvement in the Arab world. Taking into account his experience in Middle-Eastern affairs, Ignatius' accounts of Iraqi intimidation on its own citizens, along with the presumption that many of his assertions are based on factual information, this is a frightening look inside the rule of this Iraqi dictator. I happened upon this book while in Thailand and have since read 'Siro' and 'A Firing Offence'. Of the three, I enjoyed this the most. If you're a fan of spy novels, this is as good a read as any.

A good read, but not quite up to "Body of Lies". I did like Sam Hoffman's sensitivity.

It is such a pleasure to read a new (to me), literate author. I am reading his entire series, and they do not have to be read in order.

The Bank of Fear is an awfully slow and unbelievable read. The premise rests on a dirty Arab businessman who runs a hundreds of shell companies for the Iraqi ruler. Alas, the ruler is assassinated so there is a scramble for the ruler's riches.

even after 10 years i reread this novel mingled with truth and fiction. ignatius is a great writer who, like a great chef, could put together with all the raw ingredients together and made them into a cuisine with great taste. there are so many true stuff in his books that after you've read, you'd know more about what's going on in the middle east, and how and why the situation in the middle east would have become from worse to the worst. our american government and the foreign policies really need a complete reevaluation and overhaul as soon and as thorough as possible. the only thing that puzzled me again and again and could never find out the answer is that why 99% of our american people are so likable and easy to get along with would have a government turned out so arrogant and so dangerously strong-armed to other nations? why the good americans once been elected would turn suddenly into such ugly and arrogant bureaucratics? they are supposedly to be elected by us to be our public servants, but why once elected and sitting into the power seats would suddenly change their positions? the middle east policy is such a mess and double standard that nothing works but manipulations. before 1994 when this book was published, iraq was nothing but a domestic nightmare, now in the year of 2005, the nightmare has turned into an international monstrous disaster. i really don't know how this administration could free from and get out of this messy situation. saddam had killed a lot of his iraqi people, but after the invasion, just within 3 years, the iraqi people have been killed about 40,000~45,000 annually, the death ratio and the death statistics are far worse than what saddam has done to his own people. i really don't know what the answer is, but obviously we are doing something far worse than what saddam has done to his people. this trilogy only remind me one thing: we are the monster who could create nothing but more monsters.

Bank of Fear is a "no-brains-required" spy thriller with all the usual cliches: heroes who are quick to fall in love and even quicker to rush into danger; villains with unlimited power and unquenchable thirsts for violence; complicated computer systems that (surprise!) a novice hacker learns to crack; and an abundance of utterly silly plot twists, double crosses, and character surprises. The story is so completely nonsensical I had a hard time remembering what happened to the characters ten minutes after I put the book down.

The one redeeming quality of the book is that it's a very fast read. Things happen so quickly and the pages keep turning, so you don't ever think to ask yourself why you're wasting time reading it.