WILL COMBINE BOOKS TO SAVE POSTAGE ..MESSAGE FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE - LARGE SIZE SOFT COVER EDITION.The Fear Index is a 2011 novel by British author Robert Harris. It is set in a period of roughly 24 hours from the 6 May 2010?the date of the British general election and the Flash Crash. It follows the interactions of a group of employees at Hoffmann Investment Technologies, a fictional hedge fund operating in Geneva.