by Barry Eisler
|
| List Price: | $24.95 |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $29.42 |
|
 |
|
Product Description
Meet John Rain. Assassin. He follows his own code - he needs no one, trusts no one - until betrayal transforms him from hunter into hunted and loner into loyal friend. Haunted by the past Rain kills to order and leaves no trace, but the death at his hand of an old man has unforeseen complications - and soon Rain is trying to protect not just his carefully preserved anonymity but his own life and those of the people he cares for. A stunning, page-turning reinvention of the hitman thriller, "Rain Fall" marks the introduction of a compelling new series character and major new thriller writing career.
Amazon.com Review
John Rain, a Japanese American konketsu, or half-breed, learned his lethal trade as a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Although tortured by memories of atrocities he committed in Vietnam, he has become a paid assassin, a solitary man who lives in the shadows and trusts no one, even those who pay extraordinary sums for his ability to make murder look like natural death. But the aftermath of an otherwise routine hit on a government bureaucrat brings Rain to the attention of two men he knows from the old days in Vietnam: a friend who's now a Tokyo cop and an enemy who betrayed Rain long ago and is now the CIA's station chief in Japan. Like the gangster who hired Rain to kill Yasuhiro Kawamura, they want something the dead man had--a computer disk containing proof of high-level corruption, information that could destroy Japan's ruling political coalition. The search for the disk leads them to a woman Rain has come to love, a talented young jazz musician who also happens to be Kawamura's daughter. In this taut, brilliantly paced debut thriller, set in a vividly rendered Tokyo, the author manages an unlikely feat; he earns the reader's sympathy and concern for his protagonist, an amoral assassin who is one of most compelling characters in recent crime fiction. --Jane Adams
Customers who bought this item also bought
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Good Thriller, 2008-10-12
I have read three of his books - I will read more.
Good book!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Discovering Rain Fall, 2008-08-25
Searching for a new author is an adventure wrought with time spent reading jacket blurbs or rear covers.
Personally, I like to do this in bookstores. Nothing is better than walking the aisles, randomly lifting a book from a shelf, and reading the first page if the blurb proves tempting enough.
As an added bonus I like to discover that the central characters in the story will reappear in a sequel or two.
This is how I found Rain Fall. John Rain is a hit man with standards, surely a conundrum with a paradox of principles. Unlike Larry Block's Hitman, John Rain finds very little humor in his work, and often pays a price physically as well as emotionally. He works where he lives; dealing with people he knows or knows of by reputation.
To further complicate the task, Rain must make each death appear natural, which he accomplishes using both high tech and low tech skills. Finesse is the key.
If you want to read a novel that will keep you engaged from the first paragraph, this is the one. An added enticement is that Rain Fall is the first of several books in this terrific series.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome Assassin!, 2008-08-13
Rain Fall is the first in the series of assassin-extraordinaire, John Rain. From the very first "hit" to the last, the reader will be enthralled with this intelligent thriller.
John Rain is a specialized assassin - he eliminates his targets by making their demises look as if they died of natural causes. Rain is an outsider wherever he goes. Half-American and half-Japanese, Rain was ostracized from the time he was born. Having served in Vietnam with the American military, Rain later moved to Japan, disillusioned and haunted by the past. With the skills that made him an excellent soldier, Rain channeled those skills, along with a mastery of the martial arts, to become an extremely efficient assassin. Developing feelings for the daughter of one of his victims was not part of his plan, but when emotions get involved, the best laid plans get thrown out the window.
Rain Fall is a book that is nearly impossible to put down. Filled with twists and turns, amazing martial arts fight scenes and intelligent characters, this page-turner is a must read for action/suspense fans. I give Rain Fall my highest recommendation.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Move Over Double 07, 2008-08-11
There's a new kid on the block and his name is John Rain. This is the James Bond of the 21st century. Nothing fantastic here though. It's all true to life and extremely thrilling. These novels are well thought out and researched. Tis a series of movies in the making.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Great action thriller, 2008-07-06
Another great read from Barry Eisler, he hooks you into the story straight a way. John Rain, a Japanese American konketsu, or half-breed, learned his lethal trade as a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Although tortured by memories of atrocities he committed in Vietnam, he has become a paid assassin, a solitary man who lives in the shadows and trusts no one, even those who pay extraordinary sums for his ability to make murder look like natural death. But the aftermath of an otherwise routine hit on a government bureaucrat brings Rain to the attention of two men he knows from the old days in Vietnam: a friend who's now a Tokyo cop and an enemy who betrayed Rain long ago and is now the CIA's station chief in Japan. Like the gangster who hired Rain to kill Yasuhiro Kawamura, they want something the dead man had--a computer disk containing proof of high-level corruption, information that could destroy Japan's ruling political coalition. The search for the disk leads them to a woman Rain has come to love, a talented young jazz musician who also happens to be Kawamura's daughter. In this taut, brilliantly paced debut thriller, set in a vividly rendered Tokyo, the author manages an unlikely feat; he earns the reader's sympathy and concern for his protagonist, an amoral assassin who is one of most compelling characters in recent crime fiction.
Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.
|
Store Categories
|