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The Last Assassin aka Extremis
(The assassin John Rain book series)
• by Barry Eisler
John Rain aka Jun is a Japanese-American assassin and is now contemplating getting out of the business. This may be his last job, but if Dox or Delilah ever needs help--yeh, he'd help. His targets have been really bad hombres and as he tryed to explain to Midori, he's preventing the next 9-11.
The story starts a bit dull with John and lover Delilah meeting in Barcelona. She's an Israeli Mossad agent and has set her heart on John. Tatsu, a boss in Japan's version of the FBI, has learned through surveillance that John is now the father of a 15-month-old baby boy (Koichiro). John and Tatsu have become close friends and he warns John that his enemies will try to apprehend him if he visits his son. Of course he goes anyways--in disguise. The New York jazz pianist Midori Kawamura is the mother of the baby and wasn't planning to tell John about his son. She also doesn't know she's being watched. When the boy is much older she planned to tell him, daddy is long dead.
John now muses about having a family, but Midori won't even consider it while he's in the business. In the end, two Yakuza killers are left hunting John and threatening Midori to reveal his whereabouts. So she sets him up and tells the goons they'll find John at the airport--she has her reasons. First, they met when John was sent to kill her dad, but he did protect her. She tolerated him enough to make a baby with him, but now (justifiably) worries about killers showing up if John is in her life. John decides he'll give her some time, let her cool off, but he definitely plans to be a part of his son's life.
.
The story is mostly about John's troubles with the Yakuza crime boss, Yamaoto. He's hunting John over a personal grudge and has spies watching Midori and son. When John showed up in New York and paid a visit to his baby boy and the angry mom, he's spotted. Soon he's forced to deal with the Japanese Yakuza boss, goons galore and the boss of the Chinese Triads. John's pal Dox, an ex-marine and sniper-for-hire, is more than willing to help out. Delilah lends her expertise. Tutsu is doing what he can from his hospital deathbed (advanced, terminal cancer) and has a spy inside Yamaoto's organization.
First, Eddie Wong the Balisong wielding spotter who ID'd John in New York, has to die--his body dumped in the river. Eddie's handler Mr. Chan dies so he can't report any of this to Yamaoto in Japan. To create a diversion and maybe a drug war, John and Dox bust up a big drug deal between the Yakuza and the Triads--the money vanishing into their pockets. Then to Tokyo to deal with Yamaoto at an exclusive escort club. Yamaoto didn't die in the attack and enroute to the hospital he dispatches the two Yakuza thugs to confront Midori in New York. Tatsu provides potassium chloride which John uses in Yamaoto's hospital IV--heart attack.
When John heads to New York after Midori says she was threatened by two scary guys, he finds them waiting for him at the airport. He leaves them bleeding out on the men's room floor. At Midori's apartment John figures it out, she told them where they could find and kill him. That realization puts a real damper on his hopes for a family with her.
Tatsu, in great pain and near death, exhorts John to not neglect his son. He also compels John to assist him with suicide--potassium chloride in his IV, saving him a few days of pain. John, after an initial falling out with Delilah reconciles and they plan a rendezvous in Barcelona. She had paid Midori a visit in New York, scaring her into staying away from John. Dox has been spending his share of the stolen drug money in Bali, building a house and will now join them in the Barcelona celebration.
.
A bit dull to start, but becomes quite compelling.
NTS: Has some memorable similarities to Cusack's assassin character (Martin Blank) in the movie Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).
The John Rain Book Series
Some books have more than one title. The author changed the titles when he regained the rights to his work.
Rain Fall / A Clean Kill in Tokyot(2003)
Hard Rain / Blood from Blood / A Lonely Resurrectiont(2004)
Rain Storm / Choke Point / Winner Take Allt(2005)
Killing Rain / One Last Kill / Redemption Gamest(2006)
● The Last Assassin / Extremist(2007)
Requiem For an Assassin / The Killer Ascendantt(2008)
Paris is a Bitch (a 50 page short story)t(2011)
The Detachmentt(2011)
Graveyard of Memoriest(2014)
Zero Sumt(2017)
The Killer Collectivet(2019)
..
The Last Assassin aka Extremis
(The assassin John Rain book series)
• by Barry Eisler
John Rain aka Jun is a Japanese-American assassin and is now contemplating getting out of the business. This may be his last job, but if Dox or Delilah ever needs help--yeh, he'd help. His targets have been really bad hombres and as he tryed to explain to Midori, he's preventing the next 9-11.
The story starts a bit dull with John and lover Delilah meeting in Barcelona. She's an Israeli Mossad agent and has set her heart on John. Tatsu, a boss in Japan's version of the FBI, has learned through surveillance that John is now the father of a 15-month-old baby boy (Koichiro). John and Tatsu have become close friends and he warns John that his enemies will try to apprehend him if he visits his son. Of course he goes anyways--in disguise. The New York jazz pianist Midori Kawamura is the mother of the baby and wasn't planning to tell John about his son. She also doesn't know she's being watched. When the boy is much older she planned to tell him, daddy is long dead.
John now muses about having a family, but Midori won't even consider it while he's in the business. In the end, two Yakuza killers are left hunting John and threatening Midori to reveal his whereabouts. So she sets him up and tells the goons they'll find John at the airport--she has her reasons. First, they met when John was sent to kill her dad, but he did protect her. She tolerated him enough to make a baby with him, but now (justifiably) worries about killers showing up if John is in her life. John decides he'll give her some time, let her cool off, but he definitely plans to be a part of his son's life.
.
The story is mostly about John's troubles with the Yakuza crime boss, Yamaoto. He's hunting John over a personal grudge and has spies watching Midori and son. When John showed up in New York and paid a visit to his baby boy and the angry mom, he's spotted. Soon he's forced to deal with the Japanese Yakuza boss, goons galore and the boss of the Chinese Triads. John's pal Dox, an ex-marine and sniper-for-hire, is more than willing to help out. Delilah lends her expertise. Tutsu is doing what he can from his hospital deathbed (advanced, terminal cancer) and has a spy inside Yamaoto's organization.
First, Eddie Wong the Balisong wielding spotter who ID'd John in New York, has to die--his body dumped in the river. Eddie's handler Mr. Chan dies so he can't report any of this to Yamaoto in Japan. To create a diversion and maybe a drug war, John and Dox bust up a big drug deal between the Yakuza and the Triads--the money vanishing into their pockets. Then to Tokyo to deal with Yamaoto at an exclusive escort club. Yamaoto didn't die in the attack and enroute to the hospital he dispatches the two Yakuza thugs to confront Midori in New York. Tatsu provides potassium chloride which John uses in Yamaoto's hospital IV--heart attack.
When John heads to New York after Midori says she was threatened by two scary guys, he finds them waiting for him at the airport. He leaves them bleeding out on the men's room floor. At Midori's apartment John figures it out, she told them where they could find and kill him. That realization puts a real damper on his hopes for a family with her.
Tatsu, in great pain and near death, exhorts John to not neglect his son. He also compels John to assist him with suicide--potassium chloride in his IV, saving him a few days of pain. John, after an initial falling out with Delilah reconciles and they plan a rendezvous in Barcelona. She had paid Midori a visit in New York, scaring her into staying away from John. Dox has been spending his share of the stolen drug money in Bali, building a house and will now join them in the Barcelona celebration.
.
A bit dull to start, but becomes quite compelling.
NTS: Has some memorable similarities to Cusack's assassin character (Martin Blank) in the movie Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).
The John Rain Book Series
Some books have more than one title. The author changed the titles when he regained the rights to his work.
Rain Fall / A Clean Kill in Tokyot(2003)
Hard Rain / Blood from Blood / A Lonely Resurrectiont(2004)
Rain Storm / Choke Point / Winner Take Allt(2005)
Killing Rain / One Last Kill / Redemption Gamest(2006)
● The Last Assassin / Extremist(2007)
Requiem For an Assassin / The Killer Ascendantt(2008)
Paris is a Bitch (a 50 page short story)t(2011)
The Detachmentt(2011)
Graveyard of Memoriest(2014)
Zero Sumt(2017)
The Killer Collectivet(2019)
..
