A Lonely Resurrection. Barry Eisler

John Rain is doing a friend a favor. A police official. Other unscrupulous characters come into play. A corrupt CIA chief of station dealing with bureaucrat of questionable integrity to accomplish CIA goals. At the price of having one of his own men terminated. He tries to hire Rain to do it. Then a close friend of Rains is murdered in an attempt to obtain information about him. Revenge is a powerful motivator. Non stop action, intrigue. Another excellent read in this series!!

Al doilea roman din seria John Rain in care asasinul profesionist trebuie sa elimine pe cineva din Yakuza dar, la un moment dat, va trebui sa razbune si moartea unuia dintre cei mai buni prieteni ai sai. Mi s-a parut ca este prima data cand John Rain da de un adversar de calibrul sau, in persoana lui Murakami si tocmai din acest motiv mi-ar fi placut ca infruntarea finala sa fie mai spectaculoasa.
Ca si in celelalte parti ale seriei si aici mi-au placut foarte mult descrierile oraselor Tokyo si Osaka, atat de precise si autentice incat pot doar sa incante.
M-am bucurat ca autorul foloseste expresii si cuvinte din japoneza astfel ca am putut sa invat si eu cateva dintre ele. :)
Pe langa multitudinea de informatii despre cluburile de jazz si whisky-ul single malt, al carui fan este John Rain, am mai citit despre o miscare de imobilizare a piciorului din jiu-jitsu care poate duce la ruperea sa sau despre 'kakuseizai' - metamfetamina care fusese drogul preferat al soldatilor japonezi din cel de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial.
In ceea ce priveste doamnele, aflam ca rolul traditional al femeii japoneze este sa serveasca mancarea, sa toarna bauturile si sa intretina conversatia. Conceptul de animatoare este diferit de ceea ce cunoastem noi, animatoarele aidoma gheiselor din care descind, sunt platite pentru conversatie si dupa terminarea programului pot intretine relatii cu unii clienti dar numai dupa ce au fost curtate cum se cuvine.
Mi-a placut foarte mult sa aflu despre 'Kotatsu', adica masuta scunda si rotunda, cu patura matlasata care ajunge pana la podea si sub care se afla un radiator electric, in jurul careia se strang membrii familiei iarna, cu picioarele desculte, varate sub patura. Mi s-a parut o traditie frumoasa ca in serile geroase familia se aduna la un loc si cu totii participa la conversatie.
M-a amuzat ca John Rain are pager in loc de telefon si autorul, constient de amuzamentul cititorilor, ne explica printr-o nota de subsol ca desi in Europa nu mai suntem adeptii unor asemenea mijloace de comunicare, in Asia inca se mai folosesc, mai ales ca nu pot fi urmarite.
As mai mentiona ca putem afla foarte multe lucruri despre asa zisele 'gumi' - clanurile din Yakuza, foarte asemanatoare cu familiile din Cosa Nostra.
Ca incheiere las aici un citat care mi-a ramas in minte si dupa ce am terminat cartea:
"La urma urmei, uciderea este expresia suprema a urii si fricii, tot asa cum sexul este expresia suprema a iubirii si dorintei. Si, la fel ca in cazul sexului, este inerent nefiresc sa ucizi un strain care nu ti-a cauzat absolut nicio emotie."

John Rain has left Tokyo and is contemplating giving up his role as an assassin when the head of the police asks him to do a job, which leads to another favor - kill another assassin. This new target is highly dangerous and it seems the few friends John has left are wrapped up in the danger.

I listened to the audio version and it's well done. The author is the narrator and seems to know a lot about the Japanese language and culture. Because I find that subject interesting, it doesn't bother me that the author sometimes explains things in more detail than might be necessary. I am also becoming rather fond of John Rain's character as he develops. Poor John suffers some loses in this book that I think will bother him in the next one. I look forward to seeing if he makes any new relationships in the next book that will ease his loneliness.

A Lonely Resurrection by Barry Eisler is a delightful, gritty espionage thriller set in Tokyo. This is Eisler's second novel starring John Rain, an ex-CIA agent turned assassin who specializes in "natural causes." Eisler himself is ex-CIA, an expert martial artist, and lived in Tokyo for many years. Personal experience gives his page-turners a sense of reality that never ceases to mesmerize me.

Started off a little slow again like book 1. There’s a lot of embellishments, slow talk, getting the lay of the land. However, by page 100 i was sent on a reading spree. I do think there was a huge climax around page 100 and then it kind of dipped and went up and down… I wish it would have been full bore but in all reality, the dips prove this book is written 100% as if this life of John Rain can/could really happen. Not some full blown Hollywood unrealistic movie. Scary.

6/10

I liked that it was set in Japan & apparently was accurate both geographically & in many other instances. Rain is a fairly interesting character. I enjoyed it, but it's pretty much another assassin thriller & I guess not terribly memorable. I had this marked as having read it once before. Must have been some time ago as it was all new to me.

This is my third John Rain book including the first prequel and I'm stilling loving this character. The author gives you amazing look into Japanese culture and really makes you feel like you in the city with John. I loved that we see both the professional and personal kills with John in this book. The way the author describes not just the physical act but the psychological aspect of it as well. It makes all the more human rather then less human.

Love John Rain!

I love the Rain series! I've read them before but it it was great to come back and read this one again. Having lived in Japan for three years it's nice to hear all the places that he goes to. It brings back so many memories. I think that is one of the things I enjoy the most, the attention to the details and the descriptive writing. Also I like that John Rain is such a complex character. He is at times very American and yet he's so Japanese. He can be so heartless and cold, but then he cares too deeply. Great writing! You feel for the main characters.

I liked the scenarios and Rain himself better in this one. The writing is overall more intense. Rain uses everything in his box of tricks. He doesn't mind acting like a fool or suffering a little humiliation if it gets the job done. He's not uber-cool all the time. He's direct and doesn't put on unnecessary airs. His assessment of danger and opponents is logical and focused from a lifetime of experience. His ability to be such a normal person means that one of his greatest assets is that people underestimate him time and time again.
Naturally a part of me is shocked by Rain's lack of sympathy, but the other part of me likes that Rain has the detached personality that one would expect from a hitman. His ruthlessness really is just practicality without feelings.
I enjoy psychological musings and I appreciate that Rain employs them to full effect. The sensitivity in the relationships and dialogue is a treat. Rain's friend/enemy Tatsu is more present in this book and he adds a good dynamic to the storyline.

Verdict: I am very tempted to start up the next book in the series immediately, but I'll save it

The second John Rain book, it was slow getting started, but really took off about a third of the way in, with the customary violence and some extra romance.

An excellent sequel to A Clean Kill in Tokyo, the first in the John Rain series. Well written with strong narration by the author. The complexity of the story increased a bit over book 1, and more love interests have developed. Many returning characters and the same strong knowledge base of Tokyo and surrounding cities along with Japan's politics and role in international finance. This is not brilliant writing, it's not lyrical writing like Daniel Silva, but it is a consistently solid first person narrative in the life of a paid assassin with some scruples.