March 2019
3 Stars - I liked it
Audiobook

Review for books 1 & 2 of the John Rain series
A Clean Kill in Tokyo & A Lonely Resurrection

First off, let me say how annoying I find it when authors narrate their own books. Mr. Eisler isn't the worst audio narrator I've heard but he also isn't anywhere near the best. A narrator can often times make or break an audiobook.

Anyway, I found myself enjoying these books. They consist of assassinations, spying, martial arts type fighting, sex, politics, music and A LOT of Japanese culture. The stories move at a steady pace and I feel the information that Rain learns along the way is fairly earned and not just presented to him in a nice & neat package.

The biggest problem I had with the stories is that the main character, John Rain, spends way too much time in inner-monologue thinking and planning and considering and re-considering, etc. He also spends way too much time giving us readers information on everything Japan that comes up in the story. Everything seemed to require background information..... buildings, locations, restaurants, people, clothes, music, food, drinks, politics, politicians, Japanese & American maneuvering, etc. Some of that was interesting and important, but some of it was unnecessary and tedious. I would often times zone out during these times.

Another issue I had was with Rain himself. He mostly comes across as a competent killer but sometimes his inner monologue or his actual actions came off as naive. I couldn't quite figure out his age. Sometimes his thoughts and actions made me think he's late 40's or early 50's but sometimes his thoughts and actions made me think he's early 20's. I know he's older but sometimes he seemed too guileless for being this far into his life and career.

Anyway, I enjoyed the first two books of this series and I may continue with the next book at some point, but probably not for a while. The ebook & audio are available through Kindle Unlimited which is a major plus!

Swimming against the flow here but I didn't think I could finish this book, it started so tediously. Having said that it did get better after half way. The plot itself was OK (not brilliant and a little overly convoluted but OK) but I did have some problems with the writing style.

The many descriptions of various aspects of Rain's "tradecraft" were overly long-winded and, frankly, boring after a while. Also, it was set in Japan and a lot of the dialogue was given first in Japanese and then in English. It was overdone (we know they're in Japan already). For me it detracted from the plot. This is the second John Rain book I have read in the series and I'm not sure I can read any more of them.

Der zweite Teil der Tokio Killer-Reihe mit John Rain. Dieser hat nach den Ereignisse aus Teil 1 Tokio verlassen, doch die japanische Geheimpolizei spürt ihn mit Hilfe von Verkehrskameras auf.

Rain wird nicht verhaftet, sondern soll nun mehrere Mafioso liquidieren. Der erste Mord klappt schnell und reibungslos, doch das zweite Opfer erweist sich als durchaus ebenbürtig und tötet Johns einzigen Freund Harry. Für John Rain geht es nun um alles.

Wer kein Problem mit Serienkillern hat und flott geschriebene Actionkrimis mit viel japanischem Lokalkolorit, aber ohne allzu großen Anspruch mag, kommt auch hier auf seine Kosten. Daher 4 von 5 Sternen ****

Listened to this audiobook, read by Dick Hill who does a terrific job with pronouncing Japanese. At least it sounds authentic. Not having any clue, I wouldn’t know, but the perception of authenticity is as good as reality. And, of course, I’ll misspell all the names.

Eisler recreates an authentic Japanese world and culture, at least the seamier side -- apparently, as again, I have no experience with reality. But then, the book is a chimera, and creates a duality from contrast of Japanese culture with the protagonist, a paranoid (can you really be paranoid if everyone is really after you?) assassin, hired by a government spook, Tatsu, his former nemesis to undertake some selective murder, but it’s all in a good cause.

Rain spends most of his time and effort in avoiding detection and circumventing security devices and people, a life which seems devoid of entertainment -- and here Rain is different from Parker and Quarry and Thomas Perry’s nameless assassin, -- except for his love of piano jazz. That struck me as a substantial chink in his armor as his predilection for a particular artist. Midori, daughter of one of Rain’s previous hits, would imply easy entry into his world. Nevertheless, Eisler’s description of Rain’s world is rich and revealing of Japanese cultural differences.

Rain has his own code (no children or women and the targets must be principals, not just “to send a message”) and few friends whom he trusts, one being Harry, the electronics genius, who figures prominently in this story. He also specializes in killing people so the result appears to be of natural or accidental provenance. (One always wonders whether the intricate detail in books like this become prescriptions for some people.)

Eisler muses on Japanese political culture and the relationship between the United States and Japan. Here one of Japan’s top policemen is embarked on a personal crusade to eliminate corruption, yet, as Rain points out Japan’s true power lies in the bureaucracy, and politicians are merely paid lip service. The CIA is also involved, running its own Iran Contra type of operation even setting up one of its own to take an Oliver North kind of fall. The plot is complicated with numerous subplots all nicely tied together by Tokyo’s ambiance.

As I read a particularly affecting scene as Rain recounts his first kill while a sniper in Vietnam, I realized that many of the aforementioned hitmen protagonists learned their trade in Vietnam and realized once out they had no marketable skills except killing, and that they had developed a particularly emotion-less view of life and death.

My sole complaint would be the the writing/reading descriptions of hand-to-hand combat and extreme violence are hardly credible as they often border on caricature. While one could read this as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first in the series, Rain Fall, for a better grounding in the back story of some of the characters.

eu já tinha lido, há algum tempo, o primeiro livro desta série, que achei mais ou menos. acontece que, mesmo não tendo achado o livro ótimo, ele foi um livro que deixou mais recordações que o normal, e eu vivia lembrando dele, com vontade de ler mais da história -- então me rendi, e comprei o volume 2 pra ler. adorei, adorei! este livro é bem sperior ao primeiro! tudo flui tão bem que li tudinho em dois dias bastante movimentados, em filas, em taxis, em esperas, no cabeleireiro, e à noite na cama, antes de dormir. foi uma leitura gostosa, rápida, e que fez com que meus dias ficassem mais curtidos mesmo com muitas filas e esperas :-) super recomendo! e já vi que lerei os outros livros da série...

Solid action and suspense will look to read the 3rd JR.

This book contains some real moments of raw emotion as Rain returns to elements of his past, you delve more into who he is and he loses some key players from the first book in more ways that one. It was a good read and I felt you got more humanity from Rain.

Some of the chapters in this book really had me on the edge of my seat especially when he faces off against the main antagonist in the dojo, you got a real feeling of danger and trepidation. This was repeated again (and so well written) in the final show down.

It is clear Eisler’s research is meticulous. A gripe I had in the first one was the continual Japanese, it lessened in this read and wasn’t as frustrating when it did appear. Eisler’s scene painting is sensational, you really do get a feel for his Japan which is exactly like I have in my minds eye.

I’ve now added the whole Rain series to Goodreads and will definitely read them all.

Highly recommend - read in order. Awesome!!!

I love the John Rain series and the authors writing style. He has become a favorite and I will keep loopking for more books in the series and try some of his other works. The descriptions are so vivid you feel like your there enjoying the moments through the authors eyes.
The lead character Rain is well developed and thorough in his preparations and ability to stay hidden in plain sight. The story lines are well thought out and keep you turning the page to see what happens next.

A contract killer who makes his deaths look like natural accidents was the premise. It was snappily written and I was happily hooked from the opening page. The main protag prepares for his jobs well, isn't saved by flukes, and has a complicated relationship with people on both sides of the law. I liked the japanese terms littering the book; from studying the language, and living in the country they felt like they flowed naturally and it was a nice reminder for me personally :) Although there were a couple of mispellings. E.g. oichii - instead of oishii for delicious/tasty.

A good solid read.

Full disclosure: I could accurately be labeled a 'gorehound' when it comes to movies. Give me viscera and splatter realized through practical effects, and I will crow with happiness. I've lost count of how many times I gave a resounding YES! in the middle of movie theater while others cringed from the gory spectacle on screen (the last time was during, oh yes, "Prometheus").

All of this said, there were moments when "Hard Rain" disturbed me.

I'm not sure what it was. I have read gobs of scenes in which someone puts the beat down on another person, sometimes to fatal effect. The way Eisler does it, though, got to me. When John Rain puts on the hurt, it freakin hurts to read about it. And Rain's cool description of this punishment only adds to my heebie-jeebies. Worst of all, Rain dispatches people whom he knows not at all. Somebody's tailing him on the street and making him feel threatened? Dead. Someone challenges him to a sparring match? Bone-break. Based on the two books that I have read in this series, I see John Rain having two settings: Mortal Agony and Kill Kill Kill.

I did like this book. The plot is tangled up in other plots, and the nature of the enemy is unclear throughout. This is good espionage fiction that serves up healthy examples of the genre's attractions. Rain's asides about trade craft are nifty, and, yes, the action is exciting.

Probably, I'll wait awhile before stomaching book the third.

Action filled and drew me in. I'm liking this series so far.

Another excellent installment in the series

Eisler is a fantastic writer, with scorching observations about society, politics, and the world in general, all packages into poetic and evocative prose. His work reminds me of the best detective noir, while his character John Rain is always managing to be just competent and prescient enough to get himself out of the jams he gets manipulated into. The story was engaging and complex, while remaining rapidly paced from the first page. I’m definitely reading the next book right now!