While it has been quite a while since I read the first book, I don’t know why it took me so long to get to #2. “Hard Rain” is a very good book.

John Rain is a Japanese-American assassin that specializes in kills that appear to be by natural causes. He is being pursued by Murakami, a “businessman” that owns a dojo. Rain started training there just to feel him out and keep him in his sights.

Eisner presents a very thorough picture of Tokyo, and of Japan, so the geography is a character in itself. A violent book, it also provides very detailed and interesting spy tradecraft. I won’t wait so long to read book #3.

I had given the first John Rain book the full five stars, so I was a little disappointed when I finished this one. The main character is still just as interesting and the Japanese setting seems to be highly realistic. The plot was complex and seemed to drift a little - it was mainly about other characters trying to recruit him, kill him, or interrogate him (sometimes all three!) John shows no emotion or regret as he efficiently dispatches many other people left and right. I will read more in the series, but I'm hoping the next one in the series has a more goal-oriented plot.

I liked the story, but it is not an action-packed thriller or a suspenseful book. There is a decent plot, but there is also a lot of minutiae that takes up way too much of the book. I would have preferred more action and suspense. I also think the story would have been better without the sex scenes.

Like the first book, if a reader is not familiar with Japanese culture and the city of Toyko, then the detail descriptions are much harder to appreciate. Also, the Japanese names are difficult to follow and keep straight in an audiobook. Based on his first two books, I do believe the author must be a Japanophile.

Overall, it's probably 3.5 stars, but I rounded up because I like this protagonist and the narration. I plan to continue with the series and I'm hoping the next book will have Rain based more in Brazil and less in Japan.

Lonely Indeed

Great book. Great story. Great characters. All as usual. This one made me sadder than his others, justifiably so. Enjoyable, action packed and informative read, also as usual. Just more melancholy. Glad he is picking his own titles now.

This is the second installment of the John Rain series, and I have to say it was even more enjoyable than the first. There was lots of fast-paced action, and the crime web that Yamaoto--who I am assuming is the series' ultimate villain--seems to be involved with seems to grow ever more complex. I have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to books, just because I'm moody, but I actually read this one beginning to end without pausing to read anything else. It had me that riveted. Four out of five stars.

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The second book in the John Rain series and my third, Hard Rain is an earlier publication of the title A Lonely Resurrection. The book relies heavily on the contents of the series's first book, so I would recommend starting with Rain Fall/A Clean Kill in Tokyo before reading this. I still enjoyed reading Hard Rain, but it was only an echo of the first, with similar action, romance, descriptions of spycraft, and political machinations in Japan. I like that the plot doesn't always take the expected route, though there aren't many surprises here. The final surprise might have been how anti-climactic the denouement felt to me. I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series; having read the most recent episode, I expect more characters to develop and new frontiers to open up.

Eisler does an excellent job with the narration of the audiobook. Well-defined characters.

The main character, John Rain, is a very likable assassin. Violence abounds. There's something different reading about directed violence that is different (for me) from random violence, and there's something satisfying when "villains" meet abrupt ends of their own making. He's no hero, but you root for Rain anyway because deep down, you feel like he's a really decent guy.

This is a really great read. I highly recommend it. If you haven't read
the first John Rain thriller, " A Clean Kill In Tokyo,," I advise you to
open that up first. It gives a lot of background as to who Rain is, who
Harry is, and who Midori is. This book picks up where the first leaves
off. John Rain is an a former Vietnam War commando who grew up in
both Japan and in the states. He is also a deadly assasin. The book
details his life underground and the links from his past that lead him
out into dangerous waters. There is spy stuff, political intrigue, judo,
mixed martial arts, hostess clubs, and blackmail. It's John rain against
the whole Tokyo underworld. As with the first Rain book, this one takes
the reader on a journey into the depths of Tokyo, a place that I for the
first time find fascinating.

Verglichen mit dem ersten Buch hat mir das zweite weniger gefallen.

Nach den Ereignissen aus dem ersten Buch hat sich John nach Osaka zurückgezogen und versucht sich aus dem Geschäft zurückziehen. Tatsu hat ihn aber gefunden und darum gebeten einen Yakuza zu töten. Während er den Auftrag in Tokio abwickelt, trifft er sich wieder mit Harry, der eine neue Freundin hat. Diese arbeitet als Hostess in einem Nachtclub und spielt nicht wirklich in Harry‘s Liga. John wird misstrauisch und stellt Nachforschungen an.

Kurze Zeit später bittet ihn Tatsu einen Killer namens Murakami verschwinden zu lassen. Dieser hat eine ähnliche Vorgehensweise wie John, ist aber komplett skrupellos. Eines seiner Opfer war sogar ein Kind. Die Auseinandersetzung mit Murakami einiges kosten.

Bis Murakami auf den Plan tritt, erscheint das Buch fast ein bisschen planlos. Natürlich könnte man argumentieren, dass damit John‘s aktuelle Gemütsverfassung widergespiegelt wird, da dieser sich im Moment nicht darüber im Klaren ist, was er mit seinem Leben anfangen soll. Im ersten Buch wurde die Zeit bis zur finalen Konfrontation mit den Ermittlungen zu der CD gefüllt. Hier gibt es nichts gleichwertiges. Die Story nimmt erst im letzten Drittel Fahrt auf, nachdem John einen persönlichen Verlust hinnehmen musste.

Das letzte Drittel ist dafür wirklich spannend und das Ende von Murakami, der nicht nur ein brutaler Killer, sondern auch ein elender Tierquäler ist, war sehr passend.

Barry Eisler is one of my new favorite thriller authors. The protagonist, John Rain is a Japanese/American deadly assassin who specializes in making his hits look like natural deaths. You don't want to get on his bad side. Eisler knows how to keep the suspense going and his background in espionage makes his stories believable and hard to put down.

Second book that I have read in this series and this novel did not let me down after a great first novel.

John Rain remains the quintessential assassin who manages to protect his anonymity, kill the bad guys, work out who those bad guys are, slowly building a group around him that he trusts - all while finding time for the odd romantic liaison!

Eisler has created a great character in John (and Tatsu - love that relationship) and I personally am glad I have the next 4 novels in the series awaiting me in my library!

Another excellent book by Barry Eisler. His meticulous research and attention to detail is more than just impressive. The plot is intricately woven, and there are some devious minds at work here. I would hate to have Mr. Eisler as a chess opponent.