John Rain #1

La chute de John R.

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Un roman noir envoûtant et surprenant : comment un tueur à gages solitaire, impliqué dans une histoire qui le dépasse, devra fuir une vie dont il a soigneusement préservé l'anonymat et compter sur une improbable alliée : la fille de l'homme qu'il vient d'assassiner. Un roman noir hypnotique qui nous entraîne dans un dédale urbain à la suite d'un personnage complexe et déchiré entre deux cultures. La singulière vision d'une société où coexistent une corruption totale et un code de l'honneur ancestral.À Tokyo, John Rain est tueur à gages, un spécialiste des " morts naturelles ". Peu importe qui le paie, seule compte la cible : cette fois, un fonctionnaire du gouvernement.Mi-japonais mi-américain, cet ancien du Vietnam ne laisse rien au hasard. Pas question non plus de déroger à ses principes : agir seul, ne jamais s'en prendre à une femme et, surtout, protéger son anonymat. Mais lorsqu'il rencontre Midori, une jeune pianiste de jazz au charme troublant, son univers bascule dans une traque sans merci...Au rythme de la ville, des ruelles bondées, de ses échoppes à ciel ouvert, de ses bars enfumés, au rythme des night-clubs et de la foule, John va voir resurgir la violence de son passé guerrier...

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2003

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Literary awards
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tokyojapan

About the author

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Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler's bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous "Best Of" lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he's not writing novels, blogs about torture, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
--from the author's website

Series:
* John Rain

Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
37(37%)
4 stars
38(38%)
3 stars
25(25%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
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100 reviews All reviews
April 1,2025
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A really pleasant read, I would definitely recommend it.

The story stars slow, but as it moves on, it picks up momentum and is action packed until the end.

The story is narrated in the first person, in a style that has a little hint to the traditional 'noir', which I quite liked.

The description of the different places and surroundings is really detailed, which helps to visualize them in your mind.

John Rain is a very interesting character, with a rich and troubled past, but as it is explained and explored, it really helps to understand some of his troubles and actions. I think the supporting characters are also well developed, with different and rich personalities, creating a strong combination that makes the story interesting at all stages.
April 1,2025
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Barry Eisler published this book under other names, which to me were irrelevant other than to provide some insight into what authors have to go through getting their works in front of saps like me. And I only mention that because it was the current title, "A Clean Kill in Tokyo," that got me reading the first book in Eisler's supremely engaging John Rain series. Not that death and destruction are my thing. Then again, they are. I like reading this strong hero stuff. But John Rain is against type. He's basically a hit man. He gets paid to put people down. He has a code. No women, no children. And he assumes he's offing nefarious types. But he's not sure. Eisler slowly unveils Rain's back story, which is a trip. He said in notes that he updated the book from 95 technology references, and that Rain's kind of an old guy because he's a Vietnam vet. Didn't bother me in the slightest. Eisler's detail and reporting go deep, making this story quite fascinating whether he's taking the reader through a fight scene or explaining the details behind a war massacre in which women and children were murdered because some officer ordered it, even when told it was unlikely a village had harbored the enemy. I ordered another Rain novel. They're a bit tough to read at times. Rain isn't the most uplifting guy. He's a killer. But he has a moral code. And that makes him worth reading about.
April 1,2025
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Solid start to the Rain series mostly kept me engaged a little bit too much romance at one stage.
April 1,2025
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Great fast-paced, action-filled thriller with a kick-ass assassin as protagonist and set in Japan - what's not to love? Currently re-reading the first few books of this series before finally moving on to the ones I haven't read yet.
April 1,2025
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Having lived in Tokyo I really wanted to enjoy this book and to a certain extent I did. The descriptions of Tokyo were good although I got a bit sick of all the references to the Tokyo Train/Subway system. The explanation of post WWII Japanese politics was interesting although I already knew about the construction industry corruption.

My main gripes with the book were threefold. One - I had no sympathy for the main character ( a trained, cold blooded assassin), two - the love interest and the coincidence which leads to it are completely unbelievable and three - it was a bit silly having a Vietnam vet as a modern day assassin, I mean really how old is this dude Rain supposed to be?!!
April 1,2025
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This low rating is because of my lack of interest in the spy/ assassin genre. I have never liked any of the books in this genre- Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Bourne, James Bond ..... (Frederick Forsyth's books are the only exception). I have been trying to find some author in this genre who would interest me, unfortunately this too failed.
I was finding excuses not to get back to the book. I read the abridged version in the RD select edition. As it was just 150 pages, I didn't want to DNF. I returned to read the last 50 pages after a 5 day break, by then i had forgotten who's who and I didn't even care to go back and figure the characters and the plot. I simply read through the last few pages without understanding most of it.

The other reason for the low rating is the narration in first person. When someone tells "I tackled 2 goons alone, I saved a Damsel in distress, I am great, blah, blah" ( not these words, but effectively the same meaning) , I just want the protagonist to shut up. I didn't even fell sorry for him when he was telling his story about PTSD after the horrors in Vietnam.

What a waste of time !
April 1,2025
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This is the first I’ve read of this author and I love the John Rain character. He’s an assassin with a good heart; something you can only imagine in a novel.
April 1,2025
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John Rain is an assassin. His only work ethic is that he won't kill women or children. After that he doesn't want to know why. Doesn't want to know if his target is good or bad, his objective is only to fulfill his assignment. The amazing thing to me, is that I really liked this character, right from the beginning. I got a little lost toward the end as to what was happening, but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story, as I let the words take me for the ride. Can't wait to read the next installment.
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