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.

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.

Solid start to the Rain series mostly kept me engaged a little bit too much romance at one stage.

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.

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?!!

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 !

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.

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.

The book Rain Fall by Barry Eisler is 363 pages, published in 2002 by Penguin Books Ltd. The genre is a little bit of mystery, thriller, romance, and realistic fiction. The story is a first person tale of John Rain. He's an ex-marine from the Vietnam era and a hit man who specializes in assassinations that look natural. What starts as a routine kill ends up in complete chaos. Rain falls in love with the daughter of his target and must face old enemies that are trying to control him. The book really focuses on the changes in Rain and how these changes came to be.
tRain's character begins his journey when he's born. With one parent Japanese and one American, Rain never felt like he had a true home. This lead to him becoming an outcast and caused him to develop a quiet, secretive demeanor. He was bullied constantly and learned to take care of himself. Rain's life took a huge twist when he met Jimmy (A.K.A Crazy Jake). Rain and Jimmy became best friends and joined the American army where they fought in Vietnam. Rain finally feels accepted and sticks with Jimmy for years. The friendship takes a turn for the worse when Jimmy abandons the army and creates his own private force. The corrupt and traitorous army officer Holtzer sends Rain on a mission to kill Jimmy. Rain kills Jimmy and leaves Vietnam. He went there excited to fit in and left an outcast once again. This is all back-story that the book provides. The setting throughout most of the book is modern day Japan. Rain is now a hit man and is tasked to kill a corrupt politician. He kills the man and makes it seem like a heart attack. Later that day he meets Midori, the daughter of the politician. Due to Rain's secretive nature, he's unwilling to disclose anything personal but finds himself having feelings for her. These feelings allow him to open up to her like no one else. When Rain's employer sets his sights on Midori's life, Rain jumps into action. Midori and he go into hiding. Rain falls in love with her and she with him. He opens up to her and tells her all about Jimmy and the terrible things he's done. Midori really connects with him and a strong bond is created. Midori is being hunted because her father had a disk that contained discriminating information on the Yazuka leader, Yamaoto. Holtzer is working with Yamaoto and is in charge of killing Rain and retrieving the disk. Rain gets the disk and works to get it to the head of police, Tatsu. He eventually succeeds and Holtzer resigns from his CIA position. Unfortunately, to protect Midori, Tatsu tells her that Rain is dead. Rain is overwhelmed with despair at losing Midori and anger at Holtzer's lack of punishment. He takes justice into his own hands and kills Holtzer. It was a wild moment on his part. It's kind of like Yin and Yang. Midori was his Yin, his soft side. Holtzer was his Yang, violent side. When he lost his Yin, he had no choice but to balance it out and kill the Yang. It was all about emotional balance. Rain's life has never been easy. As a kid he was excluded, as a young adult he had to kill his best friend and countless others, and as an adult he lost his love and killed dozens more. Midori and Jimmy were the only stable things in Rain's life and each loss shook him to the core. The book ends here so it's unsure how he moves on.
tRain Fall is an amazing thriller full of intense action, a gripping story, and relatable characters. Many will come for the action but will stay for the intense tale it weaves. Rain Fall is an extremely good thriller that deserves to be read by anyone craving action or suspense.

I enjoyed this book because I liked witnessing the main character, who is a skilled assassin, navigate the complicated plot and kill his enemies, usually with his bare hands...

Looking at that sentence now, I wonder if I shouldn't be disturbed by my sentiment. I mean, I just admitted to enjoying an account of a man who makes a living by killing other people. Ask me point blank if this is ok, and my answer is, No, of course not. You shouldn't go around killing people. So what makes this book ok?

How much does the world intimidate you? It sure freaks me out, and regularly. All the information; the ease with which we can connect with millions of individuals; the powerful entities that steer major events and affect millions of lives without an ounce of compassion; the wars, the sickness, the poverty, the exploitation; "the yuppies networking:" it all constructively interferes in a cacophony of noise and activity that both teases and overwhelms my intellect. The world is huge, complex, fascinating, and maddening.

That last aspect, I think, makes a character like John Rain appealing. Once he worked for the big boys in the U.S. government, and once he fought in one of the government's dirty wars. He knows spycraft, and he knows how to fight, maim, and kill, if need be, with or without a weapon. He has contacts, information sources, and a bead on political developments and players. He is, in short, a modern explorer of the 21st century landscape, equipped to deal with its vicissitudes and unknowns, and competent enough to take on some of its more evil types.

Bad things are happening to good people in the world, and even if Rain has worked for the system, he is still a man of principle who can take on some of the people who are at the source of these bad doings. This talent, this ability to strike directly at the wrong-doers, is, at times, an appealing fiction. Hence, my positive reception of this otherwise disturbing premise.

Having read the Gray Man series and run out of John Milton adventures I heard from another Goodreader that John Rain was superior to both and decided to find out for myself. I am not sure what this person could have seen in John to imagine his tales of mystery and murder were more engaging but I respectfully disagree. Whilst the former two assassins gave background on areas and occasional odd details of dining establishments and the like John seemed to find it necessary to prove his coolness by being a jazz connoisseur , single malt whiskey aficionado, all knowing of all streets in Tokyo as well as the trains that run near them and while supposedly friendless after stint in Nam that left him scarred seemed to have a lot of people to run to when in need of assistance. Not a fan of superlatives, the best coffee, sake, whiskey, noodles, blah blah blah. in all of Japan, stfu, stop trying to impress us John, don't care. In fact you became a bore while repeating bonafides for the umpteenth time as you went over your judo move collection as you whined on and on about this magic disk that no one could manage to decrypt or when they did copy any info from. Unreal sex scenes with your uber cool jazz pianist friend just topped off this plate of stinky ramen noodles with pointless revenge served cold to boot, sayonara to you and your stories of Vietnam atrocities, you are done.

Is it wrong to like the assassin?

I liked John Rain more than I liked the story. Well, no. I liked John Rain and I liked the story. But it took a long time to tell it. Willing to give the next in the series a try.