The John Rain series of books are superbly crafted and exciting, with varied, interesting characters. I am not so sure, however, about the main character. He is not particularly nice, a complex guy and a killer, who makes a living like not many people do. He maintains - in others of his books - that he nevers takes on contracts that involve women or children, yet in this most recent book he does not hesitate to kill a beautiful young woman who he feels has crossed him. He also dispatches someone without seeming to blink an eyelid for the simple wrong of following him, only doing his job. Fortunately, the stories are developed in such a way that he is somehow overshadowed - by the greater good accomplished by his various kill contracts and by the other unique characters who come and go in the various books. The author has managed, somehow, to create a hero out of a basically nasty piece of work by the sheer excellence of his plots and cast of characters woven into the delightful ambience and moods of unique places and surroundings.

I can't believe I enjoy reading a book about an assassin. But he does have scruples. Good read.

John Rain returns in the second book to continue the fight he started against Japanese political corruption. He makes a few uneasy alliances and encounters the Japanese mob and the CIA along the way. Eisler explores the paradox of being lonely in a big city and how belonging to two cultures is the same as belonging to none. Eisler does as good of a job as anyone explaining how one becomes a killer and the character John Rain demonstrates the urge on several occasions in this telling. Yet the part of the book I like best is the journey through the cities and the techniques to escape detection. It's also a great look into the modern culture of Japan even if the geopolitical outlook is overwrought.

This was the book through which I discovered this great thriller series years ago, so I really enjoyed reading it again. Every bit as good as the first in the series and recommended to everyone who likes the genre!

#38 - 2010

More about assassin John Rain. Tied up some more loose ends while dishing out more about life in Japan, however, also dishing up more violence and some graphic sex (which I could have done without but I suppose is du rigeur for a book like this). I do enjoy his friendly adversarial relationship with Tatsu though ...

Mr. Eisler does not disappoint and became my comfort author whenever I‘m in need for a quick distraction, something fast paced and a solid storytelling. Once again I was impressed by all the research and personal experience that was put into this book which makes it exceptionally detailed and realistic. I loved the depth of the characters, the subtle criticism of politics and people in power and the constant questioning of morality.

.. And the more time I spend with the characters the more they grow on me. Save to say it gives me comfort knowing that there are still a whole lot of sequels for me to read

A pleasant surprise. Volume 1 had a lot of expositions on spying methodologies and techniques. Don't get me wrong, they were interesting. Volume 2 did things a bit differently. There's less of a focus on the "natural causes" murders and secrecy. It makes sense because the main character is threatened directly and he needs to do things differently. Another big difference is less focus on the past (as the character has been introduced in volume 1) and more focus on the present and the future. To finish it off, a proper adversary that poses real danger also helps spice up things.

I'll be honest, the story pulled me in and it was hard to put the book down. It's not that book 2 is better than book 1, they're different. Some people might like it, others might not. For me though, it was a solid win.

Seems action packed so far and intense series.

I read all the Rain books under their original titles and didn't realize I was re-reading for a while. But that didn't matter; John Rain is such an intriguing character and the books have such a strong sense of place in Japan that I just kept on devouring the book. Sometimes the political stuff gets a bit much for me, but the writing is just beautiful.

The Rain series is extraordinary. Mr. Eisler's writing not only compels the reader to turn the pages, but does so with beautifully constructed sentences, paragraphs rich in metaphor, and a deeply realized philosophy. The East meets West metaphor is in full force, but without the cliches. This highly original series may not be for everyone because the main character is an assassin, and when you find yourself rooting for him; well, you've been captured by Eisler's Voice. I learn so much about Japan and Japanese culture, and the books allow me to look at America through a Japanese lens, which is refreshing and exciting. If you are open minded and love adventure, these are the books for you.

John Rain continues the action and trying to escape Japan and the CIA. Its the 2nd book and I'm really getting into this series.

I liked this book, for all the same reasons I liked the first one, but although it had a slightly different storyline, the tropes were mostly the same. However, we did get to see some character development that I am excited to see more of going foreward. John Rain is more complex in this book, although his simplicity as a fighting tool who loves jazz and classical music never bothered me in the first, because I still thought he had depth and backstory. Now he's also heartbroken.
I'd love to see him pick up a more active hobby somewhere down the line, one that's not related to fighting of any kind, but right now he's a nomad, so that doesn't make any sense for him at the moment. I gave the book four stars only because I felt it was a little repetitive, but aside from that I had fun.