Втора част от поредицата за наемният убиец Джон Рейн. Трябва да упомена, че тук до голяма степен историята следва предходната част от поредицата и не е удачно да се чете самостоятелно. Джон се е скрил в Осака след завършека на предната книга, но неговият добър познат от японското ФБР (кейсачу) го намира и моли за услута - елиминиране на дребен играч в Якудза. Това обаче не се оказва единична задача и зад нея след по-голяма конспирация. Отново са замесени и ЦРУ, както и интересите на чичо Сам. Хубава книга, а Джон Рейн отново се представи на ниво, като негов опонент беше свиреп гангстер, убиващ за удоволствие.

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.

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 really like this character and series. Occasionally the dialogue between characters can seem a little forced -- like someone has to explain something that you know they wouldn't have to in real life, it's just for the reader's benefit. It also feels like the voice slips sometimes from the character's to the author's, especially when the subject is music or descriptions of music venues and bars. I look forward to reading the rest of the series though.

John Rain is trying to stay incognito the police detective finds him and asks for his help. His political enemies are searching for him by tracking and using his friend. Lots of action including underground fights some to the death. Midori also is tracking him down. The storm is brewing for a massive collision of different forces on an intersection course. Great reading and exciting premise. Thanks

It was decent. The last 1/3d significantly accelerated. However, a clean kill in Tokyo is a better book with better world building and a better pace.

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.

If you haven't read the first book in the series "Rain Fall" you will find this book difficult to under-stand. Almost all of what happens in "Hard Rain" is a follow-on from the previously. All but one major character from the first book appear in this one and what happened prior is what causes what has to be dealt with in the second.

John Rain is a professional assassin, he can make anyone dead look like a suicide. Being Eurasian (he's half Japanese) who grew up in the US and was trained as a killer when he was in the US Army. He was taught to kill with stealth and has proven how good his training was in that now both the Yakuza and the CIA are trying to recruit him. That's the major reason that runs through the book.

If you liked the first book or other Barry Eisler you'll enjoy this one.

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!

The second installment of Eisler's John Rain series offers more of the same, but less. The hit man-antihero is once again embroiled in the corruption and crime omnipresent in Eisler's portrayal of Japan, once again caught between yakuza on one hand and the CIA on another, and once again finding inventive ways to kill the people who become threats. There is much double- and triple-dealing, skulking about in dark shadows, and conspiracy enough to spare. This is the good stuff.

Where Hard Rain falls short of the series debut (Rain Fall) is in its subtle change in Rain's portrayal. In the first novel, Rain was palpably a mortal man -- very good at what he did, but fallable and certainly not indestructible (indeed, he sustains significant injury in the finale). This time around, Rain has become more of a killing machine, dispatching various targets without a great deal of either effort or reflection. At no point are the outcomes of these encounters at all in doubt, which leaches them of much potential tension. The shortcomings of the first book also become more pronounced in this one: name-checking districts in Tokyo isn't the same thing as showing us those places; the endless menu of high-end whiskey makes connoisseurship tedious; and his conquests of women half his age continue unabated.

If you enjoyed the series opener, you'll probably like this one, perhaps not as much, though. If you've never encountered John Rain before, start with Rain Fall instead. I have another installment in the series (Killing Rain) queued up, hoping Rain will regain his humanity and reclaim the interest he held in Rain Fall.

I'm on a real Barry Eisler spree at the moment; I've read three books in the Livia Lone series (love them) and this second book in the John Rain series (read the first one some time ago but forgot how much I enjoyed it!).
All of these are fast-paced, hard-hitting, super-violent, high-action books and I'm really loving Eisler's style.
I love the details about tactics/weapons and the blow by blow account of how Rain gets the upper hand in a seemingly unwinnable situation. Help me but I really like the problem solving element!
There is some character assessment/background which gives the story a little depth and I do want to find out more about what happens to John but any emotions explored are of the raw/reactionary/instinct kind rather than complex lovey stuff...which suits me just fine! I love the Tokyo setting too.
I understand there will be some crossover between John Rain & Livia Lone so I'm looking forward to that.
This was a very satisfying and entertaining read if you are into action/thrillers (audio recommended).

Like I did with the first book, "A Clean Kill in Tokyo", I thoroughly enjoyed the character development John goes through from cover to cover. In the first book he's positioned as a highly-skilled highly-technical assassin with a very specific skillset and a tragic background that has deadened him inside to humanity. Through our first foray with Mr. Rain we experience the cracks in his armor through his relationship with Midori, a musician with a beauty to her John can't help but notice as he reminds himself that she is the daughter of a man he just assassinated. Throughout the book he experiences the full range of emotions all the way to a tragic conclusion that deadens him inside once again.

The rollercoaster of emotions manifests again in A Lonely Resurrection, aptly named. Featuring the same specificity and detail the first book provided, Eisler's ability to leave you feeling every word, every step, every through, every pang of fear, and every brutal blow delivered in the narrative once again leaves you wanting more at the end and with absolutely no doubt that Winner Take All, the third installment in the John Rain series, will deliver.