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Loading... Graveyard of Memories (John Rain Thrillers) (edition 2014)by Barry Eisler
Work InformationGraveyard of Memories by Barry Eisler
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Assassin John Rain is a complex character. Eisler's writing talent has been his ability to craft Rain as a sympathetic, moral character within the cold hard fact of his profession. This prequel sets the stage for how he became an assassin: the choices he faced, how he was manipulated by others, and the paths he ultimately decided to take. Besides his development, Eisler does a commendable job with Rain’s love life with Sayaka, who is a strong, but wheelchair-bound woman outsider, like Rain himself. The tenderness and passion he shows towards Sayaka is sweet, especially his soiling himself to mitigate her embarrassment after a heavy petting session. Finally, his knowledgeable descriptions of parks, shrines, neighborhoods, teahouses and coffee shops makes the reader appreciate Japan in the 1970’s. Well researched and annotated. Summary: It's 1972 and John Rain is 20 years old and fresh out of Nam working as a bagman for the CIA. When an exchange goes down badly and he kills a street thug who turns out to be a close relative of a Japanese Mafia leader, John must choose a course that changes his life forever. My thoughts: This is a stand-alone book that is a good starting point for anyone who has not ever read any of this series. It's also a good background book for readers who are already fans of John Rain and are curious about some of his penchants in life. We do see him begin to learn from his mistakes. The setting of Tokyo and its environs are fascinating...even if I did stumble through the pronunciation of some of the locations. It got only 3 stars because I felt it was so much repeat history of a character that I already knew when I was really looking forward to a new adventure with John. The last John Rain book to be written by Barry Eisler and the first in the series chronologically, Graveyard of Memories is a coming of age assassin story - how Rain became a killer for hire transitioning from a CIA bag man linked to the Lockheed Bribery Scandal in Japan to an almost demonic killing machine. The book is also a love story of sorts; assassin in training meets young woman in wheelchair. The action, tradecraft and violence is classic Eisler but the paraplegic sex breaks new ground in erotic thrillers. I reread the book in anticipation of Eisler's new thriller The God's Eye View and enjoyed how well the story was crafted. As Rain struggles to understand the motives and machinations of his CIA handler, McCraw, who rises above an archetypal Company man overseas, Rain also has to contend with Yakuza, a wily detective and his own conscience. This is a thrilling book and well worth the second read. The authenticity is compelling, the action exciting and the characters realistically written. The question is, are there any more John Rain stories left? I hope so. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesJohn Rain (8, prequel)
Fresh from the killing fields of Southeast Asia, Rain works as a bagman under the watchful eye of his CIA handler, delivering cash to corrupt elements of the Japanese government. But when a delivery goes violently wrong, Rain finds himself in the crosshairs of Japan's most powerful yakuza clan. To survive, Rain strikes a desperate deal with his handler: take out a high-profile target in the Japanese government in exchange for the intel he needs to eliminate his would-be executioners. As Rain plays cat and mouse with the yakuza and struggles to learn his new role as contract killer, he also becomes entangled with Sayaka, a tough, beautiful ethnic Korean woman confined to a wheelchair. But the demands of his dark work are at odds with the longings of his heart and with Sayaka's life in the balance, Rain will have to make a terrible choice. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Good start as to the development of Rain’s mindset as a ronin. A complication is a beautiful but handicapped Korean young woman who he falls in love with. You see the two sides of Rain, a ruthless and remorseless killer and someone with a compassionate heart.
These two sides of Rain are severely tested and resolved by the book’s end. At times I thought the story plodded but it may have provided context to those readers who did not read any of the other books of the Rain series.
Lots of action, lots of killing... Rain’s battle with a black belt who is trying to kill him is the most exciting part of the book. ( )