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Loading... Hard Rain (original 2003; edition 2004)by Barry Eisler
Work InformationA Lonely Resurrection by Barry Eisler (2003)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I just can't get enough of these pulpy Japanese assassin turned good guy books. Even though they aren't exactly classic literature they're still fun and easy to read. I love the setting and all the little details, even if the writing isn't amazing. I look forward to devouring the next one and seeing how John Rain's semi-crusade against corrupt politicians continues to unfold. "A Lonely Resurrection" follows straight on from "A Clean Kill In Tokyo", John Rain is trying to lie low and retire from the killing business but is pulled back into that world by his friend and sometime protector, a police inspector on a crusade against corruption in Japan. "A Lonely Resurrection" was good solid entertainment all the way through. It spends a lot of time on (very) physical and vividly described combat, John Rain kills more people and with more ease than Jack Reacher normally manages and he seems to have much better sex with the women in his life. The plot provided a satisfying mix of feint and attack and betrayal that kept me guessing. Barry Eisler narrates his own book perfectly, getting the pace right and squeeting out all the drama without becoming melodramatic. One of the things I enjoyed most was the verbal love affair Barry Eisner has with Tokyo. He makes me hungry to go there. Read the description below of Tokyo by night and you'll see what I mean. There's something so alive about Tokyo at night; something so imbued with possibilities. Certainly the day time, with its zig-zagging schools of pedestrians and thundering trains and hustle and noise and traffic, is the more upbeat of the cities melodies, but the city also seems burdened by the quotidian clamor and almost relieved ,every evening, to be able to ease into the twilight and set aside the weight of the day. Night strips away the superfluity and the distractions. You move through Tokyo at night and you feel you're on the verge of discovering that thing you've always longed for- At night, you can hear the city breathe. It's clear that John Rain, killer and loner that he is, reluctantly and hesitantly, on a journey to discover the possibility of redemption or, perhaps, atonement in these books. He is developing as a character but his true nature is unlikely to change. He will always kill. The questions is, how will he direct his killing? For profit? For personal vengeance? Or for something bigger and more important than himself. I've booked myself a monthly John Rain entertainment spot until I've read the entire season. Go to Barry Eisler^s website to hear him read an extract from chapter one and to get more background on the places his stories take place in. This is a really great read. I highly recommend it. If you haven't read the first John Rain thriller, " A Clean Kill In Tokyo,," I advise you to open that up first. It gives a lot of background as to who Rain is, who Harry is, and who Midori is. This book picks up where the first leaves off. John Rain is an a former Vietnam War commando who grew up in both Japan and in the states. He is also a deadly assasin. The book details his life underground and the links from his past that lead him out into dangerous waters. There is spy stuff, political intrigue, judo, mixed martial arts, hostess clubs, and blackmail. It's John rain against the whole Tokyo underworld. As with the first Rain book, this one takes the reader on a journey into the depths of Tokyo, a place that I for the first time find fascinating. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesJohn Rain (2) Awards
Fiction.
Thriller.
HTML: In his critically acclaimed Rain Fall, Barry Eisler introduced half Japanese-half American freelance hit man John Rain, a "dashing and dangerous hero...as likable as he is lethal." Now Eisler's back. So is Rain, the master of death by "natural causes" whose new target threatens the fragile political balance of an entire country. .No library descriptions found. |
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All John Rain wants is to get out of the killing business. But with his discretion, his reliability, and his unique talent for death by "natural causes," no one is willing to let him just retire. So when an old nemesis from the Japanese national police force comes to him with a new job--eliminate Murakami, a killer even more fearsome than Rain himself--Rain knows he can't refuse.
Aided by an achingly desirable half Brazilian, half Japanese exotic dancer he knows he shouldn't trust, Rain pursues his quarry through underground no-holds-barred fight clubs, mobbed-up hostess bars, and finally into the heart of a shadow war between the CIA and the yakuza. It's a war Rain can't win, but also one he can't afford to lose--a war where the distinctions between friend and foe and truth and deceit are as murky as the rain-slicked streets of Tokyo.
"... a superlative job... entertaining and suspenseful enough to keep you turning the pages as fast as your eyes can follow."
--Chicago Sun Times
Includes a note from the author introducing the new edition. This is book #2 in the John Rain assassin series, though each entry is written as a standalone and you can read them in any order you like.