Killing Rain

Excellent entry in Eisler's series. I found it a bit less poetic and bit more action-oriented than the earlier books. He brings us some new locations with his usual descriptive excellence. I said it before but Eisler's research really does shine through in his books. Some lazy authors could take a hint from him and improve their authenticity.

One odd bit, I don't recall getting into any other character's head as much in the other books. In this book we are inside Delilah's head for some scenes away from Rain. I'm not sure that viewpoint was necessary, as the scenes could have been shown without any mind reading. That might have heightened the tension later too, not knowing what Delilah was really thinking and only judging by her show more actions.

I hope Eisler brings more poetic phrasing back in future novels. I wonder if his editor is taking a stronger hand, as that is the sort of thing authors love and editors hate. They worry too much about pacing, cliches, and the audience. While I greatly enjoyed this story it felt like Eisler was more restrained in his prose.

Definitely enjoyed his continued take on CIA politics and the war on terrorism. His thoughts on good guys pretending to be bad guys and where to draw the line or "are they still doing good" are satisfying, regardless of whether or not they are true. That is the sort of thing we'll only know 50 years from now, if ever.

If I didn't say it before, read these books in order. John Rain is an evolving character and the impact of those changes will have almost no meaning to you unless you start at the beginning. There was quite the bombshell at the end of this book and the continuation into the next book feels inevitable, as if the two might have been written as one longer book. Otherwise Eisler just has one heck of a hook in his arsenal.

I am uncertain that an assassin can ever be only the 'good sword' of the two swords talked about in the book. As bad as the character Manny was, Rain still needed to comfort his family. I did think it was odd that he thought a financial gift was necessary or even appropriate and that it was the total for the job. I mean, why does that make Rain feel the least bit better about what he did? Seems to me he would just focus on all the lives he saved from future acts by eliminating the "principal," to use his own phrase. show less

"Redemption Games" (formerly "Killing Rain" and "One Last Kill") is the fourth novel in Eisler's John Rain series. Rain is a Japanese-American professional assassin, who has lived in both countries and feels at home in both. Formerly of the Japanese Secret Service, he is now operating as a private contractor, often with a partner Dox. Sometimes he works with the CIA or Mossad. Sometimes he is at cross-purposes with these agencies. Although there have been many secret agent and assassin type novels over the years, the Rain series is among the best well-written and the first few novels were filled with an insider's view of Tokyo and the environs that really took the reader inside Japanese culture. These novels also contain numerous show more passages giving the readers informative tips about how to assess a dangerous situation, what to look for when you walk into a hotel, an airport lounge, a restaurant, how best to quickly dispose of enemy combatants.

This novel takes Rain to Manila, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. He is working with a partner, Dox, an ex-US Army sniper with a good-old boy manner, loud and abrasive, living large every minute, but who somehow, when he goes into sniper mode, disappears into the woodwork. Rain got a referral for this job through his Mossad contact and sometime-lover, the blonde bombshell Delilah and part of the story, particularly after the job goes sour, is whether he can trust her and whether he can ever let down his guard around her. Often, their goals are similar, but she has allegiances that he ultimately does not have.

Rain is not your typical assassin (as if you know what a typical assassin is like). He has morals and ethics and qualms about killing in front of children, but he is deadly as they come, preferring to work close up and there are few professionals in an agency that are of his caliber. "Killing isn't the hard part," he explains. "Getting close to the target, though, that takes some talent." As does making it look natural, his speciality. The hardest part, however, is living with it after.

There are few secret agent type novels (and, although, Rain isn't a secret agent, the stories are part of that genre) that are this well- written and this accessible. Rain isn't casual about what he does as Bond might be. Rather, everything he does has consequences, largely because he is operating on his own and anything he does might offend an agency, seal his death warrant, or screw up a personal relationship for him. The meat of this book is not just bang-bang, shoot-em-up, but Rain's paradoxical difficulties with dealing with what he does and who he can trust. And, it is a book (or series of books) that really stands out in this genre. show less

The fourth book to feature John Rain, freelance assassin. I love this series. Eisler knows his stuff and this book, as are the others, is full of details of place, as well of methods of killing and tricks of the espionage trade. It's the little insider details that move this series above many others in the suspense genre.

In this one, Rain, a Japanese American who has had plastic surgery to appear more Japanese, has been hired by the Israeli Mossad to arrange the death of an Israeli selling arms to anyone with the funds. Working with a former sniper buddy, Dox, Rain botches the assignment and while he tries to fix things, also finds himself now the Mossad's target.

The book builds on what's come before, but Eisler provides enough show more background that you can read this alone. However, it would give away some details that might spoil the earlier books, so I would read them in order. That will also make it clearer how much Rain has been changing emotionally over the series thus far as he finds himself becoming almost a social creature.

There isn't a lot of surprise or suspense in this. We know Rain will survive because the next book, The Last Assassin, is excerpted in the back of the paperback. But there is always some doubt about the survival rate of the people Rain starts to feel close to and whether or not he'll fully succeed in his mission. To make it easier to root for a man who kills for a living, his victims usually deserve it, though there are often other deaths that aren't so clearcut, for which self-defense could be argued. Still, a lot of questions about morality are brought up by this series, giving it an extra element that many thrillers don't have. show less

Rain is hired by the Mossad to eliminate an Israeli arms dealer operating in Manila. At the crucial moment, though, the target's young son appears on the scene, causing Rain to freeze. The arms merchant escapes and Rain's hesitation haunts him, his conscience plaguing him for the first time with self-doubt. I read the first John Rain book several years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed each book afterwards. The fist book, “Rain Fall” has been made into a movie that is out on DVD and it is not anywhere near as good as the books.

Better. A nice return to the form of earlier books with some interesting changes and additions (Thailand/Hong Kong, Dox/Delilah). The author's personal convictions still seem to bleed through in some of his characters (hatred of bureaucracy/government oversight, obsession with Israel, etc) but overall it seemed a little more toned down. I was ready to put away this series after this book since it's the last one I physically own but I still might come back to it. The ending leaves enough ambiguities and threads that I'm curious where everyone ends up and this book was a pleasant and quick enough read.

This book is fantastic. Just like the first 3 in the series were!

John Rain kicks butt. Doesn't take numbers, doesn't bother with authorities... just does what needs doing.

Book 3 in the series started Rain contemplating his choices, his lifestyle, his morality, and this book continues with that thread, plus now he's also meditating on religious meaning and what his "exit strategy" from the life of an assassin might be...

This is all a plus. It makes Rain a rounded character, almost "real". Any assassin can be written as a killer, but it's pleasantly different to have one written as a "normal" guy with issues and concerns and morals...

I'm going to be disappointed when this series ends.

Great pace, kept wanting to read more. Interesting characters and strong streak of humour in what could be a pretty morbid story.