Rain Fall [Paperback]

Barry Eisler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2003

Meet John Rain. Assassin. He follows his own code - he needs no one, trusts no one - until betrayal transforms him from hunter into hunted and loner into loyal friend. Haunted by the past Rain kills to order and leaves no trace, but the death at his hand of an old man has unforeseen complications - and soon Rain is trying to protect not just his carefully preserved anonymity but his own life and those of the people he cares for. A stunning, page-turning reinvention of the hitman thriller, "Rain Fall" marks the introduction of a compelling new series character and major new thriller writing career.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Rain, a Japanese American konketsu, or half-breed, learned his lethal trade as a member of the U.S. Special Forces. Although tortured by memories of atrocities he committed in Vietnam, he has become a paid assassin, a solitary man who lives in the shadows and trusts no one, even those who pay extraordinary sums for his ability to make murder look like natural death. But the aftermath of an otherwise routine hit on a government bureaucrat brings Rain to the attention of two men he knows from the old days in Vietnam: a friend who's now a Tokyo cop and an enemy who betrayed Rain long ago and is now the CIA's station chief in Japan. Like the gangster who hired Rain to kill Yasuhiro Kawamura, they want something the dead man had--a computer disk containing proof of high-level corruption, information that could destroy Japan's ruling political coalition. The search for the disk leads them to a woman Rain has come to love, a talented young jazz musician who also happens to be Kawamura's daughter. In this taut, brilliantly paced debut thriller, set in a vividly rendered Tokyo, the author manages an unlikely feat; he earns the reader's sympathy and concern for his protagonist, an amoral assassin who is one of most compelling characters in recent crime fiction. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Set in a memorable noir version of Tokyo (jazz clubs, whiskey bars, "love hotels"), Eisler's rich and atmospheric debut thriller winds its way around the city's extensive rail system and its upscale Western boutiques Mulberry, Paul Stuart, Nicole Farhi London, Le Ciel Bleu, J.M. Weston. The author an American lawyer who has lived and worked in Japan brings to life a complex and most interesting hero: John Rain, a hard and resourceful man in his 40s with an American mother, a Japanese father, a childhood spent in both countries and a stretch with Special Operations in Vietnam that literally made him what he is today a highly paid freelance assassin. The book begins with Rain arranging the death (on the subway) of a prominent government figure by short-circuiting his pacemaker and making it look like the man died of a heart attack. But Rain's relatively simple life suddenly becomes very complicated when he finds himself involved both romantically and professionally with the dead man's lovely daughter, Midori, a talented jazz pianist. Formidable adversaries a nasty CIA agent from John's Vietnam days; a right-wing guru who uses Shinto priests as spies and yakuza gangsters as enforcers; a tireless old cop seem intent on exposing Rain and eliminating Midori. There are several excellent action scenes, an amusing and touching young computer nerd who is Rain's only reliable ally and, most of all, an intriguing and intimate evocation of Japan's intense love-hate relationship with America.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (June 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014101010X
• ISBN-13: 978-0141010106
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler's bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous "Best Of" lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. The first book in Eisler's assassin John Rain series, Rain Fall, is now a minor motion picture (kidding, it's reasonably major) starring Gary Oldman. To learn more, please visit www.barryeisler.com. Or Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Noir on Steroids, February 23, 2004

By 

J. A. KONRATH "Thriller Author" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rain Fall (Mass Market Paperback)

Rain Fall gives the thriller novel a much-needed shot of adrenalin. Eisler's hero, a half Japanese/half American assassin named John Rain, is one of the most compelling series characters in recent fiction. Moral but heartless, a man with a terrible past and no certain future, Rain wrestles with two cultures and personal demons in a first-person, noir-on-steroids narrative.

With Rain Fall, Eisler proves himself a worthy heir to the killer-for-hire sub-genre created by Andrew Vachss, Trevanian, David Morrell, and Eric Van Lustbader.

The book is set in a modern Japan filled with smokey whiskey bars, corrupt politicians, insane gangsters, beautiful jazz singers, plot twists and martial arts. I read it in one sitting. Then I immediately read the sequel, Hard Rain, which is even better.

Rain Fall was named Best Novel of 2002 by Publisher's Weekly, and it's easy to see why. If you like your thrillers tough, honest, and fast-paced, check this series out.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your ordinary kung fu-type story, March 25, 2004

By 

H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rain Fall (Mass Market Paperback)

I am happy to say I enjoyed both RAIN FALL and HARD RAIN by Barry Eisler, though I recommend starting with RAIN FALL. Much of what happened in the first book is alluded to in the second, and this could cause some confusion. If there is such a person as a likeable assassin, then John Rain is the man. He is caught between two cultures (John's father was Japanese and his mother American) and not really a part of either. More of his background is given in HARD RAIN, so this man-caught-in-the-middle character makes a lot of sense when you put together the fragments of his life. Still, Rain is definitely a man of action and the action comes fast and furious in both of these page turners. Even when you know there will be the inevitable showdown between Rain and the bad guy (or one of the good guys who may or not really be one of the bad guys), the plotting is so tense you wonder if he'll survive to make it into another novel by Eisler. It's nice of the author to translate the Japanese his characters speak for the reader and to explain all of the deadly Judo moves they make when fighting. I'm anxiously awaiting the third book in the series.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar Debut!, September 24, 2003

By 

therosen "therosen" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rain Fall (Mass Market Paperback)

Eisler hits the ball out of the park with his debut. It's a spy thriller set in Modern Tokyo, capturing the ambiance of the neo-future Metropolis sprouting above and ancient culture.

There are three main selling points for the book. First is the main character. John Rain is part James Bond, part Trevanian's Nicolai Hel, and part Blade Runner. He's both complex and interesting. His "voice" comes off as an old friend with a shady path.

The second stellar point is the ability of Eisler to capture Tokyo. It's a Tokyo that many expats will recongize. The places, style and feel of the city are brought to life with excellent prose. I truly felt like I was back in Roppongi and Shinjuku. The flashbacks really brought me back to a great place.

Lastly, the book has a gripping "can't put it down" quality. Expect to read the book in one sitting. Don't start it unless you have time to finish it. You'll find yourself looking at the clock at 3am thinking, "Where did the time go?"

Well done on an outstanding novel!