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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Japanese-American assassin John Rain would like to get out of the killing business in his fifth action-filled outing (after 2005's Killing Rain), see the son he's only just learned of and perhaps try to reconnect with Midori, the child's mother. But first there's the little matter of the Japanese gangster Yamaoto and Yamaoto's Chinese triad allies, who are watching over Rain's son in New York City, not to mention Delilah, the beautiful Mossad agent who shares Rain's occupation and his bed. Seizing the initiative, Rain enlists the aid of his super-sniper friend, Dox, in a campaign to remove Yamaoto. Rain and allies clash with their many powerful foes in combat scenes full of lovingly detailed descriptions of knives, guns and other martial paraphernalia. Amid the threats to life, limb and loved ones, Rain finds time to enjoy good food, better whiskey and even better sex. While most of the action takes place in Japan, Eisler handles all the story's locales, including Manhattan and Barcelona, with considerable aplomb.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
The fifth John Rain novel is the first not to feature the Japanese American contract killer's name in the title. Is this a sign that Eisler is taking the series in a new direction, or perhaps, given the seeming finality of the title, ending it altogether? The book begins with momentous news: Rain is a father, his brief liaison with Midori, the daughter of a man Rain killed, having produced a son. Now Rain sees his best chance of getting out of the killing game. But can he protect mother and child from his enemies, who are trying to use them as leverage to get Rain? And can he extricate himself safely from his relationship with Delilah, the beautiful Israeli assassin? This has been a consistently fine series, and its latest installment is no exception. Rain, the killer who wishes he could stop killing, is an engaging protagonist, and the author's depiction of the world of the assassin is vivid and well imagined. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE COOLEST ASSASSIN - AND THIS TIME IT IS PERSONAL!,
By NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Last Assassin (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been following Barry Eisler's books ever since Rain Fall. There have been some ups and downs but with every Jack Rain novel one receives a huge entertainment check that so far never bounced. This half American-half Japanese is a ghost of international assassins, a martial-arts expert, able to kill anyone - and make his death appear natural if needed.The prose is flowing, the imagery detailed and the rhythm takes the reader on roller-coaster ride he does not want to end. Second only to the first novel of the series, the LAST ASSASSIN is one the best. Rain is trying to save his son and secure their future from his mortal enemy while trying to untangle a dangerous love triangle at the same time. My only gripes are that, the endgame is somewhat anticlimactic. I am not going to ruin it for everyone but I could do without the last twist if it meant for his archenemy to meet a more deserving fate . Moreover, contrary to his myth, Rain is rather reacting than taking the initiative in this one. As a result, his loyal wise-cracking sidekick, Dox, at times appears more competent than him. Then again, he does not have to decide between Delilah and the mother of his child while taking on both the Yakuza and the Triads! All in all, a GREAT novel. I cannot think of anyone not enjoying it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
ACTION PACKED, RICH IN LOCAL COLOR, EISLER IN TOP FORM,
By
This review is from: Last Assassin (Hardcover)
In 2002 Barry Eisler's first book in the amazing John Rain series, "Rain Fall," was a phenomenon. The author had performed the intriguing task of creating a hero who was a contract killer yet gave readers cause to root for him all the way. Rain is clever, complicated, compelling, and appealing.In my review of that book I wrote, "Few fictional characters burst upon the scene fully realized, more than ready to take their place in the pantheon of unforgettable protagonists. Add one to that meager list with the creation of John Rain in Barry Eisler's dynamite debut "Rain Fall." In fact, Rain, an accomplished assassin doesn't just burst upon the scene, he steamrollers on to it." The same held true in Eisler's following titles, "Hard Rain" (2003), "Rain Storm" (2004), "Killing Rain" (2005), and it more than holds true today with the stellar "The Last Assassin." Realism is one of this author's many attributes and it shines with his latest as he evokes the steamy street and haunts of Tokyo as well as the sparkling city of Barcelona. His fight scenes raise goose bumps and his love scenes are....well, read for yourself. Readers may recall that Rain is the he son of an American mother and a Japanese father. He served with Special Operations in Vietnam and now, for years, has led a life of scrupulously guarded anonymity aided by one other person - Dox, an extremely likable ex Marine sniper who has an eye for the ladies and the eye of an eagle when his finger's on the trigger. He covers this skill with a country drawl, a wide grin, and an unstoppable sense of humor. Dox is the man who walked away from a five million dollar payday" to save Rain's life. He's there in an instant when Rain needs help, and the once self-sufficient assassin needs a great deal of help now. After learning that his former lover, Midori, a beautiful jazz pianist, is living with their son in New York City, Rain has hopes of reconciliation. At the very least he wants to see his son, Koichero. However, he well remembers that she swore hatred after learning that he had killed her father, a Japanese politician. In addition, Rain's arch enemy, Yamaoto, wants him dead. This is a man who will stop at nothing to kill Rain, and that includes using Midori and Koichero as bait. Rain knows they are being watched, killers are waiting for him to appear. Yet, he calls Dox to meet him in New York and takes the chance. After seeing them he yearns to change, to be able to establish a life with them, but that becomes impossible when he's forced to kill one of the men watching Midori. Rain and Dox manage to dispose of the body but that's just the beginning as Rain realizes he must kill all of his enemies, including Yamaoto in order to be free. He's aided in this by his former enemy, Tatsu, who is now a Japanese FBI agent, and wants to bring down Yamaoto almost as much as Rain does. In order for their plan to work as it should they need one more person - it is, of course, Delilah, the beautiful Israeli intelligence agent with whom Rain has been having an off and on affair. Once again Eisler has crafted an intense, can't-put-down read rich with a winning supporting cast and gasp inducing action. Just when you think this author can't get any better, he does. - Gail Cooke
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (68 customer reviews) 37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rain in the Heart,
By Colin P. Lindsey - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Last Assassin (Hardcover)
This is an excellent action-adventure novel that rips you from Barcelona to New York to Japan and back again, while the protagonist must contend with the Japaneze Yakuza, Chinese triads, the anger and bitterness of an ex-love, the jealousy of his current flame, and most difficult of all, the unaswerable questions in his own heart caused by the revelation that he has an infant son in New York. This is the fifth in Eisler's wonderful series featuring John Rain, the half-American half-Japanese professional assassin. This novel ties up some of the loose ends created in the first four outings and once again delivers a dose of the most convincing and lethal action scenes to be found between book covers.If you are an action fan, but also like clear, entertaining, and super-intelligent prose, then this series is about as good it gets. The author obviously does his homework and studies close quarters combat (CQC) in detail in order to write believable, harrowing, and shocking combat scenes that are absolutely thrilling and riveting. Guns, knives, explosives, fists, feet and the everyday objects of life are used to write incredibly detailed and smart fight scenes. John Rain is perhaps as lethal a man as there is in literature, but he is also an intensely believable character because he is rational, intelligent, and above all else cautious and paranoid in amounts I have never seen before. Rain would spend hours doubling back on his trail and using tradecraft to insure there is no one on his tail simply to get out and get a whiskey. A man truly fond of single malt scotch and good jazz music, but who also flies to Barcelona five days ahead of his scheduled rendevous with his amour in order to scope out all the alleys and exits and ensure there are no enemies there first. While absolutely lethal in close quarters combat, Rain prefers to assassinate people by staging heart attacks or accidents for them so that no one even suspects they've been assassinated. When he does have to resort to using his fighting skills it is generally because he has made a mistake, one that makes him furious with himself. With his troubled and unsure heart, wondering what role he should have as a father for a son he was unaware of, Rain does make a few mistakes in this novel and he and his faithful friend Dox are suddenly plunged into a vicious war with Japanese and Chinese thugs. This book is a rocket-ride, so intelligently crafted, with such incredible actions scenes and fiercely believable characters, that it's both a joy to read and super fun at the same time. When you finish you're left wondering: why doesn't everyone write like this? 15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rain's matters of the heart begin to overwhelm thrills of series,
By Scott Schiefelbein - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Last Assassin (Hardcover)
Barry Eisler's John Rain series used to be on a par with Lee Child's Jack Reacher series - both featured hard-boiled anti-heroes, shocking plots, exotic locales, fearsome villains, and some of the best action scenes out there. And Rain had the advantage over Reacher in that he got to travel the globe and use the CIA as a supplier of lethal weaponry. Perhaps that, along with Rain's appreciation for good whisky, gave Rain the edge.But then, "The Last Assassin" came along, and suddenly Eisler's run of well-written, well-plotted thrillers came to a screeching halt. Where Child is comfortable with keeping Reacher more or less self-contained emotionally (and therefore occasionally unlikable), Eisler couldn't resist the temptation to make John Rain come to terms with his emotional side. True, he does so in a natural way - Rain has to comes to terms with fatherhood - but the emotional quagmire that results is a jarring flat note in this otherwise brilliant series. When Barry Eisler writes about ops, he's as good as it gets. Rain is a master strategist and tactician, and Eisler's words flow smoothly when reconning an op site or describing gruesome hand-to-hand combat. He's also pretty good at writing a sex-ridden romp, particularly when the Israeli agent Delilah is involved. But when Eisler's writing about love, well, let's just say the cliches start flying and Rain is less an assassin than a frustrated teenager. And that's disappointing. Rain actually says at one point, "I can change!" Yup - Oscar Wilde would be so proud . . . The focus on love also renders Eisler's other characters more or less stereotypical supporting characters. Midori is the unattainable object of Rain's affection. Delilah is no longer an Israeli operative, she's the jilted lover, which isn't so interesting. And Dox spends more time as the drinking buddy sidekick than he does as the superlethal sniper we want to read about. Only when Eisler focuses his story on the villain of the piece, the corrupt Japanese politician/warlord Yamaoto, does Eisler keep his focus . . . namely because Yamaoto doesn't care a rip about Rain's love life unless he can use it to hurt Rain. Fans of the Rain series will read "The Last Assassin" no matter what this reviewer says. Here's to hoping that Eisler has gotten the Emotional Rain out of his system, and will take this series back to its exotic, lethal, enjoyable roots. 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hopefully, not the LAST John Rain book!,
By Dragon Lady "Claire" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Last Assassin (Hardcover)
I have simply devoured all the John Rain books. THE LAST ASSASSIN arrived in the mail yesterday; as always, I couldn't put it down and finished it tonight, disappointed I'd reached the end.John Rain is an assassin you get attached to, and even begin to understand. Another reviewer is apparently disappointed in the way Rain has evolved over the course of five books. However, the changes are simply evidence of Rain's maturing process. A couple of books ago, Rain met a woman, unwillingly fell in love, and now finds out he has a son. The emotional impact of these developments have forced him to start wondering if it's even possible to live a different kind of life, out of the "business" he's worked at for so many years. But in order to leave that life and ensure his son's safety, many obstacles must be removed in the only way Rain knows. Barry Eisler is a gifted writer who has created wonderfully believable characters and scrupulously researched stories. The locales he describes are so easy to visualize, I almost feel like I'm there while I'm reading. And his knowledge of spycraft is fascinating. He's made a cruelly efficient, paid assassin actually likable, a man the reader can relate to, despite the viciousness of his world. Although each John Rain novel can be read as a stand-alone story, I do recommend starting with the first, RAIN FALL, and following with HARD RAIN, RAIN STORM, and KILLING RAIN. Each story is edge-of-the-seat reading, and seeing the evolution of John Rain from the beginning is very satisfying. I'm just hoping that the title, THE LAST ASSASSIN, isn't Barry Eisler's way of telling us he's taken John Rain as far as he can. |
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