Rating: 
Summary: Terrific Follow-Up to Rain Fall
Review:
I really enjoyed author Barry Eisler's first novel Rain Fall and wondered he could deliver and second novel as good as his first. And deliver he did. I thought Hard Rain was as good if not better than Rain Fall. Excellent complex plot with the requisite twists and double-dealings. Great, great heavy action sequences. But those are not the hooks that keep you riveted to the book. It's protagonist John Rain himself that keeps you so enthralled. John Rain is that enigmatic hitman who lives as a shadow figure blending inconspicuously into Japanese society until his specialized services are upon by both government agencies and underworld enterprises alike. John Rain, who has both the technical skills to make his hits look like natural causes and the martial arts skills to brutally vanquish rivals in a dojo. Throughout this novel Eisler has you racing and breathing that exotic and alluring Japanese atmosphere. Hard Rain is a very polished and provocative action novel. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good
Review: As good as original. If you liked the first one do not miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Lean, Mean Continuation of John Rain Saga
Review: Barry Eisler's "Hard Rain" picks up where his first novel, "Rain Fall," left off. Japanese-American assassin John Rain is still "at work" in Japan, carrying out assassinations with his rare talent for creating the appearance of death by accidental causes.
But Rain's life is precarious. Despite his earnest work at remaining anonymous in one of the world's most crowded areas, Rain has forged some connections with real people . . . connections that may get Rain (or the connections!) killed. First there is Tatsu, the crusading cop who's sole purpose is to bring down Yamaoto, the man pulling all the strings in the corrupt Japanese political culture. Yamaoto, burned by Rain in "Rain Fall," is another connection - Rain knows that Yamaoto is out for revenge. Another connection is Harry, computer hacker extraordinaire and Rain's some-time apprentice. And of course, there is the beautiful jazz musician Midori, who believes that the reports of Rain's demise in "Rain Fall" have been greatly exaggerated.
Working with Tatsu, Rain learns that another assassin has adopted a cruder version of Rain's modus operandi - he creates the appearance of an "accidental" death by throwing people off tall buildings to create the appearance of a suicide. And Rain soon learns that this assassin is the kind of guy even Rain has to worry about -- he rose to notoriety in the underworld fight clubs taking on men and fighting dogs with his bare hands.
Delving deeper and deeper into the corrupt Japanese political scene, Rain gets several opportunities to practice his unique craft, and Eisler writes action scenes with an economic clarity that is very compelling. Equally thrilling are his descriptions of Tokyo (and a good single-malt) -- Eisler is definitely emerging as a writer of noteworthy style as well as one who can create an interesting character.
Not for the squeamish (there's a pretty high body count here), "Hard Rain" is an excellent follow-up to the audacious "Rain Fall," and John Rain continues to be an anti-hero worth your time. Check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Eisler Rocks!
Review: Boy,can this guy create a cool character! I liked his first book better,this one is a bit darker and slower, yet can't wait for more!
Keep them coming Barry!
Rating:
Summary: Rain's Return Delivers a Knockout!
Review: Hard Rain is one of the best sequels I've read. In this gripping installment, author Barry Eisler has stepped into a league with the great action-story authors of our time. Assassin-protagonist John Rain is a character study in multiculturalism, psychology, and ideology who provides a rich structure from which to tell this story of corruption and redemption.But Hard Rain is much more than an action-suspense story. Through John Rain's eyes, Eisler gives us a look at modern Japanese society, with a harsh commentary on the systemic maladies that have crippled the country for over a decade. Eisler's literary prowess weaves an obvious love for Japan's culture, society, and history, with a bitter rebuke of a bureaucracy more interested in self-aggrandizement than in serving the people who support it. Hard Rain has something for just about everyone to love. Action, intrigue, mystery, passion, introspection, and political commentary are woven masterfully into a story that just keeps getting better. I highly recommend Hard Rain, and anxiously await Rain's next move! Read it and I know you'll agree!!!
Rating: 
Summary: I must be missing something
Review: I found this book to be average at best. While the plot and characters are thought out fairly well, I found myself yawning and my mind wandering through much of the book. Eisler has a ways to go before he can measure up to the likes of Robert Ludlum or Dan Brown.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel Even Better Than First Book
Review: I loved Rain Fall, Barry Eisler's first book. Being a great fan of thrillers, having lived in Japan for a number of years and also having been a martial arts practitioner for a long time, the book appealed to me on a number of levels. Its conflicted hero (John Rain), its complicated yet plausible plot, its vivid -- and often beautiful -- descriptions of Tokyo, and its action scenes all made for a wonderful ride. So I was excited to find Hard Rain, the follow-up to Rain Fall, an even better read than the first. Hard Rain opens with John Rain still in Tokyo, contemplating relocation to avoid payback for his elimination of the CIA's Tokyo Station chief. But cop friend Tatsu persuades him to do one more job before he leaves for friendlier climes. The job turns out to be more complicated than expected, and soon Rain must worry about both the yakuza and the CIA. A pretty simple storyline, right? Wrong. The plot gets increasingly intricate as the story moves along, with Eisler juggling a number of bad guys (one of them is particularly nasty -- someone you just would not want to meet up with under any circumstances), several questionable characters and multiple love interests. Well, actually, everyone is a questionable character to John Rain. This is one paranoid guy, and rightfully so. Nearly everyone he meets is a potential attacker, and he can't go anywhere or do anything without taking extensive precautions. Just going around the corner to the market requires a "surveillance detection run" to determine whether anyone might be following him (Lord help them if they are). In addition to the fact that Rain is a hitman with rules (he has a conscience, albeit a very twisted one), it's this paranoid life on the run that makes him such an interesting character. He's a very lonely guy, and his loneliness, along with the ghosts of his past and present, weigh very heavily on him. And Eisler shows him wrestling with his demons in subtle, yet powerful ways. In one scene, Rain sits in the dark, making excuses to himself for his bloody career, and it's hard not to feel sorry for the guy. Just in case you're now thinking that Hard Rain lacks action, let me say that the book has some of the most original and unusual action sequences I've read in a long time. The fight scenes are intense, realistic, and well thought out (which is not surprising given Eisler's own martial arts experience and research) and amazingly don't detract from the book's moody atmosphere. Hard Rain puts most thrillers to shame, and I'll definitely be among the first to buy the next installment in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic Assassin in Real Tokyo
Review: I loved this book for several reasons. First of all, it told and interesting story of a killer for hire, trying to make things good. It was violent and action-packed. The characters were trecherous. But, most of all, it described Tokyo and Japan to a tee! Having lived and studied in Japan and in Tokyo, reliving my experiences through the pages of Hard Rain was awesome. Having actually seen Roppongi, ridden the Ginza line to Asakusa to the temple grounds there, walked the streets of Old Tokyo, walked around Shibuya, Hiro, Meguro and Azabu Juban, brought the action closer to home. I hope that you enjoy this novel as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Thriller Set In Japan
Review: In HARD RAIN we get the strong impression that the life of an assassin would be a very harrowing existence. The mental strain that it would place on you would be enormous, but there are other considerations that would have to be dealt with. You need to remain anonymous; your movements must be undetected; you must remain unobserved; you must be aware of your enemies and the possibility that you will be tailed. Personal relationships are another difficult area because of the possible weakness in your defenses they might expose. It's a lonely, harrowing existence and that's exactly the way John Rain lives.
John Rain is an assassin living in Japan who has a special talent for killing people in such a way that it looks as though they died of natural causes. He was introduced in RAIN FALL and this is the second book in the series featuring this most unusual protagonist. The story opens with Rain about to close the deal on his latest contract, a steroid enhanced enforcer from the Yakuza (the Japanese mafia). This opening job establishes two aspects that will be reinforced throughout the book. First, Rain is incredibly effective at what he does and second, his preparation before taking action is exhaustive.
After the initial excitement and action that comes with killing a man face to face, the mood quickly settles down to one that is more sedate. The background of John Rain is explained including how he came to be an assassin and the careful daily routines he must go through to ensure his own life is not in danger. It's during this down time that Rain is approached by his contact, a Japanese FBI agent named Tatsu, with details of another job he wants done.
The next job is the main focus of the book. The man to be killed is another mafia killer, a man who is feared for both his sadistic ruthlessness and for his innate instinct for survival. This particular job will pose an incredible challenge for Rain, so much so that he strongly doubts he wants the job. But then it becomes personal and he throws himself completely into preparing to take down the Yakuza heavyweight.
One of the strongest features of the book outside the tension of the assassination attempt was the way in which Japan was depicted. The settings, the customs and history were all integrated into the storyline in a way that was both informative and interesting. Where possible Barry Eisler gave us the Japanese terms and then followed them with the English translations. When John Rain visited a place of interest he included relevant background and he describes customary behavior whenever traditional Japanese methods were used, for example, when dining or when visiting a sento, a public bath. It's obvious that Eisler has spent a lot of time in Japan and has introduced me to a setting that I rarely read about.
As a sequel to the outstanding RAIN FALL, this book excels in the development of the John Rain character. We get a real sense of the loneliness and self-doubt that surges through him, even when on the outside he appears bullet-proof. We understand more fully his thoughts, fears and regrets and also his limits. It's not quite as fast paced as the first book in the series, settling into a more brooding, predatory mood as it carefully hunts us to the moving finale.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This author has such great reviews from the Amazon reviewers, which I can usually trust, but I found myself starting to skip pages about a third of the way through -- so it just must be me. It seemed to me a great portion of the book dealt with the descriptions of John Rain performing his SDR's (surveillance detection runs)through the streets of Osaka and Tokyo. I felt like I was reading a travel book. The action scenes just didn't make up for having to slog through his scenic narratives.
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