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Summary: Anxiously Waiting For the Sequel
Review: Whether or not you love thrillers, you'll love this one. Rain Fall grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. The author takes you on an exciting ride through the streets of Tokyo, its whiskey bars, jazz clubs, and judo studios, and into the mind and world of the professional assissin, John Rain. And before its through, you find yourself, however mightily you resist, taken in by John Rain and anxiously waiting to follow him on the next journey.
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Summary: RAIN FALL's got it all!
Review: A friend suggested I buy RAIN FALL for a plane trip I had coming up. Stupid me--I bought it a week ahead of time and then couldn't stop reading and so had nothing to take with me! The books about a super-high tech assassin who lives in Tokyo. The guy gets involved in some intense political espionage and falls in love with a woman on the run. John Rain is a very interesting character--complicated and real, but the psychology never gets in the way of the story, which is an all-out thriller. I hope you like it as much as I did--it might even make a jazz fan out of me.
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Summary: Not your ordinary kung fu-type story
Review: 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.
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Summary: the Tokyo atmosphere is perfect
Review: RAIN FALL is a terrific debut about a Japanese-American hit man who works his profession under cover of being a "market-entry consultant" in Tokyo. The atmosphere of modern Tokyo shines in RAIN FALL. I lived in Japan for seven years and read this book on a recent trip back. Barry Eisler, who was based in Japan for many years, worked for the US Government and earned his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center in Tokyo. This is a rare book set in Tokyo that gets the details of setting and mannerisms correct. Too many Japan themed efforts are sloppy and just plain wrong. Your reviewer lived and worked for seven years in and around the exact places described in the novel. The book was read and this review written around the corner from one of the coffee shops described in the book. And another rare feat by Eisler ' a Japanese-translated version of RAIN FALL was published in Japan to rave reviews from the local media. John Rain is an efficient killer who will take on any assignment where the death needs to appear natural. But he's a killer-for-hire with particular rules of engagement ' he only accepts contracts to eliminate principal parties and he will not touch women or children. The plot starts quickly when Rain 's technologically fascinating killing of a Japanese Government official on a subway train goes wrong. There are other people who come from the shadows of the subway car suddenly interested in the contents of the corpse's suit pockets. As his fee is deposited into a secret account the next day, Rain steps up his caution. But he finds himself hanging out with a jazz pianist who just happens to be the daughter of the government official. And Rain's old CIA buddies from Viet Nam are mixed up with the dead man somehow and come after him. In great mystery tradition, he doesn't know who to trust and there seems to be no way out for Rain. Putnam Publishers says Eisler is at work on another novel featuring John Rain. If he gets the sophomore book to work as well as the debut, we have a major talent to look forward to.
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Summary: You'll fall for this wonderful debut!
Review: The story begins with John Rain, a highly paid hit man, tracking his prey through the byzantine streets and subways of Tokyo. His unknown paymasters have ordered the elimination of a highly-ranked member of the government bureaucracy. The high-tech hit man carries out his assignment with emotionless precision, daring, and inventiveness that can't help but draw the reader quickly in to this unusual man's world. That death, however, sets off a chain reaction that forces Rain to flee his comfortable, orderly world, and battle the ghosts of his past. He must fight not only to stay alive, but to earn the love of a beautiful and talented young artist - a woman who just happens to be the daughter of his recent target. For a first novel in particular, "Rain Fall" is written with a firm and confident hand. The story's intriguing plot moves forward at a driving pace, but the author still has the skill and foresight to include some rich characterizations, along with enough of the right kind of details to make his writing authentic and engrossing. There is much to recommend about this book, not the least its compelling protagonist. John Rain is a remarkable creation, a multifaceted killer with the soul of a poet. He is easily one of the most interesting characters to come along in some time. One can only hope that Eisler is already hard at work on his return. "Rain Fall" is a tremendous debut, the best to come out so far this year. Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink
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Summary: Highly satisfying thriller
Review: John Rain is an assassin living in Tokyo. Born of mixed Japanese-American parentage, he was trained by the Special Forces in the US and is a veteran of the Vietnam war. Now he is available for hire to see that certain individuals 'die of natural causes'. After killing a Japanese executive, he falls for his daughter, a jazz pianist. Unfortunately, his next assignment is killing the daughter. He has two days to decide to accept the assignment. Rain decides to utilize the time to find out who wants her dead and why.
John Rain is one of the most original creations I have encountered so far this year. He meets the criteria of a thriller hero with his special forces training and being a loner with a love interest. It is not, however, the world he is trying to save. Rain is truly ruthless. He kills without any remorse and frequently with his bare hands. Yet, he is quite a sympathetic character to the reader. Barry Eisler keeps his story moving swiftly to the inevitable but highly satisfying conclusion. I look forward to Rain's next episode.
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Summary: Noir on Steroids
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad for a quick read
Review: This novel is clever in that it portrays (fairly accurately, I think) what the author believes to be wrong with contemporary Japanese politics. The main character, John Rain, is a former CIA officer of half-Japanese descent that finds himself lost between two cultures - the United States and Japan. Still haunted by his experiences in Vietnam, Rain manages to finally get revenge and put some of his nightmares to rest while falling for a beautiful Japanese jazz pianist, who happens to be the daughter of the politician Rain kills in the opening chapters. Overall, this is not a bad book. It's not a great book either. But if you are looking for a quick read, this book is well written enough that it will keep you interested. Those of you familiar with Tokyo may find this book more interesting.
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Summary: An Action-Packed Read
Review: As a reader of Dennis Lehane, Steven Hunter, etc. I am always looking for a new author with a page-turning writing style and a new intelligent action-character. Author Barry Eisler is a new favorite now that I have finished his novel Rain Fall. Eisler creates mercenary hitman John Rain as his not-so-prototypical central character. Indeed, how John Rain deals with his friends and foes are very uncharacteristic of your everyday hero. Being half Japanese and half American John Rain finds himself drifting between cultures and between his haunted past and his secretive present as he pursues a computer disk in competition with both government agencies and the Tokyo underworld. Having lived in Japan Eisler deftly captures the incredible feel and subtle nuances of culture in modern Japan. I enjoyed his crisp writing style, the absorbing storyline and all of the fast-paced action. If you enjoy this genre take a shot at Rain Fall - you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: Great Book cant wait to read next one "Hard Rain"!
Review: I loved this book, stealth hit man kills people and makes it look like they died of natural causes. The cool bars and clubs of Toyko make this in interesting read. Great story that moves fast, I had a hard time putting this one down. I went to Eislers site and found out that Jet Li has bought the rights to the Rain series. That would be cool to see Jet Li play John Rain. We will just have to wait and see.
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