Product Description

If you had to kill three people to save your best friend's life, would you do it?

When John Rain decides to get out of the business, his hand is forced by rogue CIA operative Jim Hilger. Hilger kidnaps Dox, Rain's trusted partner and closest friend, and offers Rain a choice: carry out a final assignment, or bear the responsibility for Dox's murder.

For a professional like John Rain, the choice ought to be easy: Do the job-a series of three hits-then walk away. But how does Rain know Jim Hilger won't kill Dox anyway, once the assignment is complete? How does he know that each of the hits isn't simultaneously a setup for Rain himself? And what will he do when he finds out that among the targets of this lethal game of extortion is someone else Rain cares about deeply?

From the urban canyons of Silicon Valley and New York to the lush forests of Bali, the boulevards of Paris, and the old killing fields of Vietnam, Rain must grapple with his age, his enemies, and most of all, his conscience in a battle that not even Rain-"the stuff great characters are made of" (Entertainment Weekly)-can hope to survive intact.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158882 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-22
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In Eisler's predictable sixth thriller to star half Japanese, half American assassin John Rain (after 2006's The Last Assassin), Rain's longtime rival, rogue CIA agent Jim Hilger, kidnaps Rain's sniper friend Dox and threatens to kill Dox unless Rain murders three people Hilger wants dead. Despite his ambivalence about his chosen trade, Rain carries out the hits with little remorse. Rain's adventures take him to the usual glamorous locales—Paris, London, Amsterdam—while throughout he remains nostalgic for his Japanese heritage. In a subplot, Rain's Mossad agent lover, Delilah, enlists some Israeli colleagues in an attempt to foil a major terrorist plot. The revelation of why the three murder victims were selected comes as the book's one real surprise. 150,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Who says a cold-blooded contract killer cant have a superego and complex feelings? Scott Bricks performance of Japanese-American John Rain, the assassin hero of Eislers latest thriller, proves otherwise. Brick convinces listeners that Rain has had enough of murder for hire and just wants to settle down with his Mossad agent girlfriend. But when Rains friend Dox is taken hostage by a rogue CIA agent, Brick dons the icemans mantle as Rain coolly does what it takes to save Dox. Bricks pacing suits the supercharged tension of Eislers convoluted double and triple crosses, making every incredible situation credible, every sadistic goon and megalomaniac plausible, and every love scene hot enough to melt your CDs. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Pity John Rain. All the Japanese American contract killer wants to do is retire and live happily with his girlfriend, a beautiful Mossad agent. But little things keep getting in the way. For instance, his close friend and sometime partner, Dox, has been kidnapped. The abductor is Jim Hilger, a CIA agent whose schemes have been foiled by Rain a few times in the past, and who is now looking to use Dox's life as leverage to force Rain to commit a series of assassinations. But Rain is nobody's fool: he knows he can't trust Hilger to live up to his end of the deal, and there's only one way to make sure Dox stays healthy. Readers may wonder how many stories there are to tell about a hit man who wants to get out of the life, but so far Eisler hasn't run out of believable scenarios. This one is as good as its five forerunners, and here's hoping the author has a few more stories to tell. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Addition to the Series
The gritty realism, the much-needed paranoia, the driving narrative, and all the other hallmarks of this series are here. John Rain continues to be one of the most interesting heroes around. As always, Eisler laces his prose with geographic and gastronomic details. Most of the fans of the series like the action scenes, which are always good. But Rain's moral struggles are also a fascinating aspect of the books.

Great new book in Rain series
This book builds on the work started several books ago. His characters, John Rain, Delilah and Dox are all getting quite well rounded and the relationships becoming more solid. I won't try to describe the plot, don't want to give anything away, but whether it's your first time reading about these characters, or you are already familiar with them, this is an excellent read.

Nice continuation of the Rain saga
This series has developed well and it is fun to have John Rain back in action. The author has made this adventure more of a team effort, John isn't entirely by himself, but he still has the paranoia and confident combat skills we've come to know and love.

The character is getting older all the time, and running out of new continents to run off to. But here's hoping Eisler brings him back for several more repeat engagements.