Rain Storm (Eisler)

I really enjoyed the first two John Rain novels (reviews here and here), so I had high expectations for Rain Storm, the third Barry Eisler book featuring John Rain. In this book, we find Rain in Macau, where he’s trying to kill an arms dealer on behalf of the CIA. Of course, the backstory is that Rain left Japan on the run and moved to Brazil, the better to live longer. His new identity is compromised, though, and so he takes on what he hopes will be one last job. Without giving away too many of the details, let’s just say that the best-laid plans gang aft agley.
Eisler does a superb job of setting locales here, perhaps more so than the preceding two books. The descriptions of Rio, Macau, and even suburban Virginia all gave me a strong and immediate feeling of being there, something that I didn’t get from the Tokyo scenes in this book. There’s less of the jazz-and-single-malt navel-gazing, which I found welcome (since I don’t drink and don’t know anything about jazz). This is not to say that there’s less introspection on Rain’s part; there’s more, and that’s one of the most charming features of the book. Despite what he does for a living, Rain is likable! This might seem odd, since assassins aren’t generally seen as sympathetic or likable in most contexts. However, like several of my friends with Special Forces experience (Todd and Ned immediately come to mind), once you get to know him, he’s a more sympathetic guy. Eisler gives Rain a great deal of emotional depth that I found quite resonant. Sure, the action scenes are great, and the weapons and gadgets are impressive. There are beautiful women, casinos, and all the other trappings we expect. What ultimately made this book work for me, though, were the scenes in which Rain evaluated who he was and what he wanted to be: a depth that’s missing from other thrillers.
I can’t wait for the next Rain book, due next summer. In the meantime, this one is highly recommended. (Bonus: don’t miss the FAQ at Eisler’s site). And, since I know he occasionally Googles for reviews: Barry, if you ever want to send Rain to south Louisiana or Ohio, let me know and I’ll hook you up!