Killing Rain

The outstanding feature of this book is that from the first sentence, listening to this book was a great pleasure. If I buy a book I finish it whether the book is effortless or laborious, a pleasure or a pain. This book was a real pleasure, a book you can't put down, not simply because it is full of action, or because the story is interesting, or because the characters were well developed and true to life, but for all of these reasons and many more. This book was simply a joy to read. I have relatives who are probably not spies, but they work in the American intelligence community and because of my conversations with them I?m fairly certain the author?s background working in the CIA has added greatly to the accuracy of his fiction. His descriptions of the orient also are very accurate and reading this book brought back many pleasant memories of Bangkok. He captures the true flavor of the city where the smell of garbage is overpowered by the sweet smell of flowers or the enticing aroma of wonderful food that pervades the city. Bangkok has always reminded me of Dickens's opening line in A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it the worst of times ...", but reminiscence of the pleasures of Bangkok, the exotic places, the happy people, and the wonderful food, overpowers my memories of the worst aspects of Bangkok. The author captures this dichotomy as I remember it. You will not regret buying this book. I give it my highest rating, without qualification or reservation. The narrater is also outstanding.

This is the second book of Easler that i read (listened) with John Rain as a hero. Enjoyed every minute of it and hope Audible will continue to acquire his books.

Honestly I can't believe the good reviews of this book.

First, I strongly dislike this narrator. He sounds like he was chosen for having a deep radio voice -- not for talent as a narrator. I found his delivery to be wooden and stilted.

More importantly, the story was just boring and written at a fifth grade level. I had to force myself to finish it... Maybe I'm spoiled, because before this one I listened to In the Woods. Fantastic book, and supremely well-written.

The character that was developed in the first two John Rain novels has completely disappeared from view. Brian Nishii, the narrator in the first two books, brought John Rain alive.This narrator simply does not become John Rain. McConnohie is simply some guy reading a book out loud. The story is pretty good but cannot overcome the narrator.

Based on the reviews here I had very high hopes for this book. It is good, but not 5-star great. There are times when the dialogue and detail get boring and unrealistic. A little rough around the edges. If you like this book, check out "Avenger" by Forsyth.

Excellent "read". Great character development and a fast paced book, with several twists, turns and surprises to keep the reader hooked. John Rain is a somewhat inagmatic hero, but it works!

Definitely worth the listen. I hope his other book comes available soon, I will be one of the first to download!!!

The "Rain" series are gritty, action packed, hard edged, well researched, and great fun for those that love thrillers that feel real and that are not sugar coated. The character is someone you love and hate. You love him for his skill, abilities, courage, and his sutle pleasures, and his simple code. You hate him for his ruthlessness, his cold heart, and his ease with killing. The ride however if exhilarating and satisfying.

I typically use the audible books as a means of overcoming the boredom of a long traffic commute in Atlanta. This book had me almost pulling over to the side of the road to listen more intently. It is very captivating and enthralling. I will definitely buy the next Eisler book that comes out in audible format.

Barry Eisler really nailed it with this delightfully "noir" series. Its a combination of background moods - the existentialism, the urban loneliness, the always lurking danger, the moral question, the women, the single malt, the jazz. It all works. he contrives a good plot and keeps torquing it tighter. I first read the series from a random discovery in the library. Then when "The Detachment" was released on Audible, I decided to revisit them all in audio. My one disappointment has to do with the use of several different narrators. You'd like some continuity, as you go from book to book. But each one is good in their own right. Barry himself narrates the last book and does an excellent job as well, even uttering the random Japanese phrases with perfect accent.

While the narrator did a solid job, the story was simplistic. While you can distinquish the different voices this narrator needs to work on female voices.

In general not a bad book but not to exciting for an action spy novel.