A Clean Kill in Tokyo (John Rain 1): Barry Eisler

A Clean Kill in Tokyo (John Rain 1)
Barry Eisler
363pp


John Rain is back in Tokyo. He has a lot to do... a lot of killing to do.

Rain is a vietnam vet, half Japanese, half American, who straddles the lines of both countries and helps each. Help them with what? Usually with the assassination of the deserving. However, once in a while he finds that the person he is contracted to kill is not as deserving as presented, and in that case, he's coming back for you, and a police badge or CIA credentials won't keep you safe.

Here, Rain falls in love with the perfect woman for him, a jazz musician with a quick wit and a beautiful smile, but, will his past come back to haunt him and ruin his chance to escape to a normal life?

I am always reluctant to pick up anything new that I can't easily justify as educational in some way or another... however, that reluctance doesn't stop me.

Compounding that was the kindness of a friend giving me some old books, including a few by Barry Eisler... and I love free books!

And so, I begin my relationship with John Rain.

I have read Jack Reacher from time to time and this is certainly in that vein of storytelling, and I have named these kinds of books "Youtube fight books".

Let me attempt to explain:

If you ever come across a fight video on youtube (not something I recommend, but I think many of us have clicked a link of a story about someone being attacked on a bus or the likes) the "success" of many of these videos is dependent not on what happens, but on what is said and what the video is called. Seldom will you find such a video named, "two guys fight each other about a small disagreement'. Too boring, nobody would click, but maybe more importantly, nobody would share. More often you find the video names something like "Dude gets whats coming for hitting a woman", or "This is what happens when you steal", and as often as not the person recording the fight will add a commentary along those same lines.

How much of what's on youtube is real? I don't know and I assume sometimes somebody gets punched for hitting somebody's sister. However, people these days also seem wise to the fact that "Bully gets what he deserves" tends to go viral and I think part of that is that these simple ideas work as an excuse for us to watch something we shouldn't.

So, what does that have to do with books?

I enjoy Reacher, and I have begun to also enjoy these Rain books. I think they are well written, exciting, suspenseful and fun. However, there is zero doubt that they also walk the line between casual read and gross senseless violence (and sex). If you ever read one of these books, take a moment when you reach a kill and notice what the author does surrounding that action. The reader wants it, but also wants to deny the fact that he wants it. We need an out, an excuse for not denouncing such trash. We need a guy yelling in the background of the youtube video that the guy with the bloody nose hit a woman, stole money, or whatever, but is certainly a "bad guy".

As for me, I write long explanations on my blog to justify why I don't condemn such books.

And to my review: It's a fun book. I have already continued on to the next one... and the third as well. I will likely read all nine of them, at least if Eisler can keep my interest. I can enjoy a good revenge story. I like Death Wish to a certain degree, and I love The Searchers (which is certainly on another level). I wouldn't recommend this book to my mother, and honestly, and maybe showing my ignorance, when I pass this on, I doubt any women in my circle will come to mind to share it with. This is a dude book, full of swearing and fighting and fu.... other things.

So, give it a try if you like spies, revenge, espionage, and the likes.

Barry Eisler