Just finished Hard Rain. The second of the Japanese assassin John Rain books penned by Barry Eisler.I am conflicted. Not about the book. I know exactly how I feel about the book. It is how I wish to portray books I read while in the course of writing this blog. There is enough negativity.
That aside I will say this definitely reads like someone’s second book. I enjoyed his first book in the series, Rain Fall. Interesting character(s), interesting story, interesting location. Not the greatest thing I ever read, but enjoyable. Hell, I bought his second book didn't I?
This second book is nearly plot-less. Lots of standing around, lots of conversations that go nowhere. I'm all for character development, but what I was reading was not development it was an author lost with no clear idea of where to go. The love interest from the first book returns out of flat desperation to add a different voice to the repetitive nature that marks the majority of this book. A side character is killed about 2/3 of the way though because at that point the book is merely a novella and not a novel. A few more pointless conversations, a rather dull climax and the books ends pretty much where we began.
There is a lot to like about the book. The book is full of descriptive passages about Tokyo and Osaka that are highly evocative. I have given more thought to drinking salt malt scotches than I ever believed I would. Certainly this why I will return to read the third in the series, even if that book, Rain Storm, will fall near the bottom of the to be read pile.
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