Better. A nice return to the form of earlier books with some interesting changes and additions (Thailand/Hong Kong, Dox/Delilah). The author's personal convictions still seem to bleed through in some of his characters (hatred of bureaucracy/government oversight, obsession with Israel, etc) but overall it seemed a little more toned down. I was ready to put away this series after this book since it's the last one I physically own but I still might come back to it. The ending leaves enough ambiguities and threads that I'm curious where everyone ends up and this book was a pleasant and quick enough read. ( )

Quick moving story. John Rain's struggle between being an assassin and a moral being rises to new heights when he cannot fulfill a contract. His complex relationships with Delilah and Dox are further developed. ( )

"Redemption Games" (formerly "Killing Rain" and "One Last Kill") is the fourth novel in Eisler's John Rain series. Rain is a Japanese-American professional assassin, who has lived in both countries and feels at home in both. Formerly of the Japanese Secret Service, he is now operating as a private contractor, often with a partner Dox. Sometimes he works with the CIA or Mossad. Sometimes he is at cross-purposes with these agencies. Although there have been many secret agent and assassin type novels over the years, the Rain series is among the best well-written and the first few novels were filled with an insider's view of Tokyo and the environs that really took the reader inside Japanese culture. These novels also contain numerous passages giving the readers informative tips about how to assess a dangerous situation, what to look for when you walk into a hotel, an airport lounge, a restaurant, how best to quickly dispose of enemy combatants.

This novel takes Rain to Manila, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. He is working with a partner, Dox, an ex-US Army sniper with a good-old boy manner, loud and abrasive, living large every minute, but who somehow, when he goes into sniper mode, disappears into the woodwork. Rain got a referral for this job through his Mossad contact and sometime-lover, the blonde bombshell Delilah and part of the story, particularly after the job goes sour, is whether he can trust her and whether he can ever let down his guard around her. Often, their goals are similar, but she has allegiances that he ultimately does not have.

Rain is not your typical assassin (as if you know what a typical assassin is like). He has morals and ethics and qualms about killing in front of children, but he is deadly as they come, preferring to work close up and there are few professionals in an agency that are of his caliber. "Killing isn't the hard part," he explains. "Getting close to the target, though, that takes some talent." As does making it look natural, his speciality. The hardest part, however, is living with it after.

There are few secret agent type novels (and, although, Rain isn't a secret agent, the stories are part of that genre) that are this well- written and this accessible. Rain isn't casual about what he does as Bond might be. Rather, everything he does has consequences, largely because he is operating on his own and anything he does might offend an agency, seal his death warrant, or screw up a personal relationship for him. The meat of this book is not just bang-bang, shoot-em-up, but Rain's paradoxical difficulties with dealing with what he does and who he can trust. And, it is a book (or series of books) that really stands out in this genre.
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Rain is hired by the Mossad to eliminate an Israeli arms dealer operating in Manila. At the crucial moment, though, the target's young son appears on the scene, causing Rain to freeze. The arms merchant escapes and Rain's hesitation haunts him, his conscience plaguing him for the first time with self-doubt. I read the first John Rain book several years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed each book afterwards. The fist book, “Rain Fall” has been made into a movie that is out on DVD and it is not anywhere near as good as the books. ( )

Rain is an assassin with heart who loves jazz, good wine and ancient scotch. Teamed up with his opposite, he's gotten himself into a pickle this time. It takes him to Hong Kong and Bangkok. There's a continuing love interest and lots of action. ( )