Rain Series

I buried myself in a thriller series the last couple of days so I could ignore the empty house around me while Brad was off doing his thing in California.  I read the first two John Rain books last summer and bought the third in hardback in Seattle when I was on my last detective/thriller/mystery binge.  The latest John Rain arrived from Amazon a couple of days ago (I'm on a first name basis with Dan, the UPS man), which inspired me to re-read the series.  They're the best assassin-as-hero books since The Eiger Sanction.  They are set in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, and other fun places in Asia, as well as Brazil and a brief, but memorable, visit to Virginia.  I read the first couple last summer in preparation for a planned birthday trip to Tokyo in September that didn't come to fruition, and have now read the next two in preparation for a planned trip to Tokyo at the end of this month that's also not going to come to fruition.  I'm sure I'll make it to Japan eventually and will look up some of the coffee houses and jazz clubs described so lovingly in these books.

Comments

[Ben Barren]

I am a big fan of the James Ellroy 'LA Quartet' (4 books set from 50's LA America till Nixon period)

Agreed noir is the most enjoyable of 'summer' (and winter !) genres... 'Black Dahlia' by Ellroy, is awesome, which had supposed references to Ellroys mothers unsolved murder in LA in the 50's is groundbreaking... as is LA Confidential and all of Ellroys books incl his biography, very strange eccentric fellow : I went to him reading a chapter of his latest book once, and he rocked up in a hawaiian shirt and his 'spoken word is as bombastic as his books. All his characters are experts in what he calls "Compartmentalisation" (a very modern affliction) His background for Ellroy was also a Wino on the streets so that is also inspiring about what humans can come from and achieve with their potential.

The kind of author I hate because A. i could never write even 10% of what he does and more importantly b. doesnt bring out enough books.. Ill need to get onto Rain Series havent heard of it.. after I read ellroy and elmore leonard (inspiration for Tarantino) ive missed NOIR !

http://benbarren.blogspot.com