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Fans of Barry Eisler in general and his creation John Rain in particular need not worry --- THE LAST ASSASSIN is indeed a John Rain novel, notwithstanding Eisler's break with his practice of incorporating the word "Rain" in the titles of this indelibly written series. Nor does the title herald an end to what gradually has become one of the most eagerly awaited ongoing sagas in the thriller genre. What we get in THE LAST ASSASSIN is what we come to expect from Eisler: edge-of-the-seat spy craft set against the informed backdrop of exotic locales, in which the sins, errors and omissions of the past cast a dark, long shadow upon the present.
Rain has been described elsewhere as "a contract killer with a conscience," and indeed the contradiction in terms echoes throughout the series. Rain's conscience collides head-on with his world in THE LAST ASSASSIN when he learns that Midori, his former lover, has given birth to his child. When Rain confronts Midori, her feelings toward him are mixed, but her ultimatum is not: if he wants to be in her --- and their son's --- life, he must give up his shadowy, dark and deadly world. Rain is conflicted, being pulled by the love of his son --- and possibly Midori --- and by Delilah, the beautiful and exotic Israeli intelligence agent with whom he is beginning to fall in love.
This is a triangle so sharp that inevitably it will draw blood. One of the sharks it attracts is none other than Yamaoto, Rain's longtime nemesis, who is watching Midori and using her as an unwilling stalking horse to get to Rain. Dox, Rain's friend, is there to help, his laid-back persona hiding his talent as a dangerous and deadly sniper. Eisler keeps Rain on a knife's edge throughout the book, deftly creating a situation whereby Rain's personal life causes a distraction, and danger, within his professional life. For THE LAST ASSASSIN, the best that he can hope for, ultimately, is a draw.
Eisler is at his personal best here, creating a work that is both almost instantly accessible to new readers and continuing the evolution of a character who in a relatively short period has become the objectification of the best of the thriller genre. Highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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