The Last Assassin » (Reprint)

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler’s bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous “Best of” lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages.

When John Rain, the Japanese/American “contract killer with a conscience” (Entertainment Weekly), learns that his former lover, Midori, has been raising their child in New York, he senses a chance for reconciliation, perhaps even for redemption. But Midori is being watched by Rain’s enemies, and his sudden appearance puts mother and child in terrible danger. To save them, Rain is forced to use the same deadly talents he had been hoping to leave behind. With the help of Tatsu, his friendly nemesis in the Japanese FBI, and Dox, the ex-marine sniper whose good ol’ boy persona masks a killer as deadly as Rain himself, Rain races against time to bring his enemies into the open and eliminate them forever. But to finish the job, he’ll need one more ally: Israeli intelligence agent Delilah, a woman who represents an altogether different kind of threat...

Publishers Weekly

Japanese-American assassin John Rain is growing tired of the killing game and wants to find a way out. When he tries to reconnect with Midori, the mother of the child he's just learned he had, he runs afoul of the Yakuza, who hope to use Rain's son as leverage against him. McConnohie narrates in a resonant, deep baritone using a plain American dialect, but when voicing foreign characters, he skillfully adds just enough of an accent to differentiate them. Throughout the book, Eisler keeps the action coming at a fast and furious pace, and McConnohie is up to the task; he brings the fighting sequences vividly to life with his measured and deliberate pacing, keeping the listener fully engaged and riveted. The novel works best when Eisler sticks with Rain's point of view, less so when he shifts to other characters. McConnohie, who does a fine job in every aspect of this recording, is also at his best when bringing Rain to life. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 17). (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.