New York Times bestselling author Barry Eisler (The Night Trade) merges his two most popular franchises in his latest action-packed thriller.
This time around, Detective Livia Lone of the Seattle PD sex crimes unit has her eyes set on bringing down an evil child pornography ring. Because the ring has gone international, though, it’s a federal case, and Lone is forced to partake in a joint investigation between the Seattle police department and the FBI.
After making headway on the case, Lone is the victim of an assassination attempt, narrowly escaping with her life. Things take a turn, however, when she discovers that those behind the attempted hit may be linked to the FBI. Searching for help, Lone turns to former Marine sniper Dox, whom she partnered with in The Night Trade, and the duo realizes that someone tried to kill Lone in order to keep her from exposing a bigger conspiracy. Worse, the people she’s after prove to be nearly unreachable and impossible to get to, though Lone isn’t one to give up or shy away from such a challenge.
As the story unfolds, it’s revealed that retired hitman John Rain (The Zero Sum, 2017, etc.) previously turned down the job to take out Lone, paving the way for their paths to cross. Rain, an elite killer who specializes in making it appear as though his targets died of natural causes, assembles a makeshift unit of assassins–recruiting Delilah, his former lover and Mossad operative, and a couple of friends with black-ops backgrounds–to help them find and eliminate the threat. But the more they learn about what they’re up again, the more they realize that the conspiracy goes much further, and higher, than any of them imagined . . .
Barry Eisler has long been one of the genre’s most underrated authors. Likewise, John Rain rarely gets the credit he deserves for being one of the most interesting and badass characters in print today. Somewhere between John Wick and Jason Bourne, Rain is a force to be reckoned with, and with plenty of bad guys for him to run through in this one, Eisler puts his full set of skills on display in a deliciously satisfying way that actions fans will devour. By using a team of untrusted killers, Eisler adds to the suspense and tension throughout, while still finding ways for Livia Lone–who continues to have a strong presence–to shine as well. The end result is a smorgasbord of unique, compelling characters, and Eisler expertly juggles their personalities.
Without giving too much of the plot away, there’s certainly a timely element to it, and Eisler turns the heat up like never before to deliver a fun, fast-paced thriller that’s tailormade for fans of nonstop action.
Book Details
Author: Barry Eisler
Series: John Rain & Livia Lone #1
Pages: 426 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1503904261
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: February 1, 2018
Book Spy Rating: 8.5/10
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.