Winner Take All (John Rain, #3) by Barry Eisler

Winner Take All (John Rain, #3) Reviews

• 
  ij

  Winner Take All is a thriller written by Barry Eisler, about fictional character John Rain, a paid CIA assassin.
  
  This is the third book in a series that I have read. In this book Rain has been hired to kill (retire) Belghazi an arms dealer. The reason he has been selected for this assignment is that he specializes in making a murder look like the person died of natural causes. Rain has tracked Belghazi to Macau, which is part of China and is sought of setup like Hong Kong. It is often called the Las Vegas of China. Belghazi is thought to be there to gamble. Rain also has the advantage of fitting in with the locals being the son of an America white women and a Japanese father and inherited he mostly Japanese features. Further, he has enhanced those features to look more Japanese by virtue of plastic surgery.
  
  Belghazi normally has at least two bodyguards and is traveling with an attractive woman, Delilah. Rain focuses on how to gain access to subject. Rain was hired by Kanezaki, a CIA officer. Kanezaki is a Japanese-American, third generation. He knows Rain and is fully cognizant of his ruthlessness.
  
  Rain had been living in Brazil after an assignment in Japan. It took him a while to blend in with the locals even though he had chosen an area that had a large Japanese population. This was difficult because he did not really have background that was similar to others and he had to learn Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. Another CIA operative, Dox, had tracked him down for the Agency.
  
  Rain came face to face with Delilah in a failed attempt to take out Belghazi in his hotel room. She did not let Belghazi or his bodyguards know of his presence which made him think that she was not who or what she was thought to be.
  
  There are a lot of twists and turns in the action fiction. The characters are well developed and I was kept guessing at what would happen next. I really enjoyed this book and plan to continue reading the series.
  
• 
  Andrew Smith

  I've got to like John Rain. He's a stone cold killer - assassinating someone never ruins his day. The broken necks are many, the martial arts skills thoroughly honed. But the true skill demonstrated here is how Eisler is able to develop Rain into a sympathetic character, one who appreciated good Scotch Whiskey, who loves jazz and who is thoughtful and caring in his relationships with women. It probably shouldn't work but it does.
  
  I can't get too excited about the story this time around - I drifted off rather when the rationale for the 'hit' was being discussed. It's all rather confusing and, I think, secondary to the real value of reading these books. The strength is in watching Eisler develop Rain into fully three-dimensial character, filling gaps in our knowledge of him and providing insight into his motivations and his life ambitions. These sections are brilliantly crafted and I found myself wanting to know more and more about this complex man.
  
  The action sequences, too, are very well written. There is a lot of martial arts language (none of which I understood) but the action feels real - brutally so.
  
  I will return to the series because I want - no, I need to - know what happens to John Rain.
• 
  Jim

  It was fun, contemporary spy/assassin novel. I think this was the second book with Rain in it & I haven't read the first. It stood alone well & was pretty good. There were a few too many digressions with Rain philosophizing over his life & situation, feeling sorry for himself due to the way he is cut off from having a close relationship with a woman. It got old by the end, but it was the major theme of the book & the overall hook. The paranoia in his life was severe & he did find he could trust one person, much to his surprise. The lead to it was a bit heavy handed, though.
  
  I doubt I'll ever want to read it again, but it was an enjoyable diversion.
  
  Update March2017: Rereading as an audio book (
  Review Here) as I go through the series in order. This is the third book, not second. Since it is now on its third title, I'm not surprised there is some confusion. I hate it when books are renamed. It's hard enough keeping all of them straight.
• 
  Tessa Nadir

  O lectura masculina antrenanta, plina de actiune in genul romanelor de spionaj a la Ian Fleming. Ar fi o carte extraordinara pentru barbatii interesati de asasinate, spionaj, tehnici de lupta, jocuri politice, tradari si femei frumoase.
  Actiunea il are in prim plan pe John Rain un asasin japonez liber-profesionist, asa zis 'hitman' al CIA, care primeste misiunea de a-l lichida pe Belghazi, un versat dealer de arme, inainte ca altii sa o faca. De-a lungul operatiunii din Macao calea sa se va intersecta cu misterioasa Delilah, o spioana care are insa planurile si metodele ei. Daca ea il va trada sau il va ajuta ramane sa aflati citind cartea.
  Mie mi-a placut romanul, am apreciat descrierile vibrante, exacte si extrem de vii ale traseului de urmarire a tintei, in special Macao, Hong Kong, Tokyo ori Sao Paolo.
  Mi s-a parut simpatic si arsenalul de spion-asasin pus la dispozitie de CIA, de care uziteaza personajul principal si aici as mentiona dispozitivul SoldierVision. Acesta a fost utilizat pentru prima data in razboiul din Golf si "fotografiaza" prin pereti interiorul unei incaperi. Alt gadget ar fi ceasul Traser P5900 in care se pot ascunde capsule care sa contina cocktailuri letale.
  Un alt lucru care mi s-a parut interesant este multitudinea de informatii despre luptele corp la corp cum ar fi karate si aici aflam despre pozitia Calaretului de Fier, despre lovitura de picior nr.2 cu rotire spre spate, sau din judo - aruncarea de baza denumita kouchigari. Tot aici am aflat ca sambo este o versiune de lupta ruseasca care poate provoca leziuni atat de grave incat este interzisa in multe competitii de lupte iar Krav Maga este sistemul de auto-aparare inventat si practicat de fortele armate israeliene.
  Luptele corp la corp sunt descrise miscare cu miscare si desi le-am citit pe indelete si m-am straduit sa le inteleg totusi nu am reusit sa vizualizez exact cum decurgeau aceste scene.
  Pe langa multe alte asemanari cu James Bond, am regasit si scena de la Casino si jocul de Baccara pe care il joaca impotriva lui Belghazi.
  La finalul cartii gasim anexat pentru cititori si un mic curs vizand securitatea personala, plin de sfaturi utile in ceea ce priveste auto-apararea.
  Ca incheiere, o zicala japoneza care mi s-a parut demna de urmat: "Go ni itte wa, go ni shitagae", ce inseamna: "dupa al locului obicei, sa te porti si tu in orice bordei".
• 
  D.G.

  **4.5 stars**
  
  After the thoroughly depressing conclusion of
  Hard Rain (book 2 in the series) I sincerely hoped that the world would leave John Rain alone and I wouldn’t have to hear about him again. Not because I didn’t enjoy the books but because I thought the guy deserved some peace. You have to give some kudos to an author when he makes you feel like that for a hired assassin.
  
  Rain Storm has a (very slightly) more positive outlook. Please don’t get the impression that the book is a ray of sunshine; this series is still about alienation and missed chances. But several new characters showed up to make John’s life more interesting, including several ladies. John really likes the ladies which makes total sense because to kick ass that hard, a man needs truckloads of testosterone.
  
  Like in previous books, the action was exciting, with very intricate fight scenes. Most of the time I couldn’t follow exactly what was going on, but the descriptions help to highlight that kicking ass is HARD! And you have to be in top condition – both physically and mentally – to be able to keep up with all those bad guys who are also amazingly good at what they do.
  
  As expected, the cities that John inhabits (Rio, Hong Kong and Macau) become almost characters in their own right. Mr. Eisler definitely has an eye for distilling the essence of a city into words.
  
  Even with all these new characters, John is still alienated from life, surrounded by a terrible longing for the lost chances and the impossibility of his life. John is too honest for regrets but he knows more than most of what this life has cost him.
  
  I wondered in a detached way whether it was all part of a cosmic punishment for Crazy Jake…Or perhaps for the other things I’ve done. To be periodically tantalized by the hope of something real, something good, always knowing at the same time that it was all going to turn to dust.
  
  It would seem amazing that a man who whacks people for a living wants a relationship, but more than anything, John Rain wants, no, needs to belong. He was a foreigner in Japan and a foreigner in the US. He has no family, no home and very few friends that he feels he cannot trust, because again and again, they have given him cause for doubt:
  
  I told myself again that I wasn’t disappointed, that I wasn’t even terribly surprised. I learned long ago not to trust, that faith is to life what sticking your chin out is to boxing. I told myself that it was good to get some further confirmation of the essential accuracy of my worldview.
  
  John gets lots of tail in this book but he’s constantly thinking about Midori. Because I didn’t know him, I just didn’t understand the profound effect she had in his life and now I want to re-read the first book. His pining for her was hopelessly romantic and I confess I shed lots of tears:
  
  Midori isn’t dead, only gone. Maybe that’s why I find myself thinking of her more often than I should. I picture her face and picture the sound of her voice, the touch of her hands, the feel of her body. I have no such power of recall for scent, but know I would recognize hers in an instant and wish that I could breathe it in even once more before I die.
  
  Mr. Nishii did a wonderful job portraying John Rain. I didn’t like his voices for the women – they were a bit too high…almost like a falsetto – and his Portuguese accent was a bit out there but hey, you can’t have it all. I’m actually sad he doesn’t narrate any more of the books.
  
  The ending was the happiest I’ve seen in this series but I’m afraid everything will go down the drain in the next book. I guess we can’t have John being too happy! Regardless, I can’t wait to see happens next.
• 
  Jim

  I read this as an ebook 8 years ago & reviewed it
  here. It was out of order & is on its third title, so no wonder there is some confusion. I hate it when books are renamed. In my other review, I gave it 3 stars & doubted I'd read it again. I am because now I'm listening to the books in order.
  
  It was pretty good this time. It helped having the background of the first 2 books. Rain is a very careful character who is aging a bit & coming to terms with that plus other complications in his life. Kind of a sad guy in many ways since he can't fully trust anyone. Good, twisty adventure he's on, too.
• 
  Harry

  All right, so I appear to be hunting for a specific character: from Jack Reacher (Lee Child), to Jonathan Quinn (Brett Battles), onto John Rain (Barry Eisler). From ex military, to cleaner, to assassin.
  
  How do we as readers gain empathy for a killer? Simple enough, join John Rain in his voyage from assassin for hire to conscientious killer (kill bad guys) to wanting to get out of the business...but unwilling to leave his perspective of the world (no worries, this transformation takes place across many books, more than enough to satiate the most avid genre reader)
  
  I devoured these books as I did the others above (more to come as I continue hunting). You'll just have to see for yourself.
  
  P.S. If you've read this review, you've read all my John Rain reviews. There are no discrepancies in Eisler's work. Every novel is top notch, provided you share my predilection for this sort of character.
  
  HR
• 
  Bill

  this is the 250th book I've read this year.
  
  if you like thrillers, you should really give these Eisler books a try.
• 
  Jim

  A good fast read that takes us from the beaches of Rio to the casino in Macau, with one of the best parts set in the Virginia suburbs of DC, featuring one of the most intriguing characters I've read about-John Rain, Japanese-American assassin.
• 
  Sara

  I'll be honest, I bought the book because I knew it wouldn't hold me in a chair all night until I finished reading it. I read Hard Rain and was less than engrossed. But I did want to see how the conspiracy evolved.
  Unfortunately the conspiracy does not continue in this book, so I still don't know and probably won't read another one.
  Eisler is still bogged down in t0o much metaphoric imagery. Pages of descriptions of scenery while Rain takes long lonely walks to make sure he is being followed. I skipped most of it, and which at least made the pace of the book move a bit faster for me.
  ***Vague spoiler in next paragraph***
  However, Eisler has improved his plotting and character skills. He does allow Rain to be weaker, so you at least get a sense of underdog on occasion. However, he still missed the point of the underdog. The underdog should win. He should overcome his burdens and triumph. Instead Rain is overcome, gives up and is saved by a friend. Gives up is the key there. Heroes don't give up, Eisler.
  I'm not a fan of neurotic over thinking in novels. I am a fan of the maxim "Show, Don't Tell." Rain does A LOT of internal dialog and it drains the interest out of the plot for me. I skipped a lot of that too.
  
  
• 
  Michael

  Wow, picked ths one up on a lark and it was a good find. I had never heard of Barry Eisler before reading this book but it's great.
  
  The main character (John Rain) is a high level, assasin who takes up what looks to be just another job. Well, it turn out to be anything but "just another job". So, John is out on an island on his own trying to complete the job and avoid becoming a targeted victom himself.
  
  What makes this book even better than the plot and characters alone is that Eisler is an ex-CIA agent and is very much into martial arts. While reading this book, if you have any martial arts training, you will immediately recognize his knowledge in the field. Everything in he book struck me as plausible which both shocked me and made me geek out about how cool some of the stuff he talks about is.
  
  I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.
  
  NOTE: This is the 3rd book in the Rains series which stands at 7 books as of this review. I will also point out that I did not read any of the other books before this one and had absolutely not idea I was missing anything.
  
• 
  Catarina

  Gostei do livro.
  As descrições dos cenários levam o leitor a acreditar ter estado mesmo lá; o personagem principal, por mais cruel, insensível e solitário que seja, obriga-nos a adorá-lo; o enredo é interessante, se bem que se pudesse ter revelado mais surpreendente. Esperava uma reviravolta mais emocionante no final; esperava uma personagem mais forte e traiçoeira no que toca à Delilah – a espiã israelita com que John se depara no decorrer da sua missão. Foi bom, só não achei suficiente – podia ter sido bastante melhor. A organização do texto podia, também, ter sido feita de outra maneira: capítulos mais curtos teriam tornado a leitura menos cansativa.
• 
  Willa

  This is the first book I've read by Eisler (though note that it's not the first, but the third, in the series) and is was surprisingly really, really good. Eisler can really write, and has created a main character who is at the same time highly skilled and all-too-humanly flawed, exotic yet realistic. It takes talent to write about an assassin who's believably heroic. The book is fast-paced and action-packed but also deeply reflective. Well done.
• 
  John Paxton

  Another nail-biting installment in the Rain series I'll skip to the 5th now as already read no. 4.
• 
  Brinn Colenda

  This was my first Barry Eisler book...I met Barry last month at the Pike's Peak Writer's Conference...was impressed with the man and now am impressed with the writer...an excellent work...Barry is an intelligent guy, articulate and personable. His characters are well-developed, interesting, and worldly. His vocabulary is somewhat elevated from the usual thriller...I liked that. The plot was great, the commentary was interesting and illuminating. I learned a lot of useful information, as well as just some interesting stuff --at the Air Force Academy, we referred to trivia as "little known and interesting facts"... there were a lot of those factoids as well...
• 
  Hastings75

  Having just finished the previous novel, I couldn't wait to start this one!
  
  It follows on nicely and I liked the plot of this one, as well as the introduction of the character, Dox. Eisler is slowly building a group of "supporters" around John which allows the John character to further develop - though I am also personally hoping that he can find a way to "go off the radar" again! Like all good assassins!!!
  
  Bring on the next one!
• 
  Elsa Ramos

  Sei que levei imenso tempo para ler este Livro, mas a Culpa não é do Autor, mas sim da Gravidez que me dá um Sono Desgraçado. Gostei Muito deste Livro, especialmente das partes passadas em Macau um país que muito me fascina e que desejo um dia visitar. Vou procurar por mais Livros deste Autor em especial os com o Personagem John Rain. Recomendo. Leitura leve, mas empolgante.
• 
  Sean

  Action packed from the beginning until the end. Keeps the reader engaged at all times. Very entertaining.
• 
  Xan

  Continúan las aventuras de un asesino profesional tan lógico y pegado a su código ético que le acabas cogiendo cariño.
• 
  Nabarun

  It was an average book, to be honest. Simple & one plot, not deviating into any side plots, start and end as a quick short read. Nothing stands out in the book, nothing lingers in your mind as an afterthought or picks on your brain, a straight read from start to the end.
  
  John Rain has been living in Rio in hiding from his past involving CIA, Japan & Midori, created a separate identity for himself and manages to live below the radar. But when he gets in touch with his old gf in Rio, CIA finds him and offers him a job as an independent consultant which he cannot refuse. The job is to kill a Belghazi, an Algerian-French arms dealer trafficking in illegal delivery of arms to the sensitive middle eastern countries. Rain arrives in Hong Kong where Belghazi is on a business (meeting clients) and pleasure (gambling in Macau casinos). Belghazi has a beautiful blonde companion with him, Delilah, who is a Mossad agent in reality. Rain’s plan to kill Belghazi is put on temporary hold by Delilah as she need certain information from Belghazi’s computer for an arms deal to happen in the next few days before which Delilah cannot allow Rain to kill him. Both reluctantly accept the truce, not before Delilah and Rain falling for a quick steamy one night stand.
  
  But before Rain could wait out those few days for Delilah to extract the required information, Rain gets identified by Belghazi and attempts to Rain’s life happens via some Arab mercenaries. Rain pumps his handlers in CIA to get more information on his life attempt and finds that Belghazi receives protection from some department in CIA as he passes info on bigger (WMD-type) arms deals to CIA, if they are planned to happen against the US. Rain takes it on himself to remove the other party who passed information on Rain to Belghazi, then teams up with Dox, an unlikely ally from Rain’s Afghanistan days in the US Army and then plans to kill Belghazi in an elaborate ops.
  The final showdown at Kwai Chung is quite interesting, Rain manages to kill Belghazi but not before he is seriously injured and rescued by Dox from the crime & shootout scene. The plan of taking the 5M USD as part of the weapons exchange deal goes bad as the American NOC in Hong Kong, who was helping Belghazi in overseeing the deal, steals it by killing the rest of the parties (Arabs) involved. But Rain survives the day only to fight another day.
  
  The book ends with a soft touch where Delilah unites with Rain in Rio beach and they spend some relaxed time together. And Delilah reveals that she meets up with Rain not just for emotional reasons, but also for professional as she has a job offer for Rain. But that is for another novel which Eisler would take Rain’s journey forward.
  Quick read, something which keep you glued to the pages though not a strong plot to rivet your interest (infact I struggled at one point to continue with the book till the end), but good enough for a quick read and forget it.
  
• 
  Thom

  Rain Storm / Choke Point / Winner Take All is set in a time just after 9/11, with a late 40's main character connected to Vietnam and Afghanistan conflicts. I've enjoyed the series so far, though the reading has been *very* spread out.
  
  The author's expertise in martial arts comes out clearly in the realistic and accurate fight descriptions. Locale descriptions are also lovingly done; the reader gets a real feel for the place. My favorite character in this book was Dox, and I'll be as interested in what happens to him in future books as for the main character, John Rain.
  
  One of the strong points of emphasis in the first book were Rain's three rules. These are mentioned here, but otherwise ignored. While working for the CIA, can Rain stay independent enough? I thought his detour towards the end of the book was problematic, but it may be important for future plots. Hard to remember the previous book, but I didn't like this as much as the first one. 3½ stars, rounded down.
  
  May tackle book 4 a bit sooner :)
• 
  Elaine Nickolan

  Another excellent installment of the John Rain series. This time John is tracked down and given a job. He soon finds he has competition and gets the feeling that his own people may be in on this job, and not to help him. Trust issues abound and John must pick and choose who and when to trust. Will his latest job get the best of him? Will he finally be able to walk away? I must say that this protagonist has the best ways to do someone in and he makes killing people an art form. I truly enjoyed this installment of the Rain series and look forward to the next.
• 
  Clark

  Well done. My third of the John Rain Series and, so far, all have been equally well-written and enjoyable reading. Thanks again to David for his recommendation.
• 
  Emil Călinescu

  Excelenta carte, interesanta si asocierea din final, Transnistria, rusi, terorism. Extrem de actuala amenintarea.
  
  Chiar asa, cat va mai fi tolerata acea enclava?
• 
  Angela Kitchen

  I’ve read this series out of order, but even knowing where some characters end up doesn’t detract from the story.
• 
  Kenny Bellew

  Spy novel about stopping weapons dealers, finding love while having a difficult job, and cross cultural appreciation.
• 
  Joseph Akbrud

  Despite the mediocre reviews that "Winner Take All" received on Goodreads I decided to give it a shot anyway. Having read the first two John Rain novels I assumed that I would have a greater appreciation for the character that would negate some of the criticism that the novel received.
  
  Having read the previous two John Rain novels definitely helped make the book more relevant. It is completely understandable why someone who has not read any of the previous novels would be confused. I would even go as far as stating that reading at least one of the last two novels should be a prerequisite for reading "Winner Take All".
  
  As far as what I think about this novel in particular, I definitely feel that it is the weakest of the first three. The story itself is engaging enough but the storytelling is somewhat lacking in my opinion. The pacing and plot development is not structured the way I thought that it would be (based on the previous novels). The novel begins right in the middle of John Rain's mission without much explanation as to why the character is doing what he is doing (that comes later). There were a few bright spots in the novel however. The inclusion of Macau and Hong Kong was a nice change of setting. Without giving too much away, the new characters (Delilah especially) add some intrigue. John Rain is beginning to show his age as well and is not quite the indestructible figure that he was previously.
  
  Overall I would not hesitate "Winner Take All" to someone who has read the previous two novels. Everyone else should probably pass.
• 
  Kevin Kazokas

  Solidly written first-person fictional account by an assassin-for-hire contracted by the CIA to take out a mysterious arms dealer. There are several incongruities that seem to get resolved by the book's dramatic end, though its hard to imagine various CIA agents working with such cross purposes, but I suppose in today's super-surveiled world it's possible. The author also did a nice job of leading the reader on with a few false leads without ruining the guessing game by way of a non-plausible ending. The finish featured a twist, but nothing unbelievable or outlandish or out-of-left field given what we know of the characters. Two of the major protagonists may have gotten a little too misty-eyed for comfort after their travails, but again it could be believed to be within the scope of their characters given all that happened.
  The author's diction and atmospherics were excellent. The scenes really stand out with vivid descriptions and settings that almost emanate feelings, not just scenery or beauty.
  Some technical aspects could use updating. This spy's assets would not appear as timeless as James Bonds' or Maxwell Smart's. But what really separates this book from many others is powerful character depictions. This one certaintly isn't gimicky or trite or annoyingly coy like many in the genre.