Book Review: “Graveyard of Memories” by Barry Eisler
Looking back on his “career” as an assassin, John Rain remembers the beginning, and we the readers of this series reminisce with him, and learn how John Rain began.
Here are some of the memories as Rain thinks back to 1972 when he was a brash 20 year old just out of the U..S Army. Rain is half Japanese, half American (but looks Japanese). He has a temper and does not think everything thru before acting.
-Rain is just now learning judo. His fighting skills, up till now, came from the Army….and were honed in the jungles of Vietnam.
-We are reminded just how good friends Rain is with Tatsu and we get to spend a bit more time with him. 😦
-We learn about Rain’s first love, wheelchair bound, Sayaka.
-We learn how Rain develops his love of jazz (I thought he always loved jazz….oh well).
-We learn how Rain found his niche as a killer that makes the death look natural.
-We learn who suggests Rain limit his kills to avoid being a monster. Women and children are off limits as are collateral players (many years later, Livia Lone should be thankful for these rules).
-We understand how Rain grows….quickly….into a thoughtful assassin who is obsessed with the details.
-We understand why Rain trusts virtually no one…….Tatsu and, much later, Dox, excluded.
-We come to understand the pain Rain must endure given his chosen path in life, and that, now, decades later, why he revels in “retirement” in Japan.
“Graveyard of Memories” is a timely (8 or so books into the series) look back at how it all began. Loved it! By the way……if this series were written in real time, Rain would be one year younger than me and was thinking back to this time in 1972, as a 60-something.
