3.78 AVERAGE


Tokio Killer

Das Buch Tokio Killer ist der Auftakt zu einer mittlerweile elfteiligen Reihe rund um den Auftragsmörder John Rain. Er lebt in Japan genauer gesagt Tokio und erledigt mithilfe eines Helfers seine Arbeit: möglichst natürlichaussehend Menschen umbringen. Alles scheint zuerst nach Plan zu laufen, als er den Politiker Kawamura sterben lässt, jedoch sieht er wie jemand die Taschen des Opfers durchwühlt, was ihn misstrauisch macht. Er bekommt ein mulmiges Gefühl, dass bei diesem Auftrag etwas nicht glatt gelaufen ist. Kurze Zeit später lernt John Kawamuras Tochter Midori kennen. Als er schließlich auch einen Auftrag für ihren Tot erhält hardert er mit sich:soll er sie töten oder beschützen?

Dieses Buch gehört meinem Vater und er hat es mir ausgeliehen, als ich ihn nach einem guten und nicht zu dickem Thriller gefragt hatte. Mir hat das Buch wirklich gut gefallen, vor allem jetzt an den dunkler werden Tagen, hat der Thriller sehr gut in meine Lesestimmung gefallen. Sehr interessant fand ich es, einmal einen Thriller aus der Sicht eines Mörders zu lesen, da man sonst meistens nur die Perspektive des „Opfers“ oder der Polizei liest. Ich war noch nie ein wirklicher Fan von Japan, irgendwie waren andere Ländern für mich immer faszinierender und den großen Hype habe ich nicht wirklich verstanden. Trotzdem mochte ich das Setting und die Beschreibung von Tokio in diesem Buch. Die Geschichte hat mir viel über die japanische Kultur und Lebensweise beigebracht.

Second time I've read this, under the author's title and release this time. I think the title was the only thing changed.

Very detailed descriptions of fights and the environs of Tokyo. Subtle politics are also part of the landscape in this thriller. John Rain is a very believable and complex character, with an extensive history. This novel would also stand well on its own; I haven't read any of the sequels yet.

Partly this re-read is due to the new title, partly it is due to Keanu Reeves playing the character in an upcoming television drama. Will watch, and seek out the sequels, and probably more Eisler as well.

It was decent, a bit lacking on the action side. Mostly surveillance.
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

An enjoyable noir thriller.
adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I‘m not lying when I‘m telling you the book kept me on the edge of my seat. I was skeptical until the first 30 %, then I was hooked. I loved the twists and turns, the general plotline and I even enjoyed the action scenes (emphasizing this, because I normally get bored during fight scenes in movies 🫠). 

We encountered a more mature version of John Rain in this installment even though I really appreciated knowing some of his background story from „Graveyard of Memories“. 

One thing I perceived as rather unnecessary was the romance subplot - I know it was used to add more dramatic and tension but it was somehow pointless in my opinion. 

Read several of the Rain series some time ago, so I don't remember the details.

Solid start to the Rain series mostly kept me engaged a little bit too much romance at one stage.

Good, fun pulp fiction. Don't read this seeking Literature with a capital 'L' and you won't be disappointed. The author obviously knows Japan extremely well and the descriptions of various Tokyo streets and landmarks are a fun addition.

The plot is fairly straightforward, but if you're hankering for a simple, action-packed entertaining page turner, this fits the bill.

John Rain is an American/Japanese assassin. Little does he know, he is being manipulated. When a hit goes slightly awry, he digs deeper and finds things not as he expected. People around him begin to hunt him, and he runs into the daughter of the last man he killed.

This book was recommended to me through a reader advisory group when I asked for books like Lee Child's Jack Reacher series.

It started out better than other mysteries that I've read recently. Within the first couple of chapters, I loved that I was already right in the middle of the action and I knew the main character and most of his important details.

However the book seemed to level out after this. I never felt a really strong urge to continue reading. I wasn't desperate to find out how it all came together. I did continue reading though and it was decent. Just not blow me away awesome.