Reading Order
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Start with A Clean Kill in Tokyo and continue through all 12 books in the listed reading order.
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Start with A Clean Kill in Tokyo
Book 1 by Barry Eisler • Published 2003
In Tokyo, half American, half Japanese assassin John Rain makes his hits look like natural deaths. When a job on a corrupt official draws him toward the man’s daughter, jazz pianist Midori Kawamura, Rain finds himself...
Complete List
John Rain reading order
Ends with The Chaos Kind
- 1
Book 1:A Clean Kill in Tokyo
Barry Eisler • 2003
In Tokyo, half American, half Japanese assassin John Rain makes his hits look like natural deaths. When a job on a corrupt official draws him toward the man’s daughter, jazz pianist Midori Kawamura, Rain finds himself...
- 2
Book 2:A Lonely Resurrection
Barry Eisler • 2003
John Rain is hiding in Japan, trying to leave the killing business behind, when a relentless cop forces him to hunt Murakami, a vicious rival assassin. The job pulls Rain through underground fight clubs, hostess bars,...
- 3
Book 3:Winner Take All
Barry Eisler • 2004
After disappearing to Brazil, John Rain is dragged back to work by the CIA and ordered to take out a ruthless arms dealer in Southeast Asia. A rival assassin, a dangerous lover, and a suspected setup turn the mission...
- 4
Book 4:Redemption Games
Barry Eisler • 2005
Nearly killed on a job in Hong Kong, John Rain winds up working for Mossad and sent to Manila with sniper Dox to eliminate a target. When Rain’s conscience complicates the hit, he discovers that his new employers may...
- 5
Book 5:Extremis
Barry Eisler • 2006
When John Rain learns that former lover Midori is secretly raising their son in New York, he sees a chance at redemption. His sudden appearance draws deadly attention, forcing Rain, Dox, Tatsu, and Delilah into a brut...
- 6
Book 6:The Killer Ascendant
Barry Eisler • 2007
Living under a new identity in Paris with Delilah, John Rain thinks he is nearly out of the life. Then rogue CIA operator Jim Hilger kidnaps Dox and blackmails Rain into three assassinations, sending him across the gl...
- 7
Book 7:Paris Is A Bitch
Barry Eisler • 2011
Over a romantic dinner on the Île Saint Louis, John Rain spots a surveillance team closing in on Mossad operative Delilah. A quiet night in Paris turns into a tight, violent test of trust where business and love colli...
- 8
Book 8:The Detachment
Barry Eisler • 2011
Colonel Scott Horton recruits John Rain, Dox, Ben Treven, and Daniel Larison for a covert mission to kill three powerful Americans tied to an alleged coup. As the bodies fall, the four operators realize they are pawns...
- 9
Book 9:Graveyard of Memories
Barry Eisler • 2014
In 1972 Tokyo, a young John Rain works as a CIA bagman until a routine cash drop explodes into violence and earns him a yakuza death sentence. To survive, he accepts a high risk assassination that threatens the woman...
- 10
Book 10:Zero Sum
Barry Eisler • 2017
Returning to Tokyo in 1982 after mercenary work abroad, John Rain finds the contract killing world dominated by Victor, a sadistic rival who gives him a choice: murder a government minister or be eliminated, a job com...
- 11
Book 11:The Killer Collective
Barry Eisler • 2019 • 1 recommendation
When Seattle sex crimes detective Livia Lone survives a hit linked to an international child exploitation ring, she turns to sniper Dox for help. Retired assassin John Rain and a team of black ops veterans join them t...
- 12
Book 12:The Chaos Kind
Barry Eisler • 2021 • 1 recommendation
Assistant US attorney Alondra Diaz pursues billionaire predator Andrew Schrader, unaware he holds kompromat on powerful officials. As killers close in, Dox, Larison, Livia Lone, John Rain, and Delilah join forces to k...
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John Rain FAQ
What is the best order to read the John Rain series?
The recommended reading order is the numbered order shown on this page, starting with A Clean Kill in Tokyo.
How many books are in the John Rain series?
There are 12 books currently listed in the John Rain series on GurusReads.
Where should I start with the John Rain series?
New readers should start with A Clean Kill in Tokyo, the first book in the reading order.
Is the John Rain series complete?
Based on the publication years we have, the series appears likely complete and spans releases from 2003 to 2021.