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John Rain Universe
The B-Team
With his long and bitter history involving the yakuza, John Rain isn’t one to shy away from a contract that gives him the chance to eliminate the leader of one of its largest clans.
But when the job takes him from the familiar streets of Tokyo to the ancient capital of Kyoto, he finds himself on uncertain footing. The city itself is full of painful memories, while his mission seems to be compromised from the start when a rival clan seems to be just as intent as he is to reach the target. The only help he can turn to is the beautiful but enigmatic and lethal Yume Sasaki…if he can afford to trust her.
As the bonfires of the city's oldest religious festival rage on, ghosts from his past and enemies from his present close in with not just the contract, but Rain’s own survival, at stake.
But when the job takes him from the familiar streets of Tokyo to the ancient capital of Kyoto, he finds himself on uncertain footing. The city itself is full of painful memories, while his mission seems to be compromised from the start when a rival clan seems to be just as intent as he is to reach the target. The only help he can turn to is the beautiful but enigmatic and lethal Yume Sasaki…if he can afford to trust her.
As the bonfires of the city's oldest religious festival rage on, ghosts from his past and enemies from his present close in with not just the contract, but Rain’s own survival, at stake.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2015
12 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Iden
34 books345 followersI write fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, crime fiction, and contemporary literary fiction with a psychological twist.
I’ve held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot, as well, and I started to put all those experiences to good use about eight years ago--thinking, dreaming, and writing.
Please email me at matt.iden AT matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.
The Marty Singer detective series is:
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1)
Blueblood (Marty Singer #2)
One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3)
The Spike (Marty Singer #4)
The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5)
I’ve held jobs with the US Postal Service, international non-profit groups, a short stint with the Forest Service in Sitka, Alaska, and time with the globe-spanning Semester at Sea program. Trips to Iceland, Patagonia, and Antarctica added to the creative pot, as well, and I started to put all those experiences to good use about eight years ago--thinking, dreaming, and writing.
Please email me at matt.iden AT matthew-iden.com, Tweet @CrimeRighter, or find me on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/matthew.iden.
The Marty Singer detective series is:
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer #1)
Blueblood (Marty Singer #2)
One Right Thing (Marty Singer #3)
The Spike (Marty Singer #4)
The Wicked Flee (Marty Singer #5)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 9, 2015
Iden does Eisler to a T
When a great actor at the top of his game plays the role of a historical figure and does it well the actor will become that figure in the viewer's eyes.
Such is the job Matthew Iden does in 'The B Team', a Kindle worlds novel based on Barry Eisler's 'John Rain' series. Iden does such a good job matching Eisler's narrative, mood and style and Rain's complex character that had I read the book not knowing it was Iden I'd have sworn it was Eisler.
John Rain is a torn anti-hero with a lot of bad memories; Iden captures and conveys his psyche perfectly. Japan is an ancient culture with much nuance and ceremony where a simple gesture can have many different meetings. It is a terribly confusing place to an outsider but Iden is Eisler-like in his ability to make the culture understandable and write narrative in a way that makes the people, places and times familiar.
That narrative is my only complaint. Again, just like Eisler, Iden lays the narrative on a little too thick in places. There are times when both of them go on about the people and the places with such detail or plumb Rains' psyche for so many pages that I'm begging for some dialogue or action.
I've read quite a few Kindle Worlds novels. They have always been a look at the original author's storyline from a different point of view, or a new character or plot line that goes in a different direction. I've never seen an author try and write a new volume that's a clone to the original work. Iden not only tries, but he exceeds outstandingly well. That's a popular motif in fan fiction and on Wattpad, but for an established author give it a go- that's ballsy.
Bottom line- if you're a fan of the John Rain series here's a new book for you.
When a great actor at the top of his game plays the role of a historical figure and does it well the actor will become that figure in the viewer's eyes.
Such is the job Matthew Iden does in 'The B Team', a Kindle worlds novel based on Barry Eisler's 'John Rain' series. Iden does such a good job matching Eisler's narrative, mood and style and Rain's complex character that had I read the book not knowing it was Iden I'd have sworn it was Eisler.
John Rain is a torn anti-hero with a lot of bad memories; Iden captures and conveys his psyche perfectly. Japan is an ancient culture with much nuance and ceremony where a simple gesture can have many different meetings. It is a terribly confusing place to an outsider but Iden is Eisler-like in his ability to make the culture understandable and write narrative in a way that makes the people, places and times familiar.
That narrative is my only complaint. Again, just like Eisler, Iden lays the narrative on a little too thick in places. There are times when both of them go on about the people and the places with such detail or plumb Rains' psyche for so many pages that I'm begging for some dialogue or action.
I've read quite a few Kindle Worlds novels. They have always been a look at the original author's storyline from a different point of view, or a new character or plot line that goes in a different direction. I've never seen an author try and write a new volume that's a clone to the original work. Iden not only tries, but he exceeds outstandingly well. That's a popular motif in fan fiction and on Wattpad, but for an established author give it a go- that's ballsy.
Bottom line- if you're a fan of the John Rain series here's a new book for you.
March 5, 2016
Praise for the B-Team
John Rain: The B-Team is an excellent, non-stop thriller. When Rain is hired to eliminate the head of a yakuza (one of Japan's largest clans), it starts as an in and out job for him, but that quickly changes when he realizes that there's much more to this assignment. When he ends up "working" with a Kyoto police officer, Sasaki, things become even more complicated. The twists and turns of this thriller make it a page turner. I highly recommend it!
John Rain: The B-Team is an excellent, non-stop thriller. When Rain is hired to eliminate the head of a yakuza (one of Japan's largest clans), it starts as an in and out job for him, but that quickly changes when he realizes that there's much more to this assignment. When he ends up "working" with a Kyoto police officer, Sasaki, things become even more complicated. The twists and turns of this thriller make it a page turner. I highly recommend it!
April 9, 2016
Good Read
I found this to be very informative and interesting. I haven't been able to figure out what John Rains ethnicity is. I am guessing he is Asian American.
I found this to be very informative and interesting. I haven't been able to figure out what John Rains ethnicity is. I am guessing he is Asian American.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews