The Killer Collective

John Rain #10

by Barry Eisler

A fast-paced, page-turning novel of betrayal, vengeance, and depraved secrets in high places from the New York Times bestselling author of the John Rain and Livia Lone series.

When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international child pornography ring gets too close to certain powerful people, sex-crimes detective Livia Lone becomes the target of a hit that barely goes awry—a hit that had been offered to John Rain, a retired specialist in killings appearing to be from “natural causes.”

Suspecting that the FBI themselves were behind the attack, Livia reaches out to former marine sniper Dox. Together, they assemble an ad hoc team to identify and neutralize the threat: Rain; Rain’s estranged lover, Mossad agent and honey-trap specialist Delilah; black op soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larison; and their former commander, SpecOps legend Colonel Scott “Hort” Horton.

Moving from Japan to Seattle to DC to Paris, the group fights a series of interlocking conspiracies, each edging closer and closer to the highest levels of the US government.

With uncertain loyalties, conflicting agendas, and smoldering romantic entanglements, this group is hardly a team. But in a match as uneven as this one, a collective of killers might be just what they need.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Crime

417 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2019

About the author

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan Judo Institute along the way. Eisler’s award-winning thrillers have been included in numerous “Best Of” lists, have been translated into nearly twenty languages, and include the #1 bestsellers Livia Lone, The Night Trade, and The Killer Collective. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he's not writing novels, blogs about national security and the media. www.barryeisler.com

Series:
* John Rain

Reviews

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The killing business has its own gravitational pull, and if you get too close, or stay too long, you'll never break free."

Man oh man, Barry Eisler knows how to write thrillers! His books featuring "retired" hitman John Rain, and his newer books featuring troubled sex crimes detective Livia Lone are fantastic, but this one really hits a home run. Way to get my heart pounding!

Livia is leading the Seattle Police Department's involvement with the FBI in a joint investigation of a child pornography ring when she and a consultant discover that there are some pretty influential people caught in this horrible, tangled web. But as Livia searches to identify the culprits, the investigation is quickly shut down.

Of course, Livia is not one to be easily dissuaded—until she finds herself the target of an attempt on her life. If it weren't for her police-sharpened instincts and her martial arts skills, she probably would have been killed, but instead, you should see the other guys. Still, it doesn't take an investigative genius to know that she has stirred up a hornet's nest, and it's one that is going to get infinitely more dangerous if she doesn't drop the matter. And the likelihood of Livia walking away from children being put in the worst kind of danger is nil.

Ironically, the hit on Livia, along with two other people, was originally offered to John Rain, who refused, both on principle (he never kills women) and because he didn't like the attitude of the person trying to hire him. This refusal proves to be a bit dangerous for him and two former colleagues who connected him with the potential customer. Suddenly Rain's retirement looks to be a thing of the past, as he tries to figure out what is behind all of the violence.

When Livia calls on former Marine sniper (and Rain's best friend) Dox for help out of her predicament, he turns to Rain. It doesn't take long before they've essentially created a squad of highly trained killers to try and go after the mastermind of the whole circle of violence. In addition to Rain, Dox, and Livia, there's Rain’s estranged lover (and Mossad agent) Delilah, lethal black ops soldier Daniel Larison, and their former commander, Colonel Scot “Hort” Horton. No one should want to cross this group—but they know all too well someone will, soon enough.

The race to kill before being killed, and capture the person behind the hit on Livia and the squelching of the child pornography investigation takes the group across the world, before everything explodes in Paris. Lives are at stake, but so are some complex emotions—love, anger, fear, loyalty, betrayal, and revenge.

The Killer Collective meshes together Rain, Livia, and characters from Eisler's previous books so well. While there are references to previous books, even I didn't read some of them, and yet I didn't find that a problem at all. Not only is there some fantastic action, double-crosses, and impressive weaponry, but Eisler doesn't just give you stock characters—these are complex characters with layers of emotional baggage and, in some cases, long-standing friendships and relationships. This makes the book so much richer.

The book takes a little time to build up momentum as it sets everything up, but once it does...boom! There was just so much to like about this book, the same way I've felt about every one of Eisler's books I've read through the years. For me, having Rain, Dox, and Delilah together felt like dropping in on old friends, and adding Livia to the mix added to the book's complexity and emotion.

Essentially, Eisler has created a more literary version of The Expendables—that movie series that brought together Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and other action heroes.

Amazon First Reads and Thomas & Mercer provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read many of this author’s previous books & his Graveyard of Memories remains one of my favourites of the last few years. So when I heard there was a new John Rain, I got a tad excited. If you’re also a fan, you’ll be happy to know some other familiar faces tag along for the ride in this fast paced crossover with the Livia Lone series.

John has been trying his hand at retirement but with mixed results. So he’s more than a little intrigued when a mysterious job offer comes his way. One million dollars to take out 3 people at different levels of law enforcement. But one of them is a female cop. John may be an assassin but he does have a few rules, one of which is no women. No deal.

Meanwhile in Seattle, detective Livia Lone is spitting nails. Just when she was getting close to identifying those behind a child pornography ring, the investigation was shut down by the FBI. She’s pretty sure she knows why. And it would explain why someone just tried to kill her. She needs an ally, preferably one with a loose grip on that “law & order” thing. Hmm...wonder if Dox is busy?

Dox worked with Livia on a previous case (The Night Trade) & lets just say she made quite an impression. When she calls for help he wastes no time catching the next flight to Seattle. The bad news is the situation is worse than he thought. The good news is he knows just who to call for back-up.

And just like that an old team is reunited. John, Larison, Horton, Dox, Kanezaki, Treven….it’s like one of those all-star superhero movies but without capes. Or tights. Instead we get a who’s who of characters from all of Eisler’s series. When the action shifts to Paris they are joined by Delilah, Mossad agent & John’s old flame. Yikes, the band really is back together.

If you’ve read this author before you know what to expect. Breath taking action sequences, interesting characters & meticulous research into the worlds of geopolitics & spy craft. What’s new here is a focus on the softer sides of these hard men. I mean they actually have conversations about *gulp* feelings. Yup, he’s thrown a little romance into the mix.

There are multiple twists & turns that keep you guessing as to who is on the same side. The pace is relentless but try to conserve a little energy for the rollercoaster of a finale. Rain’s crew may be made up of hired killers but you’ll cheer them on as they come up against ethically challenged politicians & greedy businessmen. It can be enjoyed as rip roaring stand alone but these characters have complex back stories so you’ll definitely get more from it if you’ve bumped into them before.

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

First there was Livia and she was all kinds of badass. Here was a character of integrity I could totally get behind.

Then there was the pairing of Livia and Dox/Carl, the charismatic Texan sniper, which was genius. Who doesn't love to laugh with and at good ole Dox? Apparently even Livia gets this big oaf's charm and is uniquely qualified to understand his "je ne sais quoi".

But I spent the last two books in the Livia Lone series aching to get a glimpse of John Rain. Yeah, yeah, he's retired from "the life", but surely we can't keep him away from all the fun in another kill-before-you're-killed race against (yet again) both time and sickeningly powerful men.

"Is this what you call retirement? Danger and intrigue and killing?"

In The Killer Collective, John finally arrives, collected together with all my favorite major players from Eisler's world of vigilante justice and contract killing.

YES, THE WHOLE GANG IS FINALLY TOGETHER.

This time our endearingly damaged, but highly effective, collection of misfits bands together to tackle a particularly vile group of US government employees indulging in a child sex ring called Hurtcore. This is such an evil and disturbing global organization, one that violently damages children physically and breaks them emotionally to get their jollies.

(A quick Google shows this is no fabrication on Eisler's part. Hurtcore is real and even more nefarious than he lets on. Props to the author for not indulging in details, because these pedos are sicker than sick. If only OUR world had the powerhouse of Rain-Livia-Dox and The Killer Collective to take down these darkweb deviants in real life.)

I can never get enough of the nonstop action that always finds John Rain, Dox, Livia, Delilah and the rest of these noble badasses. If these books ever stop, I don't know what I'll do, except reread myself silly through the series again and again. And again.

But there was enough foreshadowing at the end to assure me there will certainly be a Livia Lone #4. My money says it'll be called, or at least themed, "The Reckoning". Bad guys beware: retaliate against Livia and she will most certainly take you DOWN.

[Andrew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Eisler’s series featuring assassin John Rain for some time now. I’ve found him to be a rather more developed character than some other fictional exterminators. I also like the the fact that he appears to have at least some morals and shows appreciation for some of the finer things in life, such as a decent dram of whiskey. More recently I’ve also enjoyed Eisler’s new series of books which have introduced Seattle PD sex crimes detective Livia Lone, a feisty and independent woman who survived an horrific ordeal and now ruthlessly chases down perpetrators, often dispensing her own brutal form of justice.

Here we first witness Liva unearthing an international child pornography ring before surviving an assassination attempt. In the aftermath of this near miss she discovers that the order for the hit is likely to be linked to her current case and could even have been ordered from within the ranks of the FBI. Meanwhile we catch up with Rain who, as it happens, has just turned down a job (that of killing Livia) because he refuses to kill women and children. Now an attempt is also made to take his life. This action causes Rain to pull together a small army of contacts (characters readers of Eisler’s books will be familiar with) to track down and neutralise those responsible for this action.

As the two parts of the story merge there is an element of one of those films where all the Marvel superheroes come together to participate in one big adventure. This does dilute the amount of time spend on any touchy feely stuff, but that’s not really what these books are about and the upside is that there is a good deal of action here. And Eisler does action extremely well, choreographing scenes expertly and drawing the reader into the fighting with clear and precise commentary. Towards the end there is time for a little update on relationship issues and I wonder if we’re seeing the author sign off on John Rain’s career? Time will tell.

Another first-rate adventure from a writer I have ever growing admiration for. My sincere thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Rain is a hitman offered a job targeting three individuals. He turns down the job, but is swept up in the action when one of the targets, Livia Lone, survives the attempted hit. Not only is John involved, but so are various others with connections to Rain and Livia.

Told using alternating points of view, this novel has a lot of characters and multiple storylines. Even though there was a lot going on, it was easy to follow and everything was wrapped up by the end.

This book is part of a series. Actually, it's part of multiple series by Barry Eisler. I didn't realize that when I picked it as my First Reads book this month, but, fortunately, it was easily read as a standalone. This is book 10 in the John Rain series, book 3 in the Livia Lone series, and book 4 in the Ben Treven series. John Rain is a "retired" hitman. Livia Lone is a sex crimes detective. Ben Treven is a black ops soldier. I'm sure readers of these series get more from the book than I did, since they would already be familiar with the backstories of the characters. Still, I found it to be a good, fast-paced read. I may look into the earlier books in these series.

This thriller involves multiple government agencies. From Seattle PD to the FBI to the Secret Service. A fast-paced thriller with sex crimes, black ops, and multiple bad guys. Intriguing, complex, and exciting.

This book was my pick for Amazon's First Reads in January 2019.

[Alex ♈ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The war to protect children from predators is a war everyone should fight."

This book includes the characters from this author's different series. I read only Livia Lone and she was my main point of interest in this story.

Flove this woman - a real fighter!
Strong female with a heart of gold.
They showed the vulnerable part of her, but still with a backbone of steal.

I respect the hell out if this author for touching the topic of child abuse with dignity and respect for victims, and telling the depth of disturbing network of the most disgusting human garbage - paedophiles. And for fighting for JUSTICE!

The real action took place in the last 20%. But the investigation and planning was written excellent.

I sincerely hope it's not the last book about Livia. This amazing woman is a person our world needs more and more!!!

"Protecting people who can’t protect themselves. It’s . . . a big deal for me."

Don't miss the notes at the end, freaking incredible the work this author done.

This book is what I call literature.
Deep, raw, thoroughly researched and intelligently written.

"The war to protect children from predators is a war everyone should fight."

"The war to protect children from predators is a war EVERYONE should fight."

"The war to protect children from predators is a war EVERYONE SHOULD FIGHT."

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livia Lone is working jointly with the FBI on breaking up a child violence/pornography ring, when their tech guy sees his own program being used to cloak identities. It's a program he sold to the Secret Service, and before they can find the culprits, their operation is closed down. Meanwhile, assassin John Rain is contacted via a former adversary, Colonel Horton, to eliminate three people via his signature kills (to look like suicides.) Rain declines when he learns one is a woman, breaking one of his cardinal rules. Instead, a female/male team tries to kill Livia as she is leaving one of the women self-defense classes she teaches, and Livia turns the tables. Her two former FBI teammates are not so lucky as their flight home explodes. John gets a bad feeling about the contract so he and Larison visit Horton, when they are attacked by a team of mercenaries and a helicopter gunship. Meanwhile, Livia calls her buddy Dox in Costa Rica, who comes to her aid. Turns out the contract came from the head of a shady U.S. government military contractor, where Ben Treven now works. When the well-protected head goes to Paris, the united band needs to enlist the help of Delilah, the Mossad-employed, honeytrap specialist, Rain's estranged girlfriend. Besides the almost non-stop action, there is a great deal of friendship, trust, and love advice flowing. The only reason for 4 stars, instead of 5, is the three POVs, which should have been only two.

[Adah Udechukwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Killer Collective was nice and action-packed. It's flaw was that there were too many protagonists.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was hoping this would be the greatest book ever. This is the 10th book to feature John Rain and the 3rd to feature Livia Lone and it includes five other characters from past Eisler novels. So expectations were high. It is more a Lone book than a Rain book and I am okay with that. The problem is that there is more talk than action, too much happens in explanation, and I don't need the sex. There are two great action set pieces and the comradery is lots of fun. Definitely for fans of the author. Extra note: I listened to the audiobook and Eisler does all the narration and does a nice job with the voices and reading.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Да помрънкам малко - много по-добре си беше, когато Рейн сан сам си вършеше цялата работа.

Бари се е напънал да работи в посока, която не му се отдава и като резултат книгата е разводнена и слабичка.

Романсът на Докс е просто смехотворен!

Дано я зареже тая линия на развитие, защото иначе мъките ни няма да имат край.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve sped through the Livia Lone series in the past month, because I have an ARC of book four, which is published this week, and it seemed important to read them in order. I haven’t read any of the John Rain or Ben Treven books, but will be rectifying that in due course. This book is like an Avengers ensemble of all Eisler’s assassins, which I’m sure would mean most to those who already know the other characters, but there’s enough backstory that it wasn’t a problem that I didn’t. It was still predominantly a Livia Lone story.

Set a year after the events of The Night Trade, Seattle Sex Crimes Detective Livia has been busy tracking a paedophile ring indulging in hurtcore, a practice so horrendous that Eisler doesn’t actually describe it, with the help of a white hat hacker. When he uncovers links to the Secret Service, attempts are made to shut them down. We then learn that the baddie had approached retired contract killer John Rain to do the hit, but he had declined mainly because he refuses to target women, and this made him a target too. Livia reaches out to her former lover, sniper Dox, who just happens to be Rain’s best friend, and thus is the collective assembled, with the goal of taking down the evildoers.

The story is told from multiple points of view, with only Rain using first person narration. This wasn’t a problem, but it did mean it slowed the pace right down, and having so many heroes all come together meant there was a lot more talk than action. Seeing how such different personalities interact was part of the fun, but it stopped it being much of a thriller, and even the chase/fight/capture scenes all went too smoothly - with one exception (no spoilers!) It felt like the author couldn’t bear to let any of them be less than perfect killers or make any mistakes. I didn’t like the use of coincidence to bring Rain in - that felt lazy, and unnecessary as Dox could’ve asked him for help and then reached out to the others.

I’m generally an anti-romance reader, but did enjoy the relationship between Dox and Livia, which began in the previous book, and I hope he will feature in the next one. You’d better not kill him off, Barry! I also look forward to getting to know Delilah when I get around to the Rain series as she was cool too.
I’ve been mostly critical here but I did really enjoy it, and am just explaining what stopped me giving it the 5 stars I gave the previous one.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

Eisler is somewhat hit and miss with me. The first four books of the John Rain series were some of the best books of the period, but in 2006, something happened, and it felt like he lost something.

I'm not a big fan of Ben Treven or Livia Lone.

When Eisler brings his characters together, it seems like he gets his mojo back.

Livia Lone is involved with an FBI-Seattle investigation of a child pornography ring, and the FBI shuts it down. Shortly afterward, apparent professional assassins try to kill her. She calls Dox, who just so happens to be John Rain's best friend in the whole world. The rest of the gang gets involved, too.

The book manages to overcome its cliches, and is a contender for best espionage book of the year. A death really surprised me, but I think Eisler must have worked out the issues the character was created to resolve. At least, that's what it feels like to me.

Recommended.

[Authentikate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t normally read books like this, but thanks do NetGalley who provided an arc in exchange for honest review, I took a chance.

Glad I did!

This book follows a cast of characters through a high-octane, multi-region, high stakes suspense. There’s Livia, a strong, female Seattle cop who works on sex crimes (in this one she’s tracking down a child pornography ring). Rain, Horton and Larison are three unsavory, complicated, likable hit men. Some ansillary characters include Dox, Delilah, and Ben. No one knows who can be fully trusted (their pasts together are complicated).

The plot is straightforward: secret service agents are suspected in trafficking child porn and a government contractor is put in place to clean up the mess (specifically take out the cop, a computer hacker working with her, and his FBI boss). Rain is contacted for the hit but he declines. Once the hit is laid, Livia contacts a friend, Dox, who’s association pulls in the Killer Collective.

There’s a bunch of action from the get-go and despite the book being a series, one doesn’t need to be familiar with the cast or the previous events to get sucked it. Another nice thing for me, one doesn’t need to know military or CIA jargon either.

It’s a fun read, with interesting characters who shine despite (or maybe because...) flaws. Part cop noir part spy-like genre, there’s enough in here to keep the pages turning. No real surprises but that’s ok.

Thanks to NetGalley who provided arc in exchange for honest review.

[Ryan Steck · Rating 5 out of 5]

New York Times bestselling author Barry Eisler (The Night Trade) merges his two most popular franchises in his latest action-packed thriller.

This time around, Detective Livia Lone of the Seattle PD sex crimes unit has her eyes set on bringing down an evil child pornography ring. Because the ring has gone international, though, it’s a federal case, and Lone is forced to partake in a joint investigation between the Seattle police department and the FBI.

After making headway on the case, Lone is the victim of an assassination attempt, narrowly escaping with her life. Things take a turn, however, when she discovers that those behind the attempted hit may be linked to the FBI. Searching for help, Lone turns to former Marine sniper Dox, whom she partnered with in The Night Trade, and the duo realizes that someone tried to kill Lone in order to keep her from exposing a bigger conspiracy. Worse, the people she’s after prove to be nearly unreachable and impossible to get to, though Lone isn’t one to give up or shy away from such a challenge.

As the story unfolds, it’s revealed that retired hitman John Rain (The Zero Sum, 2017, etc.) previously turned down the job to take out Lone, paving the way for their paths to cross. Rain, an elite killer who specializes in making it appear as though his targets died of natural causes . . .


Continue reading this review here: https://therealbookspy.com/2018/11/25...

[Eric_W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a couple in the John Rain series and generally liked them. This one, ostensibly in that series, was told from the POV of several of Eisler's other characters. Oddly, even thought those chapters were told in the first person, they all seemed the same with very little differentiation. The idea that a group of mercenaries could band together, leaving havoc in their wake, is implausible at best. There was little subtlety in any of the characters and the attempts at love scenes were painful and unrevealing character-wise. I was disappointed.

[Laura Noggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty hard to beat the first two Livia Lone books, especially the first. This book was a fun quick read (2 days), but the one drawback would probably be the over abundance of characters.

Not having read any of the John Rain or Ben Treven books, it was a little hard to keep track/catch up with all the characters and their backstories/interactions.

Still, this book was fun and I am here for more Livia and Dox. Too bad I have to wait till September for the next installment.

Might start the John Rain series, but I think Livia Lone will always be my favorite Barry Eisler character — she is the ultimate Lisbeth Salander + Dexter Morgan combo!

“First was the fewer, not less. Now it was the care in avoiding a preposition at the end of a sentence. An educated man, presumably. Precise. Apparently fussy about small-minded rules, perhaps to compensate for a willingness to ignore large ones.”

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of The Killer Collective can be found at High Fever Books.

Ever since Barry Eisler’s newest series character Liva Lone appeared on the scene in her eponymous 2016 debut, I was waiting for the day she would cross paths with the author’s original creation, John Rain. Finally, that day has come, and the two — along with their many and various colleagues — share page space in The Killer Collective.

Like Eisler’s 2011 novel, The Detatchment, The Killer Collective brings together all of the various characters he’s written about over the years, Avengers-style. As such, this book wears a lot of hats and its characters have their own already-deeply established relationships and web of networks. The Killer Collective is the tenth John Rain thriller, the third in Livia Lone’s series, and the fourth Ben Treven book. Although Eisler gives enough information about each of these characters and their histories to make this an accessible introduction for new readers, long-time fans will likely find a lot more to appreciate given their built-in familiarity with the diverse and storied cast after having come to know all the different faces here over the last couple decades.

While investigating a child sex abuse ring Livia uncovers connections to several Secret Service agents, which quickly makes her a target for assassination. Needing her death to look natural, John Rain is contacted through a cutout, but he refuses to kill women and children and turns down the job. The inquiry, though, is enough to pique his interest and draw him out of retirement in order to find more information on who attempted to hire him. Soon enough, he’s drawn into Livia’s orbit thanks to a mutual acquaintance, his friend Dox, who also partnered with Livia in The Night Trade.

Given the large cast surrounding Livia and Rain, there isn’t a lot of time to develop deep emotional connections between the reader and the characters. However, those who have been with Eisler and his creations for the long haul already know these operatives and assassins intimately. It’s a handy shortcut to rely on, and it allows Eisler to focus hard on the action and keep the book moving at a rapid-fire pace.

The Killer Collective moves hard and fast as Rain and his reassembled detachment go on the offensive to target those who have put them in the cross-hairs, and the action sequences are delightfully large-screen in their scope. Between helicopter attacks, pinpointing a sniper’s den, and becoming embroiled in a massive shootout at a French bar, neither the reader nor the detachment have a lot of room in which to breath and slowing down isn’t an option.

While the book moves along a frenetic pace, Eisler’s depiction of action and tactics is as sharp as ever. He cleanly portrays violence, letting you see every step of the assault, inside and out. The action is high and mighty violent, but also psychologically complex. He gets us into the heads of these operators as they stage an execution or prepare a counter-offensive assault, understanding the mental and emotional components to their physical actions, how it will make their targets feel instinctively and how those feelings can be further leveraged to achieve their goals.

The characters are also deeply aware of their comrades subtexts, thanks in part to their long relationships or because of their own inclinations. As I said earlier, I’d been waiting to see how Livia and Rain would get on, and in fact it’s nicely subdued. Both recognize elements of themselves in the other and understand the natural boundaries that exist around them. They’re damaged loners, but also deeply professional and aware of the deep, unspoken currents residing in the other’s psyches, even if they don’t know each others actual histories very well. Ultimately, their relationship is one built upon mutual respect, and I dug that aspect a lot. It’s hard to say if they’ll ever meet again, but as a one-off it’s a satisfying exploration and the inciting elements that bring them together are nicely, chaotically staged.

The Killer Collective is not as deeply emotional as prior books in Eisler’s oeuvre, particularly the grueling debut of our latest series heroine in Livia Lone, but it does have plenty of other rewards and more than its fair share of thrills. And when it comes to staging and exploring violence from the head-space of trained killers, nobody does it better than Barry Eisler. The Killer Collective is an adrenaline-fueled marathon run of action and conspiracy from beginning to end, filled with plenty of combat and movie screen-ready violence that’s more satisfying than ten of Hollywood’s biggest summer blockbusters. Now…when’s the next one releasing?

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selected this because I really like the John Rain series. Imagine my surprise--and pleasure--when I discovered a cast of characters from previous Rain novels, several I don't even recognize! (Of course, as someone who doesn't remember plots, I don't remember characters well either, so I may simply have forgotten--or there are a bunch of Eisler's books I've missed. Lucky me! Several winging their way to my library now.) As in all the Rain books, there are interesting, thoughtful characters (though perhaps less of that here since there are so many leads), lots of violence, a rather predictable plot with the required massive shootout at the end and the good guys winning. It was just the kind of book I was in the mood for--very satisfying with added elements of romance and humor. Humor! Who would have expected that--and since I saw that in none of the reviews of the print edition, I wonder if it's in the audio, in Eisler's excellent reading--that it comes out. The dialog involving Dox--a Texas assassin smitten with Livia Lone, a Seattle sex crimes officer--made me laugh out loud. The book starts with Lone's investigation of a Seattle rapist and a more secret investigation into a child porn ring involving the secret service. When someone shuts that investigation down and murders one of the investigators in a plane crash, Lone and the rest of the crew--Rain, Dox, Ben Treven, Larison, and others--get involved. It's a nasty business. Conspiracies and double crosses, and lots of tension; this is no band of brothers but skilled killers who have often been at odds in the past. As always we're privy to the inner doubts and fears of the characters and see them plan their attacks step by step. I'm sure it's a good read, but if you want the added element of snappy, humorous dialog, go with the audio.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite book by Eisler is still God's Eye, but I like technothrillers. This book gives a nod in that direction by turning up some online abuse crime, but the net techie almost instantly gets killed and the rest of the net comment is reduced to wondering who the criminals were. I have read Livia Lone but not anything about assassin John Rain nor about Ben Treven, whatever he was, which isn't clear to me; he's now a flunky for a for-profit mercenary firm.

I tend not to read about male assassins, but Livia is a Seattle police officer. Odd, then, that once Livia survives an attempt on her life, she takes up with male assassins. I found it a very forced join between the series. However, there are big action scenes like a hit team and a helicopter turning up to a house in the woods, a sniper across the Seattle city river to be located, a minutely choreographed few sequences in Parisian streets and more guns than you could imagine, given you can't fly with guns. Once the action starts it is very well written.

Many deaths, some quite obnoxious. Strong language, and some adult activity. Sadly, no great conversation, and apart from one protagonist speaking in first person and the others telling their stories in turn in third person (I lost count how many) I found it hard to tell the men apart. They all just sounded American gung ho to me. This is why you need to keep the hacker alive. For some intelligent conversation, which doesn't venerate guns.

Given the above I will still give the book four stars, because I like Livia and the action was a good read. Also, the warning that giant firms are profiting hugely from Middle Eastern wars, and thus have nothing to gain by stability returning to the region, as remarked by journalist Antony Loewenstein among others, is well worth putting in fiction print.

Thanks to Fresh Fiction for supplying my ARC. This is an unbiased review.

[Chuck Kechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be one of the best books I've read in the last (linear) year!

I devoured the book in a twenty-four hour period - something I haven't done in the last few years.

The Killer Collective brings together a bunch of Eisler's characters: John Rain, Livia Lone, Dox, "the angel of death" Larison, Ben Treven, Colonel Horton, Delilah (yay!)...

For me - having Rain, Dox, and Delilah together felt like seeing old friends, and adding Livia into the mix added to the book's complexity and emotion - as well as providing the impetus (based on real types of crimes) for the novel.

There are references to several of Eisler's previous novels, but even if you didn't read some of them, it wouldn't be a problem. There is great action, impressive gadgetry and weaponry, intrigue, and romance.

This book reminds me of a literary version of the Expendables, but deeper and with more heart!

While I could go on about the specifics of the book, I won't. I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone. :)

I will say that I would recommend this to pretty much anyone I know!

[Debi Hawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Amazon First selection for me. I had decided to try something out of my "norm" and didn't realize I had landed in the middle of not one, but 2 series! But, it really didn't matter, I soon picked up on previous relationships and was able to thoroughly enjoy the story. Lots of intrigue, action, and a despicable storyline. Fun read.

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

EISLER is a skilled author that in this Killer Collective brings together main characters from his other series books. I have read all of the Livia Lone books and just love Dox! I have not read any of the John Rain books but he showed himself to be a complex character and no doubt why there are nine others in his series. "A copy of this book was provided by Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." A book that has both the Good Cop - -Bad Cop theme. Also mentioned his other book the God's EYE which I have read and loved.

[Nicola Bramwell]

DNF. Too many first-person POVs. Not enough depth for any of the characters. Story feels choppy because of all the POV jumps.

[John Paxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though a mix of main characters from past books it still kept me entertained.

[Kevin Dowson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Amazon First Reads pick, and I came into it cold, not having read any of the author's previous works. As such, I was confronted with a large ensemble cast about whom I had no back story or history, but despite this the book was easy to get into in its own right. I didn't feel like I was missing pieces, or not "in on the joke", and thoroughly enjoyed the pace, the action and the characters. It has, though, certainly made me want to backtrack and fill in the history.

Like Michael Connelly, it seems Eisler has woven a "universe" for his intriguing and powerful characters to inhabit and, in some cases, interact. It seems this is not the first collaboration between some of them, but possibly the first where the full suite of protagonists come together at once. Each chapter is written from the perspective of one or other of the characters in the book (6 or 7 different voices, as far as I can recall), the only slightly unsettling aspect to this is that one of the characters is voiced in first-person whilst the rest of the book is third person. That took a little adjusting each time it moved into a "Rain" chapter, but not a big complaint.

The action comes thick and fast from almost the very beginning of the book (putting aside the scene-setting prologue which leaves a lot of unanswered questions that stay that way until close to the end), and there is a lot of it, but the action scenes never get repetitive or "samey". This assures me that the author's previous works will be well worth visiting with the promise that they will not be repetitive or dull.

The characters (all of them in one way or another) are powerful and interesting, it truly is an ensemble cast with a widely varied group, and the uneasy dynamic between them makes for a great level of drama and suspense beyond that provided by the actual plot. The plot itself unravels rapidly as the book goes on, but never runs out of steam, and doesn't fall into the common trap of exhausting itself before the climax. The good guys are suitably dark and morally questionable, and the bad guys are truly despicable. The global settings are well researched and used to great effect. Overall a great read which I went through at a fast pace (in my usual half-hour bite sized reading opportunities) because it kept me gripped throughout. Highly recommended, and I will definitely be going after Eisler's back catalogue.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this one, which is the tenth John Rain thriller, the third in the Livia Lone series, and the fourth Ben Treven outing. Like 2011's The Detatchment, Eisler, reminding us of "The Avengers," brings together all of the different characters we've grown to love over the years. Each of the characters already has well established relationships and networks all over the world. It was both great fun and edge of your seat suspense. I disagree with the reviewer that complained of too much killing. Every one was fine with me, and most even expected, IMHO. The character of my recent favorite, Livia Lone, grows as we learn a bit more of how she operates. Can't wait for her next stand-alone. John Rain, a past favorite, isn't as much fun now that he has "retired," but he's still the only one who gets to tell his part in the first person. The whole book is a treat for Eisler fans, but the last 15% of this one is truly edge of your seat stuff. There is a major and tragic shock in this ending, and it made me sad. But the loose ends are all tied up and we are left breathless but now looking for the next one. Eisler knows what he's doing and is one of the best.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst book Eisler has written, but overall it’s disappointing.

Eisler wrote some very good paragraphs, some showing keen insight into the human condition. Ultimately, though, the book is tedious and simply goes on too long. Eisler, like many writers in the genre, goes to great lengths to establish credibility, such as providing detailed information on weapons and locations, but he fails to address, much less correct, fundamental issues such as the nature of his characters’ work and their value as human beings. For example, Livia Lone is a Seattle police officer, albeit a murderous avenging angel. Why is she associating with hired killers and mercenaries?

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of ex special ops some semi retired get together to help Liva Lone a Seattle detective working with a pedophile task force to track down a particularly nasty gang that seems to have Secret Service connections. When the head of the task force summarily shut it down with no explanation Liva is angered and when she becomes the target of two lethal attacks she gets in touch with her friend and the subsequent actions send them to Paris in track of the leaders of the gangs. Interesting characters and plenty of action in this one.

[Carol Schaal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This thriller is a quick, easy page-turner. I haven't read any of Eisler's other books, and that was my problem with this one. I felt as though I was dropped in the middle of the story. Apparently the characters appear in other series written by Eisler.

The author is a good writer and knows how to create suspense, but if you want a stand-alone, I would not recommend this.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and lots of action. There was just so much going on. The stories of the operatives worlds and backgrounds had a lot of intermingling. Great plot and kept me interested.