Okay, time for a few John Rain announcements: the new book; the upcoming tour; where I really worked in the US government…
The new book: “Killing Rain” hits bookstores on June 23. Its pre-publication reviews have been raves: Publisher’s Weekly calls it “taut and compelling;” Kirkus says “a thriller as straight as an arrow;” Deadly Pleasures gives it an “A” and says “No one is writing a better thriller series today than Barry Eisler.” You can read more at:
http://www.barryeisler.com/en/reviews.htm
The previous book in the series, “Rain Storm,” will be out in paperback at the same time as “Killing Rain.” Rain Storm won the Mystery Ink Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of 2004 — against a field of terrific finalists that included Robert Ferrigno, Alan Furst, Dean Koontz, and Daniel Silva — and has been nominated for the Deadly Pleasures Barry Award, also for Best Thriller of 2004. Go John Rain!
The tour: at almost 30 cities, this one is the biggest yet. We’ll be kicking off at Kepler’s in Menlo Park as always on June 23 (with a get-together afterward at Cafe Borrone next door — bring a signed copy of one of the Rain books for your complimentary wine); after that, I’ll be in San Francisco, Corte Madera, Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Scottsdale, Tucson, CIA Headquarters in Langley, Bethesda, Bryn Mawr, Houston, Dallas, Wichita, Hazelwood, Lexington, Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, Okemos, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Denver, Boulder, and Sacramento. Hoo-ah! For details, go to:
http://www.barryeisler.com/en/press.htm
Where I really worked for the USG: sorry I’ve been vague about it for all these years, and it’s true that my paychecks came from the US State Department, as my website always said… but in fact, from 1989 to 1992 I held a covert position with the CIA. The subject has come up frequently at book signings and in correspondence with fans, and I finally decided to apply for a change of status so I could be a bit more forthcoming about the subject. Crimespree magazine ( http://www.crimespreemag.com ) will have more on this in its July issue; for now, take a peek at my updated bio and the amusing photo at:
http://www.barryeisler.com/en/biography.htmhttp://www.barryeisler.com/en/faq.htm
Other news: There’s a new section on my website called “Places,” with photos of many of the locales that appear in the Rain books. If you’re curious, check out:
http://www.barryeisler.com/en/places.htm
And if you’re traveling to any of the locations that appear in the books (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Manila, Osaka, Phuket, Rio, Tokyo), you can find contact information for all Rain’s haunts at:
http://www.barryeisler.com/en/places2.htm
Also, I’ve signed with Putnam for another two Rain books, so expect more Rain in the forecast. No new news on “John Rain: The Major Motion Picture,” but Barrie Osborne (Oscar-winning producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Three Dogs & A Pony, who hold the option now, are as good as it gets and if anyone can bring Rain to the big screen, they can.
That’s all for now — hope to see you somewhere in the country during the tour. And I hope you’ll enjoy the new book!
— Barryhttp://www.barryeisler.com