Zero Sum
A John Rain Novel
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Narrated by:
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Barry Eisler
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By:
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Barry Eisler
About this listen
Returning to Tokyo in 1982 after a decade of mercenary work in the Philippines, a young John Rain learns that the killing business is now controlled by Victor, a half-Russian, half-Japanese sociopath who has ruthlessly eliminated all potential challengers. Victor gives Rain a choice: kill a government minister or die a grisly death. But the best route to the minister is through his gorgeous Italian wife, Maria, a route that puts Rain on a collision course not only with Victor but with the shadowy forces behind the Russian's rise to dominance - and the longings of Rain's own conflicted heart.
It's a battle between kingpin and newcomer, master and apprentice, a zero-sum contest that can only end with one man dead and the other the world's foremost assassin.
©2017 Barry Eisler (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Neuromancer in the Middle East
- By David on 07-28-13
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The American
- Ryan Kealey, Book 1
- By: Andrew Britton
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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At 33, Ryan Kealey has achieved more in his military and CIA career than most men can dream of in a lifetime. He's also seen the worst life has to offer and is lucky to have survived it. But being left alone with his demons is no longer an option. The CIA needs him badly, because the enemy they're facing is former U.S. soldier Jason March. Ryan knows all about March - he trained him.
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Decent Characters, Decent Plot, AWFUL Production
- By ShelterMe on 11-08-14
By: Andrew Britton
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The Face of Deception
- By: Iris Johansen
- Narrated by: Jill Hennessy
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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A forensic sculptor with the rare gift for reconstructing the identity of the dead from their skulls, Eve Duncan is made an offer she can't financially refuse: to reconstruct the face of an adult murder victim. It's a simple bargain, yet its' the most dangerous one she'll ever make.
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Great story; poor narration
- By Steve on 05-28-06
By: Iris Johansen
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Dying Bites
- Bloodhound Files, Book 1
- By: D. D. Barant
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Her job description is the "tracking and apprehension of mentally-fractured killers". What this really means in FBI profiler Jace Valchek's brave new world - one in which only one percent of the population is human - is that a woman's work is never done. And real is getting stranger every day. Jace has been ripped from her reality by David Cassius, the vampire head of the NSA. He knows that she's the best there is in the business, and David needs her help in solving a series of gruesome murders of vampires and werewolves.
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Not a yawner!
- By K on 09-17-12
By: D. D. Barant
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Hunter
- A Thriller
- By: Robert Bidinotto
- Narrated by: Conor Hall
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From its first moments, Hunter takes you on a nonstop thrill ride: from the top floor of the CIA, to the marbled corridors of Capitol Hill...from the posh hotels of downtown Washington, to the city's mean, violent streets. It introduces a colorful new hero for our time - and a dazzling heroine every bit his equal. A spy mystery...a crime thriller...a passionate romance: Hunter is a genre-bending novel unlike any you've read. Deviously plotted, filled with vivid characters, and propelled at a breakneck pace.
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Best Vigilante Story since Without Remorse
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 04-16-16
By: Robert Bidinotto
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Weapons of Choice
- Axis of Time, Book 1
- By: John Birmingham
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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History is rewritten in an instant as the future smashes into the past, and high-tech hardware goes head to head with World War Two technology. In the chaos that ensues, thousands are killed, but the maelstrom has only just begun. The veterans of Pearl Harbor have never seen a helicopter, or a cruise missile - let alone nanotechnology, ceramic bullets, and F22 Raptor stealth jetfighters. Allied and Axis forces are then caught in a desperate struggle to gain the upper hand.
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The story line is a political stretch
- By Bruce on 04-18-15
By: John Birmingham
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Poe
- An Alexandra Poe Thriller, Book 1
- By: Brett Battles, Robert Gregory Browne
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
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After losing her mother to a terrorist attack, Alexandra Poe was devastated when her father - disgraced and accused of treason - disappeared from the face of the earth. Now, over ten years and a stint in Iraq later, Alex is approached by a man who has information about her father and wants to help her find him. But there's a catch.
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Female version of Jack Reacher
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 03-04-16
By: Brett Battles, and others
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The Rise of Io
- By: Wesley Chu
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Ella Patel, thief, con-artist and smuggler, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. One night, she happens upon a man and woman being attacked. The man freezes, leaving the woman to fight off five attackers at once, before succumbing. As she dies, to both Ella and the man's surprise, the sparkling light that rises from the woman enters Ella, instead of the man. She soon realizes she's been inhabited by Io, a low-ranking Quasing. Now Ella must help the alien presence to complete her mission.
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14 plus hours that I'll never get back.
- By Pachypanchax on 11-08-17
By: Wesley Chu
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Spycatcher
- By: Matthew Dunn
- Narrated by: Rich Orlow
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Matthew Dunn spent years as an MI6 field operative working on some of the West’s most clandestine missions. He recruited and ran agents, planned and participated in special operations, and operated deep undercover throughout the world. In Spycatcher he draws on this fascinating experience to breathe urgent, dynamic new life into the contemporary spy novel. Featuring deft and daring superspy Will Cochrane, Dunn paints a nerve-jangling, bracingly authentic picture of today’s secret world. It is a place where trust is precious and betrayal is cheap....
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Juvenile and just bad
- By R. L. Ketcham on 08-30-11
By: Matthew Dunn
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Open Season
- The Joe Gunther Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Archer Mayor
- Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
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Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont, police force has a serious problem: in a community where a decade could pass without a single murder, the body count is suddenly mounting. Innocent citizens are being killed - and others set up - seemingly orchestrated by a mysterious ski-masked man. Signs suggest that a three-year-old murder trial might lie at the heart of things, but it's a case that many in the department would prefer remained closed. A man of quiet integrity, Lt. Gunther knows that he must pursue the case to its conclusion, wherever it leads.
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don't be offended by the characters language
- By Tony B on 12-23-20
By: Archer Mayor
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Bonded by Blood
- A Sweetblood Novel
- By: Laurie London
- Narrated by: Antonia Laury
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
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Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity and Darkblood rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors.
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So Freakin' Boring
- By Lucylu on 02-28-11
By: Laurie London
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What listeners say about Zero Sum
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- WM
- 03-05-19
Barry, please never do an Italian accent again
Great book, and the author (who is also the narrator) does a great job most of the time. My only complaint is that the Italian character sounds like The Count from Sesame Street. First real narration complaint in the whole series though
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- Nellene
- 07-15-17
When the Rain began
I have not read that many John Rain books, but I always like to know where things got started. This is a good one for background. Eisler gives enough history, without boring the reader, and writes a very good story at that.
Another thing I love, is the fact that the book is written in 80's. I always think that spies and crooks alike had to be a lot clever before all the technology we are overwhelmed with today, while at the same time they had more opportunities to get away with stuff.
I loved the story as well as the performance and I hope to read, or listen to, many more
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- L.W.
- 07-13-17
John Rain, I just can't help loving him
Would you consider the audio edition of Zero Sum to be better than the print version?
I am blind. I have no idea. But I love Barry Eisler's narration
Who was your favorite character and why?
John Rain has become my favorite character of well, maybe always. I am not sure. It was odd for me as this book goes back to when he and Tot's were together. That was poignant.
I wish you could keep John Rain books coming for the rest of my life. I know Barry Eisner has other stories in him but I just have such an attachment to Rain.
Which scene was your favorite?
I find questions like this pointlessa
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
All of it
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- shelley
- 06-28-17
Welcome back John Rain!
Oh Thank You Barry Eisler! I've been hoping that John Rain would make an appearance at some point and that the author hadn't given him up. Since he has been writing some other really good stand alone books I was curious if Rain had been retired.
Anyway back to this book. Basically this book is about John Rain being set up. He's given a difficult assignment of killing a politician by an unbalanced Russian ex spetznaz who is being used by an ex CIA honcho working the wrong side now. The plan is to have Rain complete the job based on intelligence provided by them and they will kill him afterward.
It's very interesting to listen to his introspective examination of his situation and his calculations of how he he will counterattack and his anxiety over whether he can pull it off. This being a much younger John Rain, he has not yet honed his skills to the lethal weapon he will become.
I think Eisler does a fantastic job narrating his own books.
This book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Thank You.
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26 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-18-17
Eisler is the Best Narrator for hosting Books
Eisler's pronunciation of Japanese (maybe with a hint of American accent) is certainly a plus. It's nice to have Rain as. "player" again instead of wanting to quit all of the time. It gives the books that take place later in time more depth.
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5 people found this helpful
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- nona
- 11-15-19
the bad thing about this series?
it’s over! i don’t even know what to do with myself now! i guess check to see if there are any more of his books that i’ve missed, right?! cause otherwise, super sad face!=(((
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1 person found this helpful
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- Glenn
- 11-01-17
A great glimpse back
I've enjoyed the entire series of Rain books and this glimpse into his earlier days was very enjoyable and entertaining. As usual, the narrative by the author was excellent. His pronunciation of the names and places in the story is always very informative and really adds to the experience. He also is best suited for knowing exactly what he is wanting to impart with Rain. Glad to see this addition to the series.
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- joan
- 07-18-17
Love the John Rain Novels
As always with this series, great story - wonderful characters and a slice of Japan you might not get as just a visitor.
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- Wayne
- 06-28-17
Excellent John Rain suspense thriller!
Listening to Zero Sum just after completing Brad Thor's newest novel in his Scot Harvath series may have affected my rating of this John Rain novel. Although Zero Sum is Book 9 in Barry Eisler's John Rain series, it is the first in the series chronologically; it goes back to 1982 when Rain was around 30 years old. He grew up in both Japan and the US and is very fluent in both languages. Rain dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the US Army and he served in Vietnam. After that he joined the CIA briefly and then moved on to become a contract killer is Japan until he made a major error and was forced to leave the country. He moved to the Philippines for almost a decade before he became persona non grata there so he moved back to Japan in 1982 hoping he would be welcome there. That is the point that this novel starts.
I am a longtime fan of author Barry Eisler and his John Rain series. I rate most of his novels 5 star. Eisler along with his long time friend JA (Joe) Konrath are two of few well established authors with major publishing houses who moved early on to self publishing and they deserves substantial credit along with Amazon and others for bringing down the price of books. He also republished all of first six John Rain novels with new titles and with Eisler himself narrating. I've been very critical of such authors such as Lee Child and Brad Thor for republishing some of their audio novels when I already had copies of the original publication. That criticism does not apply to Barry Eisler although I already owned the original publication of his first six John Rain novels because the narration was much improved and the new versions were inexpensive. Zero Sum for example cost me only $1.99 rather than a full credit.
Eisler has been experimenting with other types of novels for several years. I am very pleased with him returning to his John Rain series. Zero Sum is an excellent addition to the John Rain series, but in my opinion it does not quite deserve 5 star rating for the story itself. Eisler demonstrates again that he is an outstanding narrator. Narration is so good that it brings the overall rating up to 5 stars.
I recommend all novels in the John Rain series because all are worthwhile and because Barry Eisler more than any other established author deserves credit for speeding the acceptance of self publishing.
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8 people found this helpful
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- T. McCloskey
- 07-26-19
Young Rain in transition
A return to early years when John Rain had yet to perfect his assasin skills to the point of making them appear to be accidents. in Tokyo he faces a multi leveled criminal/political situation including psycho Russian strong men, Japanese politics and US CIA.
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