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Barry Eisler

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The Killer Collective Kindle Edition

by Barry Eisler (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

32,323 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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An Amazon Charts, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

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 “natural causes.”

Suspecting the FBI itself was behind the attack, Livia reaches out to former Marine sniper Dox. Together, they assemble an ad hoc group to identify and neutralize the threat. There’s Rain. Rain’s estranged lover, Mossad agent and honeytrap specialist Delilah. And black ops soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larison, along with their former commander, SpecOps legend Colonel Scot “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, these operators will have a hard time forming a team. But in a match as uneven as this one, a collective of killers might be even better.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Impossibly cool.” —Entertainment Weekly

“As usual with an Eisler novel, the plot is full of twists, the prose is muscular, and the action unfolds at a torrid pace. The result is another page-turner from one of the better thriller writers since James Grady published Six Days of the Condor in 1974.” —Associated Press

“In this crackling-good thriller from bestseller Eisler, Seattle PD sex crimes detective Livia Lone, assassin John Rain, and former Marine sniper Dox form a testy alliance to combat a vile conspiracy involving corrupt and toxic government agencies…The feisty interplay among these killer elites is as irresistible as if one combined the Justice League with the Avengers, swapping out the superhero uniforms for cutting-edge weaponry and scintillating spycraft. By the satisfying conclusion, the world has been scrubbed a bit cleaner of perfidy. This is delightfully brutal fun.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Vicarious pleasure for anyone wanting to see the scum of the world get its due.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Eisler does a great job of creating individual personalities and tics with this group of uniquely trained professionals. A solid recommendation for fans of Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne and Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon.” —Library Journal

“Riveting…Barry Eisler pulls off an Avengers-like feat…” —The Mercury News

“Eisler turns the heat up like never before to deliver a fun, fast-paced thriller that’s tailor-made for fans of nonstop action.” —The Real Book Spy

“The fun of Eisler’s super thriller is in the excitement, the chase, and the survival. The Killer Collective binds it together into a blazing adventure of espionage escape fiction, perfect to start the new year.” —New York Journal of Books

“Eisler’s The Killer Collective packs a punch like a sniper’s rifle. A solid grounding in up-to-the-minute technology and current affairs makes this a hot read for thriller lovers.” —Authorlink

“A heart-pounding home run…Eisler has created a more literary version of The Expendables—the movie series that brought together Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and other action heroes…” —It’s Either Sadness or Euphoria

“Demonstrating the extraordinary expertise in the art of espionage and special operations—including surveillance detection, cover, elicitation, operational site selection, and more—that his fans and fellow practitioners have come to venerate, Eisler delivers another brilliant, fast-paced thriller, full of well-developed characters who remind me of the special operations and intelligence officers with whom I served and in some cases against whom I worked. For a retired senior CIA Clandestine Services officer still nostalgic for his espionage operations of bygone years, Eisler’s thrillers full of intrigue, adventure, and suspense are a most welcome opportunity to get as close as is now possible to the real thing.” —Daniel N. Hoffman, retired Clandestine Services officer and former CIA Chief of Station

From the Publisher

A jaded retired assassin. A police detective bent on payback. A good ol’ boy Marine sniper. A sultry Mossad agent. Is this a dream team? More like the stuff of nightmares—if you’re a criminal, that is.

For me, the uneasy collection of antiheroes who star in Barry Eisler’s latest thriller makes the book one of the most powerful and propulsive novels I’ve read in recent memory.

Brought together by a mutual desire to take down an international child-pornography ring that appears to have connections to some very powerful people, the group—which includes characters from Eisler’s bestselling John Rain and Livia Lone series—embarks on a high-stakes chase from industrial south Seattle to the Blue Ridge Mountains to the exclusive salons of Paris.

Along the way, we’re caught up in a game of cutting-edge spycraft where nothing is as it seems and the line between triumph and disaster is paper thin. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Eisler’s electrifying imagination or a brand-new reader, this collective of killers is sure to stay with you long after the final explosive pages.

- Grace Doyle, Editor

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07DL1Y4GV
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1503959286
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #97,461 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #468 in Political Thrillers & Suspense
- #534 in Assassination Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #806 in Espionage Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
32,323 ratings

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Barry Eisler

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I've been blessed with a variety of interesting jobs: a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations (now called the National Clandestine Service); attorney in an international law firm; in-house counsel at the Osaka headquarters of Panasonic; executive in a Silicon Valley technology startup.

But the best job by far has been novel writing, and who'd have guessed that my agency training, my time as a lawyer, my experiences in Japan, and a background in martial arts would form a good background for political thrillers? I get a lot of my material from actual US government craziness (assassinations, torture, indefinite imprisonment, bulk surveillance…you know, everything needed these days to to Keep Us Safe). As I like to say, what’s bad for America is good for thriller writers.

A lot of what I’ve speculated about turns out to be true: the kill list, or "International Terrorist Threat Matrix," I introduced in 2004 in Winner Take All, for example, came to light in 2012 and 2013 as the “Disposition Matrix,” courtesy of the Obama administration. The safety shortcomings of Japanese nuclear reactors I described in 2003 in A Lonely Resurrection were documented following the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe. And the pacemaker hack that kicked off my first book—A Clean Kill in Tokyo, in 2002—turns out to have been a real concern of Dick Cheney’s, as revealed in his memoirs (it also turned up in the second season of Homeland).

The books have won a bunch of awards and made various “Best of” lists, which is nice. If you want to follow what I’m up to beyond the books, Twitter’s a good bet—@barryeisler. And then there’s Facebook; the mailing list you can find on my website; and my blog, The Heart of the Matter.

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32,323 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book engaging with multiple storylines and a fast-paced narrative that draws readers in from the start. The writing quality receives praise for its sophisticated language and excellent descriptions, while the character development is appreciated for its well-established relationships and team dynamics. The book is meticulously researched with smart details, though customers disagree on how easy it is to follow. The violence level receives mixed reactions, with some finding the action scenes believable while others find them too unrealistic.

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Storyline Readability Character development Pacing Writing quality Depth Ease of follow Violence level

1,628 customers mention "Storyline"1,423 positive205 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of this book, describing it as a fast-paced, engaging tale full of action with multiple plot threads that unfolds in a suspenseful manner.

"...Those who haven't read the Rain or Livia Lone books will meet an engaging, thoughtful, intelligent, funny, and decidedly lethal cast of characters...." Read more

"This is a fast paced, action packed read. I generally enjoyed it but there were some things that bothered me...." Read more

"...There were some great references to real world events(like Snowden), a few inside jokes for those with the eyes to see it, some foreshadowing of..." Read more

"...so I went in blind, and was pleasantly surprised by an engaging story full of action, intrigue and interesting characters...." Read more

1,386 customers mention "Readability"1,340 positive46 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a real delight and an entertaining page-turner that works well as a standalone read.

"...All in all, this book was a real delight. I can't wait to read it again, and I hope there are more Livia/Rain books to come...." Read more

"...I was so excited to read The Killer Collective, as Livia Lone is one of my favorite female characters in the genres of mystery, thriller, and..." Read more

"I got this book after an Amazon recommendation and finding its synopsis interesting...." Read more

"...The characters were well thought out, and like any good book I read I can kind of see them and feel like I know them and am with them when I'm..." Read more

956 customers mention "Character development"840 positive116 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that the characters are interesting and well-written, with established relationships that form a team.

"...great, the action is fast-paced, the dialogue is sharp, and the main protagonists - all of whom are stone-cold killers - all manage to be highly..." Read more

"...The characters are all written well and stay faithful to their existing identities, but they also feel more fleshed out this time...." Read more

"...The writing and development of the characters is subtle enough that you don't feel the author is overexplaining, and the story never lingers on..." Read more

"...The characters were well thought out, and like any good book I read I can kind of see them and feel like I know them and am with them when I'm..." Read more

388 customers mention "Pacing"288 positive100 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing, describing it as a fast and quick read that grabs them from the start.

"This is a fast paced, action packed read. I generally enjoyed it but there were some things that bothered me...." Read more

"...to create a propulsive and ingenious thriller that makes perfect and at times terrifying..." Read more

"...Still, I found it to be a good, fast-paced read. I may look into the earlier books in these series...." Read more

"...However, I did feel it dragged a little in places...." Read more

318 customers mention "Writing quality"284 positive34 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its brilliant prose that translates into a fantastic read, with delightful use of sophisticated language and engaging dialogues.

"...The scenery is great, the action is fast-paced, the dialogue is sharp, and the main protagonists - all of whom are stone-cold killers - all manage..." Read more

"...Eisler's customarily strong writing is boosted by the evolution his characters have undergone over the years...." Read more

"...turn of the phrase, his social stance, his rants, his politics, his voice, and even his looks. What can I say: a man crush in full flight...." Read more

"This is written in multiple POVs, all of which are third person except for one first person...." Read more

272 customers mention "Depth"225 positive47 negative

Customers appreciate the depth of the book, finding it meticulously researched with excellent descriptions and smart details.

"...who haven't read the Rain or Livia Lone books will meet an engaging, thoughtful, intelligent, funny, and decidedly lethal cast of characters...." Read more

"...Anyway, the research was meticulous, as always...." Read more

"...their various comfort zones, and displayed growth and unexpected depths. I will definitely read more of Eisler's books!..." Read more

"...An entertaining read, yeah, suspenseful, imaginative, and factual (there are citations at the end where author got some of info from research), but..." Read more

180 customers mention "Ease of follow"113 positive67 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about how easy the book is to follow, with some finding it straightforward and hard to put down, while others mention it gets complicated and is hard to follow in the beginning.

"...is complex but not complicated, so despite having many layers is easy to follow. The characters are realistic, though the villains are too easy...." Read more

"...always been a feature of Eisler's novels, his last 3 or 4 feel more rushed and haphazard...." Read more

"This was a really easy book to read and held my interest quite well...." Read more

"...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...." Read more

167 customers mention "Violence level"107 positive60 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the violence in the book, with some finding the action scenes believable and the fight scenes detailed, while others find them too unbelievable and excessive.

"...- all of whom are stone-cold killers - all manage to be highly sympathetic, and not just because the antagonist is also a stone-cold killer...." Read more

"...it will frequently be brutal and bloody, but this made the killings seem casual. Even Detective Livia Lone has a ruthless persona...." Read more

"...The action is fast-paced and engaging, and there are many tense scenes of infiltration and escape...." Read more

"...Nonetheless, for something with a huge body count, the violence is surprisingly non-graphic, and does not give me the impression that Eisler is..." Read more

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Ross F
Another Outstanding Read as a Stand-Alone or If You've Read All Eisler's Work
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2019
Verified Purchase

I was so excited for The Killer Collective and it surely did not disappoint. I was lucky enough to get an early copy and have already read it twice. This book works both as an engaging, page-turning stand-alone thriller and as the culmination of the Rain series. Those who haven't read the Rain or Livia Lone books will meet an engaging, thoughtful, intelligent, funny, and decidedly lethal cast of characters. The books takes them from being the pursued to being the pursuers of an Eric Prince-type high class mercenary who, of course, is out to kill them all. The scenery is great, the action is fast-paced, the dialogue is sharp, and the main protagonists - all of whom are stone-cold killers - all manage to be highly sympathetic, and not just because the antagonist is also a stone-cold killer.

For those who have immersed themselves in the world of Rain, Dox, Larison, Hort, Delilah, and Lone through Eisler's past works, The Killer Collective is all of the things above, and it's just awesome to see them all together. Rain's journey from a largely emotionless mercenary killer at the start of A Clean Kill in Tokyo to a sort of zen/elder statesman/leader of the band/trying to do good mercenary in TKC is fascinating yet totally believable given the arc of the books. And Rain's treatment of Larison in The Detachment - opening Larison's eyes, bringing him back (at least somewhat) into the world of the living - really paid off in TKC, with the "new" sort-of-nice-guy Larison meshing well with the "old" killer Larison.

All in all, this book was a real delight. I can't wait to read it again, and I hope there are more Livia/Rain books to come. Special thanks to the author for being a good guy and sending a long-time fan an early copy of the book!

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Scott Golightly
Interesting Read; Some things bothered me
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2025
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This is a fast paced, action packed read. I generally enjoyed it but there were some things that bothered me.
The narrative switched between first person and third person. At first I thought it might be like the Incarnations of Immortality series where this would be the first of several books telling the same story but from different first person points of view.
About two thirds of the way through I figured out that wasn't going to be the case here.
My other criticism is that some characters seemed inconsistent. At one point they are in a life threatening situation and are calm, cool, and collected. Then later they are in a less dangerous situation and they can't seem to control they emotions.

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r erman
Eisler knocks it out of the park
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2019
Verified Purchase
I've been an avid fan of Barry Eisler's work for a long time. When I heard he was working on another team up book in the vein of his previous 'The Detachment' that included Livia Lone, plus a couple of other characters not in the previous book, I was excited and knew that my expectations were going to be high.

I'm happy to say he blew way past what I had hoped for. This may be the best novel he's written--and after the last two Livia and Rain prequel books that's an exceedingly high bar.

The characters are all written well and stay faithful to their existing identities, but they also feel more fleshed out this time. I may be wrong, but it seems like since 'The God's Eye View', Eisler has expanded on the internal reflections and dialogues of his characters.

Being inside John Rain's mind is a treat. He is, by now, an old friend of sorts. And his internal growth and burgeoning wisdom and maturity are great to see from first person. Livia is as multi-layered and complex as ever, and I'm happy to see her learn and open up and heal some, or at least be coming to terms with who she is(I'm still waiting for the friendly grappling match with Rain, Mr Eisler!). Dox is the class clown who has become counselor and dispenser of philosophical insights with his typical rakish charm and humor. Larrison in this outing is the most human, yet lethal, I've seen him--he perhaps grew on me more than any of the other characters this time around. I was very happy to see Delilah show up and add her skillset to the team. I'm not 100% on board with Ben Treven's contribution, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

I knew the plot would involve sex-trafficking of some sort with Livia being one of the main characters--and boy did it, the revelation of hurt-core subculture was disturbing. All the moreso because of it's reality outside the pages of the book. As an aside, I'm pretty confident I had more of an emotional reaction to this part of the plot than the plots of the two previous Livia books. In fact, overall, I found myself more emotionally invested in this book, and the interplay between the characters, than previous books. I think Barry Eisler is a great writer, and I really think he shines better than ever here.

On to the mostly spoiler-free plot; the team comes together over a large portion of the book in an organic and well-paced way. As the story builds they work with, against, and tangential to various agencies, both inside and outside the law, to uncover a plot that reaches to some of the highest levels of power all the while engaging shadowy international private contractors. The main story and personal plotlines all wrapped up very well. I initially thought it ended a bit fast, but upon reflection, it ended exactly how it would have in the real world after the protagonists completed their goals. There were some great references to real world events(like Snowden), a few inside jokes for those with the eyes to see it, some foreshadowing of what I assume is the next Rain prequel, and a little political commentary.

In fact, if I had any criticism--and to be clear, criticism is too harsh a term, quibble would be more accurate--it would be that there were several stabs at the media and political over-infatuation with the narrative of Russia-as-bogeyman in the 2016 election and beyond. I get the reasons for this and it's a common critique from segments of the blogosphere that I read. It's even most definitely accurate criticism to some unknown extent--enough so I chuckled at some of the references and one character's obsession. But they felt oddly placed and stuck out to me as unnecessary for the story. And perhaps somewhat dismissive after what's been revealed by the Mueller investigation and researchers like Renee DiResta about the Internet Research Agency, and it's multi-front assault on social media since 2014-15. Again, less a criticism and more like something I'd love to discuss with the author to explore data points.

Anyway, the research was meticulous, as always. The notes at the end provide a trove of avenues to go down for those who want further education on real-world inspirations for parts of the book, safety, tactical considerations, etc.

All that to say I cannot recommend this book enough, though I would recommend all the previous books first so you don't have to play catch up.

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Amazon カスタマー
五つ星！
Reviewed in Japan on February 17, 2019
Verified Purchase

夫に購入しました。
彼はBarry Eisler の大ファンで発売前からとても待ち焦がれていました。初めに提示されていたお届け日が延期になってちょっとがっかりしてましたが、延期後のお届け日よりだいぶ早く到着したので大変喜んで昨日からずっと読みふけてます。

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Lee Hopkins
Fast-paced, the right balance of 'show, don't tell'
Reviewed in Australia on December 18, 2019
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Enough plot points to keep a crime purist happy, with a light touch of romance and jealousy in the mix. An international cast and the ever-enigmatic John Rain. What's not to love? Plus, a lot of the plot ideas are based on fact, including what gets Livia Lone so upset in the first place. Great, fast, easy reading.

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Carlos Bas
En su linea, John Rain nunca decepciona
Reviewed in Spain on September 11, 2019
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La última entrega de la saga John Rain..! Inmejorable. Esperando el próximo

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DG
Excelente história e narrativa
Reviewed in Brazil on April 11, 2019
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Excelente história e narrativa. O final poderia ser um pouco menos abrupto...

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Johnny Mauricio
Barry don’t retire for many years to come !
Reviewed in the Netherlands on March 23, 2019
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The best book I read in years ! What will I read after this rollercoaster with a message ! Don’t make is wait to long Barry !

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The Killer Collective Kindle Edition

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Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars Another Outstanding Read as a Stand-Alone or If You've Read All Eisler's Work

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read; Some things bothered me

5.0 out of 5 stars Eisler knocks it out of the park

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars 五つ星！

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced, the right balance of 'show, don't tell'

5.0 out of 5 stars En su linea, John Rain nunca decepciona

4.0 out of 5 stars Excelente história e narrativa

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry don’t retire for many years to come !

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Another Outstanding Read as a Stand-Alone or If You've Read All Eisler's Work

Interesting Read; Some things bothered me

Eisler knocks it out of the park

五つ星！

Fast-paced, the right balance of 'show, don't tell'

En su linea, John Rain nunca decepciona

Excelente história e narrativa

Barry don’t retire for many years to come !