Dox and associates investigate complex plot to blackmail high level governmental and business individuals by a governmental intelligence led group. Best read after the earlier books in the series to better understand the characters. ( )

When I bought this book I didn't realize it was the 11th in a series. I think someone who had read all the books would appreciate this better but I feel like I came in on the middle of a story. The book can be read without reading the series but there are too many references to the past that ruined the story for me.

It is an espionage thriller. It felt more like a Tom Cruise film with a lot of action and no substance.
( )

What a fantastic series of books by Eisler starting with Rain and now the Lone installments. So fast-paced, great characters, and hard to put down. If you haven't read them all, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning - you won't regret it. ( )

This is the first Eisler book I've read.

I know this kind of book, though. It springs up when an author has penned a dozen or so books with the same characters. The author then serves up a volume that brings all the past protagonists together, has them renew acquaintances, mention a little about past collaborations and face a new challenge. It's a great way to pad the pages of a book. Mystery series authors do it all the time, and when they do it's time for me to get off the bus.

Eisler doesn't waste any time by describing the physical appearance of the dozen or so main characters. "A stunning blonde" or "half Japanese" is as close as he gets. Maybe we're supposed to use our imaginations. The only impression we get is that all the women are attractive and the men are buff. On the other hand, weaponry is described down to the model number, in case we want to look them up in back issues of "Guns and Ammo."

The intermittent activity here is human slaughter, up and down the West Coast. I lost count of how many "bad guys" get slaughtered. I'm sure it's over 20, mostly close up and personal. The point to think of is that the "bad guys" are all CIA employees or contractors. They're killers just like the protagonists are, but they aren't on the "good" side. And what is the "good" side fighting for? The continued anonymity of some sexually abused girls. Laudable, but look at the equation. Worth 20 dead Americans?

Our protagonists, of course, escape physical and legal damage. This is comic book fiction, and not the good kind.

This is the last Eisler book I read. ( )

The Chaos Kind by Barry Eisler
John Rain #11 & Livia Lone #3.5

Chaos, indeed! This book had me writing names down at first trying to keep them all straight but very quickly their characters and personalities emerged so that keeping them straight was no longer difficult at all. In fact, I was quickly reading to see what would happen next and what part each player would slot into as the story progressed.

What I liked:
* No trouble understanding the plot even though I have only read one previous book by this author.
* The plot, writing, and character development
* The location(s)
* That I could hate the bad guys
* That I could love the lethal team that worked together to thwart some very evil people
* The planning that went into various ops the team executed
* The action sequences and how real they seemed
* The interactions between the team and how they communicated, grew to respect one another over time, and worked together as equals but with specific capabilities within the group.
* That the women were treated as equals in the group
* That there were some romantic couples and some of the team that still may have a chance for romance in the future
* The “new blood” that might join the team in the future
* I would list the individual characters and their strengths, what I liked, etc BUT there were many and I liked them all…it would take too long. I will say that I would love to have them as friends and definitely would love to have them with me if ever in a tight spot.
* Dash: young man who has great potential in the future. Also admire his mother and her partner
* Wondering whether or not Rain and Delilah will really retire or not
* Thinking about how fine a line there sometimes is between fact and fiction
* Thinking about who will be in the next team that will continue the series
* Knowing that there will be another book because…there were a few left standing that really need to be felled.

What I didn’t like:
* The people and events I was meant not to like
* Knowing that the evil people in this story are no doubt found in real life doing equally reprehensible things
* Having to wait to find out what happens next.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )