Sensei Koichiro Fukasawa of Wasabi Communications, for continuing to guide Rain in Japan, for lifelong friendship, and for helpful comments on the manuscript.

Laurent Boudin, Marie Jeanne Denis, François Laurent, and Françoise Triffaux of my French publishers, Belfond and Univers Poche, for introducing Rain to Le Petit Célestin on the quai des Célestins and La Closerie des Lilas in Montparnasse.

Naomi Andrews, for guiding me on all things French and Parisian, and for helpful comments on the manuscript.

Lori (aka Laure) Kupfer, for continued insights into what sophisticated, sexy women like Delilah wear and how they think, and for helpful comments on the manuscript.

Paul Guyot, for inspiring Rain horologically.

Roberta Parks, M.D., Owen Rennert, M.D., Evan Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., and Peter Zimetbaum, M.D., for continuing to answer my strange questions about the medical implications of unarmed killing techniques, and for helpful comments on the manuscript.

The extraordinarily eclectic group of “foodies with a violence problem” who hang out at Marc “Animal” MacYoung’s and Dianna Gordon’s www.nononsenseselfdefense.com. A special thanks to Marc himself, for sharing his thoughts on leaving the life and coming to grips with the “dragon” within and the “gray man”-thoughts that inspired and helped shape my notion of the iceman, with whom Rain struggles in this book-and for helpful comments on the manuscript.

Dox’s stunning stream of invective in chapter 35 is courtesy of a rant by one David Jefferson Bean, philosopher, iconoclast, owner and operator of the Bean Machine, and brilliant blogger (http://mygreenhell.typepad.com). When Dave gets up a head of steam, you’ll want to set down your coffee, lest you spew it on your keyboard laughing-and nodding your head in stunned agreement.

Terry Trahan, who no longer clanks when he walks (but then again, he doesn’t need to), for his insights on getting out of the life and on the fine art of Weaselcraft.

Three men I count myself privileged to know have characters named after them in this book: Wim Demeere, Frank “Pancho” Garza, and Montie Guthrie. In addition to their names, the characters share some positive characteristics with their real-world namesakes. But the characters also have certain…negative characteristics, which are entirely fictional and have nothing to do with these gentlemen as I know them. I say this because I wouldn’t want anyone to mistakenly conclude that I hold Wim, Pancho, or Montie-friends and teachers all-in anything other than the highest regard. Plus, they might beat me up or shoot me if I didn’t provide a disclaimer. Special thanks to Montie, for always taking my calls about firearms tools and tactics, and for helpful comments on the manuscript. I hope it goes without saying that any firearms mistakes in the manuscript are entirely Montie’s fault.

The line Rain recollects in Chapter 6, “Hell, I’ll kill a man in a fair fight…or if I think he’s gonna start a fair fight,” is from Joss Whedon’s terrific movie Serenity.

Eve Bridberg, Vivian Brown, Alan Eisler, Judith Eisler, Jack “Spook” Finch (no pregnant yak he), Tom Hayes, Rachel Holtzman, Mike Killman, Yukie Kito, novelist J. A. Konrath, Dan Levin, Doug Patteson, Matt Powers, Sandy Rennert, Ted Schlein, Hank Shiffman, The Man Called Slugg, Pete Wenzel, and Caryn Wiseman, for helpful comments on the manuscript and many valuable suggestions and insights along the way.

I feel like I’m forgetting to mention someone…

Kidding. My wife, Laura, helps with, suffers through, and then enjoys these books like no one else. Thanks for everything, babe.

About Barry Eisler

After graduating from Cornell Law School in 1989, Barry Eisler spent three years with the U.S. government..For a decade thereafter he practiced various aspects of international law, including a year with the Japanese law firm of Hamada and Matsumoto in Tokyo and two years as in-house counsel at the Osaka headquarters of Matsushita Electric and Industrial Co., Ltd.

Mr. Eisler earned his black belt in judo from the Kodokan International Judo Center in Tokyo.

Today he lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area and continues to travel to Japan frequently.

Rights to the Rain books have been sold in 12 countries, and film rights have been purchased by Jet Li.