![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWnS5I_ejXr5xwKWhnHQHXL2Z1dYmJVLz2uN5bxTVlWHIfUol5aW2uQ439Om-aJtctuEk7qi0p3Apqv_Jku6UnkGrfjt6dU8EhB1abwaAaPu1AjoVhxEjcUENqwxjR0UdQFpXxwKn1o_C/s200/rainstorm-pb.jpg)
Like Fleming before him, Eisler doesn't shy away from mentioning name-brands in his novels. Some critics deride this sort of thing as gimmicky. I disagree. I think it just roots the series in the real world, and gives me a better connection to the character. I'd prefer to know that Rain drinks Laphroaig and listens to Bill Evans than merely be told he drinks single-malts and listens to jazz.
In the third book of the series, Rain Storm, we learn what type of watch John Rain normally wears: a Traser P5900. As something of a watch enthusiast, this was a key revelation. It was also not an arbitrary decision on Barry Eisler's part. In the book's acknowledgements, he specifically thanks a bunch of real-life operators for inspiring him to issue Rain a Traser wristwatch.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMoiBPNviPb3sOJazsr3UAjL-VUsscKSauPD7gPEiqUGSr6gSML0J7Y4XNgqnV9rMSs7Vg4lP0HWnwhT4HyXvXh4XKaDQXSZQ-GmOqaemK3IAjt_gQ1SVgUD2lEoblxeE_XWdHBau4k7V/s320/5900-2.jpg)
Would I ever buy one? That's a tough question. It's a nice watch for all the reasons I mentioned above, thought a bit smaller than I'm used to. Also, I am a bit of an automatic purist, and the P5900 is a quartz watch. For the money, I would be tempted to just get an Seiko 5 auto, which are probably the best budget watches on the planet. Still, I don't deny being tempted by the Traser. It would feed into my John Rain fantasies, and whenever I checked the time I would no doubt be tempted to sip some Laphroaig, listen to a bit of Bill Evans, and go practice Jiu-Jitsu.
Great to see the fabulous Rain books getting some good PR.
ReplyDeleteBrandon is correct, they are very much in the Bond / Quiller vein and Eisler has created a hero for our times.