RainStorm

such wonderful hosts and guides
    during my research visits to Macau; for training Rain in how to
    look like a local and blend thereby; and for sharing their many insights about the territory and the region.
    To Alika Yamamura, carioca and edokko, for imparting her firsthand
    insights on what it means to share Japanese ethnicity and
    Brazilian nationality, and for furthering my understanding of Brazil
    and Brazilians.
    To Bob Baer, for his excellent Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington
    Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude, to which Kanezaki owes some
    of his thinking regarding the U.S.-Saudi relationship, including his
    comments about a conspiracy of silence and "incest."
    To Gavin De Becker for The Gift of Fear, which has helped Rain
    (and countless others) spot subtle signs of danger and effectively deal
    with potential violence.
    To Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman and Loren W. Chistensen for On
    Combat, which has helped Rain--and, more importantly, is help-
    ing countless military and law enforcement personal--successfully
    manage deadly force encounters. Thanks too to Dave for helpful
    comments on the manuscript.
    To Maj. John L. Plaster USAR (Ret.), for The Ultimate Sniper: An
    Advanced Training Manual for Military & Police Snipers, and for his other
    excellent books and videos on sniping, all of which provided invaluable
    background on and tactics for Dox; and for SOG: The Secret Wars
    of America's Commandos in Vietnam, which continues to provide critical
    insight into the combat crucible that shaped Rain's character.
    To Paulo Rocco and Ana Martins of Rocco, my Brazilian publisher,
    for showing me around Rio, for patiently answering all my
    questions, and for introducing me to the joys of caipirinha (while, it
    must be said, failing to mention that more than two over lunch can
    be dangerous). In particular, my thanks to Ana for introducing me
    to the marvelous bar/restaurant Scenarium in Lapa and to the music
    of choro, both of which appear in this book.
    To Ralph Gracie, Sandro "Batata" Santiago, Dave Camarillo,
    Cameron Earle, Misho Ceko, Tom Cicero, Alan "Gumby" Marques,
    and my other instructors, formal and informal, and training
    partners at the Ralph Gracie Jiu-jitsu Academy, for teaching me
    some of the moves that help Rain keep his edge. Special thanks to
    Misho for helping me choreograph the Sambo grappling techniques
    that appear in Dox's confrontation with Rain, and for being
    such a patient teacher and all-round ii hito.
    To Carlinhos Gracie and everyone at Gracie Barra in Rio, for so
    warmly welcoming me to train with them while I was visiting
    Brazil for research, for teaching me some great moves while I was
    there, and for tapping me out with such graciousness and good humor,
    and to Scottie Nelson of OnTheMat.com for showing me
    around town.
    To Randy Adams, for teaching Rain baccarat, and to Allan Murphy,
    for introducing Rain to Ben's Cafe in Takadanobaba, Tokyo.
    To Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, Doctor of Osteopathic, for overcoming
    his queasiness about my questions just enough to explain exactly
    what would happen to a knee that has been victimized by a
    Sambo footlock.
    To Tom Hayse, for helping me understand how satellite phones
    work and how their signals are intercepted, and for helpful comments
    on the manuscript.
    To Seb Belisarius, ex-SEAL and shootfighting and combatives
    instructor; Craig Douglas, former Army Ranger, narcotics agent,
    and combatives instructor; and Dennis Martin, VIP Protection and
    close quarters combatives instructor, for sharing their incredible
    knowledge about surveillance, close quarters combat, and tactical
    awareness, and in particular for making sure that Rain includes in
    his EDC (Every Day Carry) an Ele SureFire flashlight, a Traser wristwatch,
    duct tape, a pen that can be used as a tension wrench, and
    some other handy and devious items.
    To Tony Blauer, for sharing his decades of research and experience
    on effectively managing violence, and in particular for his
    feedback on Rain's mindset and tactics in the final confrontation in
    the book.
    To Matt Furey, for devising the Combat Conditioning system
    that Rain uses to maintain his edge, and for sharing some of his incomparable
    grappling expertise to make Rain's neck cranks the
    deadly weapons they are.
    To Marc MacYoung, Dianna Gordon, and the rest of the Animal
    List denizens who hang out at www.nonomenseselfdefense.com, the most eclectic, eccentric bunch of experts on everything anyone
    could ever imagine. In