Kotaro Isaka and his World of Assassins

Bullet Train

If you only know Japanese author, Kotaro Isaka, from the movie of his suspenseful, fast paced thriller Bullet Train, then do yourself a favor and read the book. Filled with a variety of memorable and engaging assassins all seemingly after the same goal of laying their hands on a secretive suitcase aboard a speeding train. It features a villain so villainous it's hard to believe. Having watched the movie after reading the book, I was surprised by how they watered down this character as well as gender swapping him, changing the storyline considerably and the ending, completely!

                                   Three Assassins

This is referred to as a prequel to Bullet Train.
Former school teacher, Suzuki, has taken a job with a shady organization as a way to seek revenge for his beloved wife who was run over and killed by the son of a top gangster. Having to prove himself to the team he's been assigned to by recruiting young women under false pretenses who are then used for nefarious purposes.

When the gangster's son, the one who ran over his wife, is himself hit by a car, which Suzuki witnesses,  he is then sent on a mission to find the person who might have pushed the gangster's son in front of the car. His handler insists Suzuki find this man, who may or may not be the notorious assassin "the Pusher".

What follows is an intriguing look into the methods of  the three assassins of the title and each given their POV in alternating chapters:
 the Whale: who can get anyone to commit suicide for a price. But is haunted by the ghosts of his victims.
Cicada: An expert at using a knife and so fast, his victims often don't see him coming. He specializes in taking out whole families.
and the Pusher: Often invisible, his method is pushing people to their ends in front of cars or trains. No one has ever seen him. Except maybe Suzuki.

They each try to track down Suzuki, who has gone missing, and the Pusher so he can be taken out for the Gang boss they all are connected to in one way or another.  

The Mantis

Kabuto is an assassin, and good at his job. He is also a husband and father and has a "day job" at an office supply company. He gets his assignments from a Doctor who gives them to him in the code of prescriptions. He would like to retire from this line of work. He is often lonely, aside from his coworkers at the Office supply company and occasional run ins or meetings with others in his line of work, he has no real friends. Something he longs for. 
It's an emotional, heartfelt look at this family man / professional hitman's life and struggles, his relationship with his touchy wife and his love for his college age son. 

                                   Hotel Lucky Seven

A variety of assassins converge on a posh hotel, some in teams, looking for a young woman who has the ability of never forgetting anything she has experienced, including the passwords and codes belonging to the boss she worked for, and is now on the run from.
Among these characters happens to be Nanao, or Ladybird, who always thinks of himself as being unlucky, and who featured prominently in Bullet Train, and who is on a so called simple assignment from his handler, Maria, of delivering a gift of a painting to a hotel room. Nothing is ever simple for Ladybird as the painting he's delivering ends up in the wrong room. Could this be the beginning of more troubles for him or will he actually be able to  avoid any complications and go about his day?

This is another story filled with twists and double crosses and characters you care about, even if they are sometimes vicious hitmen good at their jobs.

Kotaro Isaka's Assassins series are all addictive reads. Thank you to the expert translators who brought the author's words to life for those of us who can't read them in their original language.

The Recommender has been recommending them to all my favorite patrons and coworkers and to anyone reading this blog!

Thank you to NetGalley for the DRCs of some of the above titles!

Road Trip: "Teller of Small Fortunes" by Julie Leong

 

Tao is a young woman with an ability. She can tell people's fortunes, but just small ones. By reading your palm or the tea leaves in your cup, she can tell you that you'll find your missing sheep or that you might hit your thumb doing carpentry. Small things, but her clients love hearing  them. She travels the countryside in a caravan pulled by her beloved mule, Laohu. She is happy traveling alone and in no need of other companions, but, unintentionally, along the way, she ends up with some. 

Two men help her when a tree blocks her path.  As a thank you, she agrees to read the palm of one and sees his daughter in his future. This is Mash, a former soldier who it turns out is searching for his lost daughter. His friend, Silt, a thief trying to reform, is helping him on his quest. Her vision gives them some hope and they accompany her on her travels.

The three travel from town to town, Tao telling fortunes and the men helping out and also following clues to Mash's daughter's whereabouts. In one town, they are joined by a young woman looking for adventure. She is a baker and as they travel they are also joined by a seemingly magical stray cat.

These characters are wonderfully realized and each has their quirks and issues, sometimes with one another, while Tao calmly moves forward, although, it seems she might be running from something or hiding something from the others.

It is hard to believe Teller of Small Fortunes is author Julie Leon's first book! It is charming, funny and suspenseful yet also deals with some serious issues such as racism and war.

This is one you'll keep thinking about long after you've read it! Plus, the cover is beautiful, and captures the lead character so well!