An illustration of a bullet train driving past Mount Fiji 

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Features

From the Orient Express to Bullet Train: why crime loves a locomotive

Hotel Lucky Seven

'Fresh and fun and full-throttle’ A.J. FINN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW 
 
A luxury hotel full of assassins - what could go wrong? 
 
Nanao ‘the unluckiest assassin in the world’ has been hired to deliver a birthday present to a guest at a luxury Tokyo Hotel. It seems like a simple assignment but by the time he leaves the guest's room one man is dead and more will soon follow. As events spiral out of control as it becomes clear several different killers, with varying missions, are all taking a stay in the hotel at the same time. And they're all particularly interested in a young woman with a photographic memory, hiding out on one of the twenty floors. 
 
Will Nanao find the truth about what’s going on? And will he check out alive? 
 
In this original, gripping and inventive follow-up to the international bestseller Bullet Train, Kotaro Isaka demonstrates his unparalleled gift for unique characters and unexpected twists. 
 
'Isaka takes readers on a furious cat-and-mouse race through the luxury hotel… a near-perfect thriller' Booklist 
 
 
Praise for Kotaro Isaka 
 
‘Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence’ The Times 
 
Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses’ Financial Times, 
 
‘Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it’ The Times 
 
‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Guardian 
 
‘An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist’ Mail on Sunday

Inventive fun… quirky charm and dark humour… his sense of glee is infectious

If you were a fan of Bullet Train then you’ll love Kotaro Isaka’s follow-up… the twists and turns make this a lively read

Full of narrative twists and colourful characters

Isaka takes readers on a furious cat-and-mouse race through the luxury hotel… a near-perfect thriller.

Isaka’s style is terse, laden with dark humor expressed with a flat affect — just the right tone for a book that walks the line between comedy and violence.”

Unlike anything you're likely to have read before. . . white-hot with double-crosses

Entertaining. . . high-speed. . . with lots of twists and turns. . . it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it

Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence

An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist

A thriller on amphetamines, fresh and fun and full-throttle -- both a giddy romp and an unexpectedly involving crash course in human nature. This is a hotel fans of Quentin Tarantino and Martin McDonagh will want to check into.

A. J. Finn, bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

Kotaro Isaka (Author) 
Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning writer who is published around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and fourteen of his books have been adapted for film or TV. He is the author of the international bestseller Bullet Train, which was made into a major film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock. 
 
 
Brian Bergstrom (Translator) 
Brian Bergstrom is a Montréal-based lecturer and translator. His translations have appeared in publications including Granta, Aperture, Lit Hub, Mechademia, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories and Elemental: Earth Stories. His translation of Trinity, Trinity, Trinity by Erika Kobayashi won the 2022 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature. His most recent translation is Slow Down: How Degrowth Communism Can Save the Earth by Marxist philosopher Kohei Saito.

The Mantis

Good dad or good assassin? Can he be both? 
 
From the internationally bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN: A seemingly ordinary family man tries to juggle his home life with his job as a hitman. 
 
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA DAGGER AWARD FOR BEST THRILLER* 
 
Kabuto is an ordinary guy; stressed with work, hassled by his wife and disrespected by his teenage son. No wonder he visits his doctor so often. Except the &lsquo;Doctor&rsquo; is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a hired assassin. Because although he may seem like a small man at home, Kabuto is really good at killing people. 
 
But Kabuto is worn out with the business of murder. So he&rsquo;s trying to pay his way out with a few last jobs. But when the final assignment puts his unsuspecting family in danger, Kabuto realises he is going to need every deadly skill he knows to keep them alive. 
 
PRAISE FOR KOTARO ISAKA: 
 
&lsquo;Showcases Isaka&rsquo;s Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence&rsquo; The Times 
 
&lsquo;Unusual and thoroughly enjoyable&rsquo; Guardian 
 
Don&rsquo;t miss the next thrilling Kotaro Isaka book, HOTEL LUCKY SEVEN, available to pre-order now.

An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist

Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses

Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it.

Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence

Highly entertaining... grips with plenty of twists before delivering a stylish and fitting finale

Kotaro Isaka (Author) 
Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning writer who is published around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and fourteen of his books have been adapted for film or TV. He is the author of the international bestseller Bullet Train, which was made into a major film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock. 
 
 
Sam Malissa (Translator) 
Sam Malissa holds a PhD in Japanese Literature from Yale University. He has translated fiction by Toshiki Okada, Shun Medoruma, and Hideo Furukawa, among others.

A propulsive new thriller from the bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN

Three Assassins

Three Assassins...showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence

[A] mesmerising tale of how life is simultaneously cheap and precious, and the past catches up with us all.

Delivers an unusual journey. The eponymous killers - along with a man bent on payback 
for the death of his wife - are engaged in a dance of death

Isaka knows how to keep his readers on their toes. His characters are colourful, varied and morally despicable.

Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it

High-octane...an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable read

SUZUKI IS JUST AN ORDINARY MATHS TEACHER...UNTIL HIS WIFE IS MURDERED. 
 
Seeking justice, he leaves his old life behind to infiltrate the criminal gang responsible. What he doesn't realise is that he's about to get drawn into a web of the most unusual professional assassins, each with their own agenda: 
 
THE WHALE convinces his victims to take their own lives using just his words. 
 
THE CICADA is a talkative and deadly knife expert. 
 
THE PUSHER dispatches his targets in deadly traffic 'accidents'. 
 
Suzuki must take on the three assassins to avenge his wife - but can he keep his innocence in a world of seasoned killers? 
 
THEIR MISSION IS MURDER. HIS IS REVENGE. 
 
Don&rsquo;t miss the next thrilling Kotaro Isaka book, HOTEL LUCKY SEVEN, available to pre-order now. 
 
PRAISE FOR BULLET TRAIN: 
 
'Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses' Financial Times 
 
'Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it' The Times 
 
Part high-octane thriller, part farce, this is an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable read' Guardian 
 
The action accelerates up and down the ten carriages but the question is: who will get off alive? Daily Mail

Bullet Train

Tie-in edition for the major motion picture release in April 2022.

* NOW A MAJOR NEW FILM * 
 
FIVE KILLERS. ONE JOURNEY. BUT WHO WILL SURVIVE? 
 
Discover the original and propulsive thriller from the massive Japanese bestselling author. 
 
Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. 
 
Nanao, the self-proclaimed 'unluckiest assassin in the world', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station? 
 
(Bullet Train was originally published in Japan with the title Maria Beetle.) 
 
'A locked-room crime drama played out at 200mph' The Times 
 
'A high-octane thriller... Thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian 
 
Don&rsquo;t miss the next thrilling Kotaro Isaka book, HOTEL LUCKY SEVEN, available to pre-order now. 
 
Readers are OBSESSED with Bullet Train: 
 
'Original, quirky and highly entertaining' 
 
'A dark-humoured, twisty thriller that's a lot of fun' 
 
'One of the most addictive thrillers I've ever read... smart and cinematic' 
 
'What an original novel! Exciting from beginning to end' 
 
'A whole lot of darkly comic fun' 
 
'A thrilling ride'

An entertaining thriller... Kill Bill on wheels or a locked-room crime drama played out at 200mph

Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses

Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it.

Part high-octane thriller, part farce, this is an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable read

The action accelerates up and down the ten carriages but the question is: who will get off alive?

As the body count increases Isaka introduces new characters and juggles the survivors' storylines adroitly.

A highly original take on the locked-room mystery: twisty, funny and horrifying in its examination of organised crime, bullying, bad luck and psychopathy

Breakneck pacing, masterful character development, and well-timed comic relief set Isaka's 
pitch-perfect (and seamlessly translated) thriller up for blockbuster status...a twisty, darkly hilarious game of musical chairs

Impressive...Isaka keeps the suspense high throughout. Fans of intricate action fiction will be enthralled

Myriad twists... a high-octane dark comedy as the body count stacks up.

Isaka knows how to keep his readers on their toes. His characters are colourful, varied and morally despicable...there's much more to it than a thrill-a-minute action fix. It's dark, funny, absurd and it certainly boast the most interesting bunch of characters we've seen in a while.

This propulsive novel tauntingly flaunts its cinematic bona fides

Bullet Train is a knockabout black comedy with a plot as fast-moving as the express train from Tokyo to Morioka on which the action takes place

Five killers. One train journey. But who will survive? The original and propulsive thriller from a massive Japanese bestseller. 
 
* NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE * 
 
Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. 
 
Nanao, the self-proclaimed 'unluckiest assassin in the world', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station? 
 
'A locked-room crime drama played out at 200mph' The Times 
 
'A high-octane thriller... Thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian 
 
Readers can't stop reading Bullet Train! 
 
'Original, quirky and highly entertaining' 
 
'A dark-humoured, twisty thriller that's a lot of fun' 
 
'One of the most addictive thrillers I've ever read... smart and cinematic' 
 
'What an original novel! Exciting from beginning to end' 
 
'A whole lot of darkly comic fun' 
 
'A thrilling ride' 
 
Bullet Train was originally published in Japan with the title Maria Beetle.

Kotaro Isaka

Sam Malissa

Fascinating and thought provoking with some genuine surprises and incredibly clever ideas that kept me thinking about it long after I finished it… a Japanese Black Mirror!

Isaka’s exceptional latest combines the author’s flair for violent comic farce with an unsettling look at the near future. Isaka’s talent for kinetic, hilarious carnage is on full display, and it’s fortified with philosophical depth and surprisingly potent ruminations on the nature of fate. This ranks among the author’s best

Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses

An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist

Two inventive tales of espionage in one, from the internationally bestselling author of Japanese fiction sensation Bullet Train 
 
In Japan's recent past, Miyako suspects her mother-in-law is a murderer. She uses her secret skills as an ex-spy to investigate her, while trying to maintain a peaceful home life. 
 
And in Japan's not-too-distant future, a courier named Mito finds himself embroiled in the death of the developer of a sinister AI surveillance system. 
 
Seesaw Monster contains two sharp, thrilling novellas from the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer Kotaro Isaka.

Kotaro Isaka

Praise for Seesaw Monster

Fascinating and thought provoking with some genuine surprises and incredibly clever ideas that kept me thinking about it long after I finished it… a Japanese Black Mirror!

Isaka’s exceptional latest combines the author’s flair for violent comic farce with an unsettling look at the near future. Isaka’s talent for kinetic, hilarious carnage is on full display, and it’s fortified ...

Thoroughly enjoyable

Fascinating and thought provoking with some genuine surprises and incredibly clever ideas that kept me thinking about it long after I finished it… a Japanese Black Mirror!

Isaka’s exceptional latest combines the author’s flair for violent comic farce with an unsettling look at the near future. Isaka’s talent for kinetic, hilarious carnage is on full display, and it’s fortified ...

Thoroughly enjoyable

Fascinating and thought provoking with some genuine surprises and incredibly clever ideas that kept me thinking about it long after I finished it… a Japanese Black Mirror!

Isaka’s exceptional latest combines the author’s flair for violent comic farce with an unsettling look at the near future. Isaka’s talent for kinetic, hilarious carnage is on full display, and it’s fortified ...

Thoroughly enjoyable

Books by Kotaro Isaka

Articles featuring Kotaro Isaka

From the Orient Express to Bullet Train: why crime loves a locomotive

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