Mystery

Three Assassins

Three Assassins

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  • Create Date：2022-07-09 06:52:31
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kōtarō Isaka
  • ISBN：1787303217
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Summary

THEIR MISSION IS MURDER。 HIS IS REVENGE。

Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered。 When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them， looking for a chance to take his revenge。 What he doesn't realise is that he's about to get drawn into a web of 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 elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents。

Suzuki must take each of them on， in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers。

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Reviews

Pawarut Jongsirirag ，

ใครจะยังไงไม่รู้ เเต่ผมอ่านเเล้วผมว่ามันเป็นนิยายตลกร้ายนะ ความโบ๊ะบ๊ะเเบบคนนู่นบังเอิญมาเจอคนนี้ เหตุการณ์นั้นมาชนอันโน้น นึกถึงหนังเรื่อง Snatch ของกายริชชี่เลย เเถมบางช่วงจังหวะยังคล้ายๆกันด้วยนะ เเบบอ้าวนี่มันมาชนกันเฉยเลยวะ จุดนั้นมันมาเชื่อมตรงนี้ได้ไงเนี่ยวงการนักฆ่าในเรื่องนี่ก็ครีเอตดีมาก เอาสัตว์มาเป็นโค๊ดเนม ซึ่งก็พอจะเข้าบ้างกับสกิลของนักฆ่าคนนั้น นอกจากเรื่องชื่อเเล้ว ที่ผมชอบก็เรื่องความเป็นนิรนามของตัวนักฆ่า ประมาณเเบบอ้าว พี่เป็นเหรอวะ เอ้า เเล้วพี่เป็นใครวะเนี่ย ซัดกันงงๆเฉย คนท ใครจะยังไงไม่รู้ เเต่ผมอ่านเเล้วผมว่ามันเป็นนิยายตลกร้ายนะ ความโบ๊ะบ๊ะเเบบคนนู่นบังเอิญมาเจอคนนี้ เหตุการณ์นั้นมาชนอันโน้น นึกถึงหนังเรื่อง Snatch ของกายริชชี่เลย เเถมบางช่วงจังหวะยังคล้ายๆกันด้วยนะ เเบบอ้าวนี่มันมาชนกันเฉยเลยวะ จุดนั้นมันมาเชื่อมตรงนี้ได้ไงเนี่ยวงการนักฆ่าในเรื่องนี่ก็ครีเอตดีมาก เอาสัตว์มาเป็นโค๊ดเนม ซึ่งก็พอจะเข้าบ้างกับสกิลของนักฆ่าคนนั้น นอกจากเรื่องชื่อเเล้ว ที่ผมชอบก็เรื่องความเป็นนิรนามของตัวนักฆ่า ประมาณเเบบอ้าว พี่เป็นเหรอวะ เอ้า เเล้วพี่เป็นใครวะเนี่ย ซัดกันงงๆเฉย คนที่เเบบเหมือนไม่มีบทก็ดันมีบท ไอ้คนมีบทเน้นๆก็บทจะไปก็ไปอย่างกับตัวประกอบ เเต่ก็ดีนะครับ เหมือนจริงดี ชีวิตเบาอย่างกับขนนก เป่าปู๊ดเดียวก็ปลิวเเล้วอ่านไปอ่านมาผมก็นึกออกว่าผมเคยอ่านเรื่องนี้ตอนทำเป็นมังงะมาเเล้ว เเถมยังเคยดูตอนทำเป็นหนังเเล้วด้วย ภาพตัวละครในหนังนี่ก็ย้อนมาเป็นภาพเเทนของตัวละครในเรื่องเลย เเต่ถ้าจำไม่ผิดเหมือนหนังจะเปลี่ยนเนื้อเรื่องไปพอสมควร เทียบไม่ได้กับนิยายเลย ผมชอบตอนจบของนิยายมากกว่า จากเรื่องวุ่นวายระเบิดเถิดเทิง บทมันจะจบมันก็เเค่นี้เเหละ ชอบอะไรเเบบนี้จริงๆครับ 。。。more

Claire ，

I didn't realise that this book comes before Bullet Train and I wish I remembered more of Bullet Train because I am sure that Bullet train also ends with the Pusher。 I'm sure of it。 Is Suzuki the teacher they encounter on the train？ Is Asagao the Pusher？ （I can't remember his （probably） vague description from Bullet Train （trying not to call it the first book since it sits second）） So many questions！Anyway， I feel like this one got off to a slow start and at only 253 pages getting through it was I didn't realise that this book comes before Bullet Train and I wish I remembered more of Bullet Train because I am sure that Bullet train also ends with the Pusher。 I'm sure of it。 Is Suzuki the teacher they encounter on the train？ Is Asagao the Pusher？ （I can't remember his （probably） vague description from Bullet Train （trying not to call it the first book since it sits second）） So many questions！Anyway， I feel like this one got off to a slow start and at only 253 pages getting through it was hard but it was still interesting enough to want to find out what was going on and it did pick up。 And I'm going to put it out there: I really liked Whale， probably my favourite assassin so far。 There is just something about his hands off approach to killing and general demeanor。 I also love Kentaro and Kojiro， Asagao's kids。 I feel like I might need to read Bullet train again。。。 while characters don't transfer （maybe？） I feel like it does still carry on after this book although they can both clearly be read as stand-alones。 Quite enjoyable。 。。。more

Narumol Keattiwongskul ，

อืดในช่วงแรกๆ ตามแบบหนังสือญี่ปุ่น แต่จบได้ใจดี

ClareT ，

I was so excited when I saw there was another book published by Kotaro Isaka， having enjoyed Bullet Train so much last year。This book has some similarities， mainly lots of people dying at the hands of paid assassins。 But the main characters are different。 In this one the main protagonist （unlucky hero again） is Suzuki， a former schoolteacher whose only purpose is now to avenge the death of his wife who was killed in a hit and run by the son of a local crime boss。 To this end he tries to infiltra I was so excited when I saw there was another book published by Kotaro Isaka， having enjoyed Bullet Train so much last year。This book has some similarities， mainly lots of people dying at the hands of paid assassins。 But the main characters are different。 In this one the main protagonist （unlucky hero again） is Suzuki， a former schoolteacher whose only purpose is now to avenge the death of his wife who was killed in a hit and run by the son of a local crime boss。 To this end he tries to infiltrate the criminal gang to kill the 'idiot son'。 However， his plans are scuppered， and he ends up chasing across Tokyo to find another assassin， The Pusher （who appears in Bullet Train as a side character）。 The other assassins are The Whale， who persuades people to kill themselves after writing a suicide note， and Cicada， very handy with a knife。As the book progresses they all come together in the final chapters with both Cicada and the Whale looking for Suzuki and the Pusher。The start of the book is pretty slow， as is often the case for Japanese thrillers， but the pace picks up， especially in the second half of the book。Whilst Bullet Train was fast paced and quirky， this book， whilst good， wasn't as good as Bullet Train。 The plot didn't zoom along， much of it was set over just a couple of days， rather than a couple of hours， and either the writing or the translation was not quite so edge of the seat。 Still enjoyable and an excellent addition to the library of anyone with a taste for Japanese high octane books。 。。。more

Bene Vogt ，

A truly amazing first quarter gives way to a somewhat middling story as the pace slows， the impressive characterization begins to repeat itself a few times too often and later plot twists seem rather less finessed and more self-indulgent than anything else。 It never gets boring so not at all bad but a bit frustrating because the beginning promised more than I eventually got。 Also， potential readers with a distaste for supernatural elements in their thrillers might want to give this a pass。

Rhonda ，

Good to read something from a Japanese author。 A lot of good things in this， but still not quite there to be fantastic， so between 3 and 4 stars。 If anything， a somewhat sanitised and nice view of the criminal world。

Carolyn Drake ，

This idiosyncratic， violent， and sardonic thriller from Isaka is a prequel of sorts to his 100mph best-seller Bullet Train。 It doesn't quite have the 'bottle episode' focus of that story， but it does have a similar feel， focusing as it does on a set of disparate assassins all caught up in a web of double-crosses and revenge。 Enjoyable pulp fiction。 This idiosyncratic， violent， and sardonic thriller from Isaka is a prequel of sorts to his 100mph best-seller Bullet Train。 It doesn't quite have the 'bottle episode' focus of that story， but it does have a similar feel， focusing as it does on a set of disparate assassins all caught up in a web of double-crosses and revenge。 Enjoyable pulp fiction。 。。。more

Roelia ，

I've heard so much about the author's previous release "Bullet Train" （although I haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet）。  After I started reading "Three Assassins" I also came to realise that this book was originally published in Japanese several years ago， but was translated into English only recently。  Also "Three Assassins" is the prequel （first in a trilogy？） of "Bullet Train"。  But， you didn't have to read "Bullet Train" before delving into "Three Assassins"。It starts off like this:Lo I've heard so much about the author's previous release "Bullet Train" （although I haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet）。  After I started reading "Three Assassins" I also came to realise that this book was originally published in Japanese several years ago， but was translated into English only recently。  Also "Three Assassins" is the prequel （first in a trilogy？） of "Bullet Train"。  But， you didn't have to read "Bullet Train" before delving into "Three Assassins"。It starts off like this:Looking out at the city， Suzuki thinks about insects。 It’s night but the scene is ablaze with gaudy neon and streetlamps。 People everywhere。 Like a writhing mass of luridly colored insects。 It unsettles him， and he thinks back to what his college professor once said: ‘Most animals don’t live on top of each other in such great numbers。 In some ways， humans are less like mammals and closer to insects。’ One of those paragraphs that makes you want to grab your annotation kit！   And there are loads more note-worthy and border-line philosophical gems like this。This story is fast-paced， and action-packed with well-developed characters。   It is told from the various key players' point-of-view （Suzuki， the Whale and Cicada）。 The result is a dark and atmospheric tale of revenge， murder and suspense - with a clever story-line and exciting plot twists。What to look forward to:compelling storylinescharacter-drivenfast-pacedcontemplativeaddictive narrativeI throughly enjoyed this book！Thank you to Penguin Random House SA for the opportunity to read this book， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Simon ，

A man seeking revenge quickly gets caught up in a word full of hitmen and danger。I quite liked this！ I've read Bullet Train which I think perhaps was written after Three Assassins， as I recognised some of the names from the former in the latter。 But you don't have to have read Bullet Train before settling down with this。It's a bit of a different twist on the crime genre， and perhaps felt just a smidge too long， but it keeps you guessing right to the end。 I'd read another of Kōtarō Isaka's books A man seeking revenge quickly gets caught up in a word full of hitmen and danger。I quite liked this！ I've read Bullet Train which I think perhaps was written after Three Assassins， as I recognised some of the names from the former in the latter。 But you don't have to have read Bullet Train before settling down with this。It's a bit of a different twist on the crime genre， and perhaps felt just a smidge too long， but it keeps you guessing right to the end。 I'd read another of Kōtarō Isaka's books after the two I've completed so far。Overall すごい！ 。。。more

Adam ，

strange to observe that most of the translations of Isaka's novels appear with different titles， this one originally being Grasuhoppa which ties in with the appearance of insect motifs within the book， I guess it's down to marketing。 Had mixed reactions to Three Assassins， in pkaces a cleverly constructed novel， but in others felt pretty clunky， when an author opens a chapter with a climatic scene and then describes how events lead up to it， it feels like painting by numbers to a degree。 But it strange to observe that most of the translations of Isaka's novels appear with different titles， this one originally being Grasuhoppa which ties in with the appearance of insect motifs within the book， I guess it's down to marketing。 Had mixed reactions to Three Assassins， in pkaces a cleverly constructed novel， but in others felt pretty clunky， when an author opens a chapter with a climatic scene and then describes how events lead up to it， it feels like painting by numbers to a degree。 But it works when the characters begin to overlap， I've a copy of Bullet Train which apparently has connections with this novel but will probably pause and wait for the film to go by。 。。。more

Dan ，

Really enjoyed the author’s previously translated novel， Bullet Train， so was eager to read this。It’s a tale of revenge that follows three separate characters whose stories dip in and out of each others and finally combine at the climax。 There’s an interesting philosophical element that comes strongly into focus in the closing pages but don’t worry， it’s still a fast paced and exciting read for sure， if one that lacks the focus the single confined location lent to Bullet Train。

Mobyskine ，

I was looking forward to read this first instalment as I have read Bullet Train （book 2 from the series） previously。 Set around Tokyo， 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨 revolves on the backstory of Suzuki （hello sir， we meet again！） after the death of his wife due to a run over。 He was out on his revenge towards Terahara's son who was said to be the driver， working as a contractor to Fräulein; a Terahara's outfit that involved with illegal operations trying to gain their trust before he could commit to his motive I was looking forward to read this first instalment as I have read Bullet Train （book 2 from the series） previously。 Set around Tokyo， 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨 revolves on the backstory of Suzuki （hello sir， we meet again！） after the death of his wife due to a run over。 He was out on his revenge towards Terahara's son who was said to be the driver， working as a contractor to Fräulein; a Terahara's outfit that involved with illegal operations trying to gain their trust before he could commit to his motive。 An unexpected incident happened that get him involved directly with the three infamous assassins; Whale， Cicada and Pusher that intertwined their fate into a game of hunting and chasing。 Told in a perspective of Suzuki， Whale and Cicada， it highlighted more on stories of fear， guilt and the exploration of life and death rather than an action and suspense thriller。 Bit political and psychological related， and as I read few reference of Terahara vs Hornet in Bullet Train （the assassins really gossiping about this incident a lot！）， it excites me a bit to delve into the root story of it in here。 Love the Hornet duo although it was just a brief intro I like their cunning and unexpected characters。 Fairly gripping and compelling; this should be an easy read for a 200+ pages but it gets underwhelming sometimes for me with its random unrelated scenes and dialogues。 I love the distinctive personalities of the three assassins and their ways of killing people-- that underlying reasons and struggles especially for Whale who knocks off his target and making it to look like a suicide to then suffered from anxiety and haunted by the souls of his victims （tw: descriptive suicide scenes）。 Cicada was harsh and furious while Pusher was quite spooky to me-- his way of killing was too sneaky and gore！A straightforward plot， not that twisty or intense but exhilarating much for a criminal underworld setting。 This series could be read as a standalone because both books having different setting but if you crave for character's development （Suzuki was one of the characters in Bullet Train while both Whale and Cicada appeared occasionally-- there's a reason why both only secondary in book 2） then I would suggest you to go accordingly （I was expecting a story of Wolf in here but having none， maybe in book 3？）。 Would go for 3。5 stars to this！Thank you Pansing Distribution for sending me an ARC for a review！ 。。。more

A。D。 Stranik ，

Nothing spectacular。 Starts out intriguing enough， then seems to lose interest in itself。 I followed suit。

Heather Barnes ，

Sadly， for me Three Assassins didn't quite live up to the exciting blurb。 The book did have some intriguing characters， and it was interesting to read about a lesser-seen underbelly of Japan， but for whatever reason I didn't feel especially gripped by the action， or the various twists and turns throughout。 Nonetheless， I did find the story enjoyable， so settled on 3 stars。 Three Assassins wasn't the most compelling read for me， but having heard great things about Isaka I'm sure I'll still read h Sadly， for me Three Assassins didn't quite live up to the exciting blurb。 The book did have some intriguing characters， and it was interesting to read about a lesser-seen underbelly of Japan， but for whatever reason I didn't feel especially gripped by the action， or the various twists and turns throughout。 Nonetheless， I did find the story enjoyable， so settled on 3 stars。 Three Assassins wasn't the most compelling read for me， but having heard great things about Isaka I'm sure I'll still read his other titles。 。。。more

Northern Rose ，

This is the first book I have read by Kotaro Isaka。 Intrigued by the book's description I requested a review copy from NetGalley。 The premise of the book sounded great: Suzuki is an ordinary man whose wife is murdered。 He discovers that the murderer is the son of a man who heads up a criminal gang and joins the gang， looking for a chance to take his revenge。 The book itself， alternatives between the stories of four different people - Suzuki， and three assassins known variously as The Whale， The This is the first book I have read by Kotaro Isaka。 Intrigued by the book's description I requested a review copy from NetGalley。 The premise of the book sounded great: Suzuki is an ordinary man whose wife is murdered。 He discovers that the murderer is the son of a man who heads up a criminal gang and joins the gang， looking for a chance to take his revenge。 The book itself， alternatives between the stories of four different people - Suzuki， and three assassins known variously as The Whale， The Cicada and The Pusher。 The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives using just his words。 The Cicada is a talkative and deadly knife expert。 The elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents。 I thought this book would be a thriller。 Unfortunately I seem to have judged wrong。 The book's review indicates that at some point Suzuki must take each of the three assassins on， in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers。 I am sorry to say that this book just felt so slow， and the characters so unappealing yet somehow also one-dimensional that I never found out how Suzuki does so - I gave up reading at 33%。 。。。more

Alan ，

Fans of Isaka's 'Bullet Train' will lap this up， although it doesn't quite make the same impression。 Three assassins， and one widower intent on revenge on the person or people responsible for the death of his wife。 Giving up his job as a maths teacher， Suzuki joins a criminal agency to get closer to the truth。 OK， so it's not that probable， but go with the flow and Isaka will draw you into his crazy world of philosophising killers and oddball characters。 With the narrative perspective switching Fans of Isaka's 'Bullet Train' will lap this up， although it doesn't quite make the same impression。 Three assassins， and one widower intent on revenge on the person or people responsible for the death of his wife。 Giving up his job as a maths teacher， Suzuki joins a criminal agency to get closer to the truth。 OK， so it's not that probable， but go with the flow and Isaka will draw you into his crazy world of philosophising killers and oddball characters。 With the narrative perspective switching between characters it's a nicely rounded story。The blurb isn't exactly what happens in the book: Suzuki doesn't have to 'take each of the [three assassins] on'， but eventually all paths collide and we barrel towards an explosive and violent conclusion。As I said initially， for me this doesn't quite have the stunning impact that 'Bullet Train' did， but it is satisfyingly wonderful and is unlike most stuff that is out there， so it's a minor quibble。 4。5 stars， just not quite a 5。 。。。more

sugablob ，

this was。 so good。 GOSH I LOVE HOW RELATED THIS BOOK IS TO BULLET TRAIN。 HONESTLY WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE BECAUSE OF THIS AMAZING WORK OF FICTION。 I'm someone who loves crime thrillers， and mystery， and have a great attachment to characters if they suit my taste。 I still need to collect my thoughts because I just finished reading it， but if you read bullet train， being aware of the connection between the two books feels so good。 I will definitely re-read these two books in the correct orde this was。 so good。 GOSH I LOVE HOW RELATED THIS BOOK IS TO BULLET TRAIN。 HONESTLY WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE BECAUSE OF THIS AMAZING WORK OF FICTION。 I'm someone who loves crime thrillers， and mystery， and have a great attachment to characters if they suit my taste。 I still need to collect my thoughts because I just finished reading it， but if you read bullet train， being aware of the connection between the two books feels so good。 I will definitely re-read these two books in the correct order maybe a few years later， it's something I just want to re-read。 just this whole "bullet train" universe if u can call it， is just so satisfying and I have never encountered such marvelous character creation。 He also describes crimes so well it honestly gets mind-blowing in moments。 It's like such a simple but complex plot at the same time。 I also LOVED some of the quotes here。 Guessing the mysteries correct also got me really excited， intertwining and connecting two stories of different characters together is also very pleasant。 Overall， great book。 Love these 2 books。 I think these two books together are what makes this whole thing seem really great， I think by itself， it'd be a 4。75/5 but together it becomes a 5/5。 of course， no book is perfect， but if my emotional attachment is big， i'd allow it。 。。。more

hana ，

a very solid 4。8Firstly， if you have read the Bullet Train， this book is going to be a joy to get through solely because of the easter eggs and that familiar feeling of recognition and moments that make you go "Woah！ I read *that* before" It certainly isn't as ingenious as Bullet Train but you know what？ It's pretty damn good。 It's everything I've wanted to read in a long time and it checks all the boxes。 The action， the pace， the adrenaline was so well executed a film played before my eyes as I a very solid 4。8Firstly， if you have read the Bullet Train， this book is going to be a joy to get through solely because of the easter eggs and that familiar feeling of recognition and moments that make you go "Woah！ I read *that* before" It certainly isn't as ingenious as Bullet Train but you know what？ It's pretty damn good。 It's everything I've wanted to read in a long time and it checks all the boxes。 The action， the pace， the adrenaline was so well executed a film played before my eyes as I flew through the pages。 Just like bullet train， I made sure to pay attention to every single detail because there are so many easter eggs you need to be attentive。 That feeling of satisfaction when a puzzle piece clicks into place- unbeatable。 He has a fan in me and if he decides to write more about the Japanese crime world in the near future， I will be queuing up immediately。 。。。more

Nick ，

Three Assassins， and one man hell bent for revenge…The trio of The Whale， Cicada and The Pusher。 Hitmen for hire。 Working mostly for the underground elements and in one more than regular case the political elite。Enter Susuki， a man plagued by the death of his wife。 Killed by a drunk， joyriding son of the head of the Japanese Mafia。 Infiltraiting the system， gaining employment by the seedy underworld。 Always on the lookout for his options， to complete his ultimate goal。This book is effortless to Three Assassins， and one man hell bent for revenge…The trio of The Whale， Cicada and The Pusher。 Hitmen for hire。 Working mostly for the underground elements and in one more than regular case the political elite。Enter Susuki， a man plagued by the death of his wife。 Killed by a drunk， joyriding son of the head of the Japanese Mafia。 Infiltraiting the system， gaining employment by the seedy underworld。 Always on the lookout for his options， to complete his ultimate goal。This book is effortless to read， the characters strong， and they fit into the plot seamlessly。If you have never read any Japanese authors， I can recommed this book as a starting point for your journey into their sometimes warped style of thinking。Status: CompletedRating: 4。7/5。0 。。。more

Aria Harlow ，

This was such a fast paced， tense， atmospheric and creepy read。 Well written with a fantastic storyline that was engaging the whole way through and well developed characters that I respected and was also terrified off。 I loved it， but I am very glad this is fiction and those three asasassins are not lying in wait，

John Thurlbeck ，

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK， Vintage for an ARC of this title。 I was keen to try this author as I had heard good things about his first novel， Bullet Train。The storyline focuses on the central character Suzuki’s desire for revenge for the murder of his wife as he crosses paths with three renowned assassins。Their fortunes seem unrelated to begin， though eventually， they merge as Suzuki encounters their worlds in his quest for vengeance。The characters are well fleshed out， though I Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK， Vintage for an ARC of this title。 I was keen to try this author as I had heard good things about his first novel， Bullet Train。The storyline focuses on the central character Suzuki’s desire for revenge for the murder of his wife as he crosses paths with three renowned assassins。Their fortunes seem unrelated to begin， though eventually， they merge as Suzuki encounters their worlds in his quest for vengeance。The characters are well fleshed out， though I sometimes found the story meandered， which did not grip me。 However， I can understand why other reviewers felt they lost interest， as this is a book you need to persevere with to understand its meaning entirely。It was good to try some Japanese fiction， but the style is quite different to my usual fare， and I am unlikely to try more。 。。。more

Collette Mcgaahan ，

Not sure if I read the blurb wrong but I really can’t stand any supernatural bits in a book so this one wasn’t for me。 There were also so many characters I lost count and some rather random additions that didn’t add anything much to the reading experience。 。

Rowena Andrews ，

This one worked better far for me than Bullet Train。 It still had that element of weirdness， and this was a book where things were rarely as they seemed， leaving a lot of the story and it's events open to interpretation， but it felt a little more contained。 Three Assassins is a much more introspective and contemplative book， losing some of the humour and the action-packed pacing of the Bullet Train， and instead taking a fascinating look at how the criminal underground works and how it can pull p This one worked better far for me than Bullet Train。 It still had that element of weirdness， and this was a book where things were rarely as they seemed， leaving a lot of the story and it's events open to interpretation， but it felt a little more contained。 Three Assassins is a much more introspective and contemplative book， losing some of the humour and the action-packed pacing of the Bullet Train， and instead taking a fascinating look at how the criminal underground works and how it can pull people into it's grasp， and impact on their lives and those around them and offering an interesting insight into what life and death can look like from that side of the track。 I really enjoyed this one， and it left me with a lot of food for thought。 It's certainly not a typical thriller， and if you were looking for a fast-paced， action packed thriller then this one might not be for you， but if you want to go with the flow and see a different side of a thriller then this makes for a great read。 。。。more

Lisa Quinn ，

Three Assassins explores the murky immoral world of the Japanese criminal underground。 There are several stories ongoing throughout the book， which follows Suzuki， a normal citizen who becomes embroiled while seeking revenge for the death of his wife。 While doing so， he stumbles into the middle of a deadly dispute between numerous criminal groups， and faces a number of assassins who are each trying to do their work。 Although entitled Three Assassins， there are so many characters that it is diffi Three Assassins explores the murky immoral world of the Japanese criminal underground。 There are several stories ongoing throughout the book， which follows Suzuki， a normal citizen who becomes embroiled while seeking revenge for the death of his wife。 While doing so， he stumbles into the middle of a deadly dispute between numerous criminal groups， and faces a number of assassins who are each trying to do their work。 Although entitled Three Assassins， there are so many characters that it is difficult to keep a track of all of them， or what their involvement is。 The main players are Cicado， who is hired to kill families; The Whale， who has a knack of 'persuading' people to commit suicide and The Pusher， who as his name indicates has honed the craft of pushing his victim into the path of fast moving vehicles。 However， they each have a boss / bosses or a part of a criminal group who also rove around committing violent crime， and at the end of the book there is a a 'twist' where one of the main players - who we don't actually meet but is at the heart of it all - is killed by another unknown assassin。 This may be leaving it open for another book， but it came from nowhere and I felt it needed more context。 Although fast paced， there is quite a bit of repetition。 I have previously read the Bullet Train by the same author and noticed some of the same quirks - in Bullet Train one of the characters is randomly obsessed by Thomas the Tank Engine， and in this book someone is obsessed by a random singer who he quotes at any given opportunity。 I don't know whether this is humour lost in translation， but I just found it annoying。It is readable， and there is a lot happening， but just like Bullet Train I feel the author tries to have too much going on which just becomes confusing and dilates the action somewhat。 。。。more

Samantha ，

Following the exploits of three different assassins and one man out to avenge the murder of his wife。 All of this is in the dark under belly of Japanese society。Thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this story， how each of them have a different method to deal with their victims: The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives， The Cicada is a talkative and a deadly knife expert and The Pusher dispatches his targets in traffic accidents。I received this book from netgalley in return for a h Following the exploits of three different assassins and one man out to avenge the murder of his wife。 All of this is in the dark under belly of Japanese society。Thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this story， how each of them have a different method to deal with their victims: The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives， The Cicada is a talkative and a deadly knife expert and The Pusher dispatches his targets in traffic accidents。I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review。 。。。more

Book Wormy ，

#ARC #Netgalley #ThreeAssassinsOne word review – whacky If you are looking for an entirely different look at the life and death from the point of view of hired killers and their victims give this a go。 If you want a straightforward fast paced thriller look elsewhere。Full review here https://thereadersroom。org/2022/04/17。。。 #ARC #Netgalley #ThreeAssassinsOne word review – whacky If you are looking for an entirely different look at the life and death from the point of view of hired killers and their victims give this a go。 If you want a straightforward fast paced thriller look elsewhere。Full review here https://thereadersroom。org/2022/04/17。。。 。。。more

Sarah Baenen ，

This was a fun read。 I loved the fast-paced action and the exciting twists。 The characters were distinct and sympathetic （despite the fact that they were assassins）。 Although this didn’t have as much wit as Bullet Train， another book by this author， I really enjoyed it。 ARC from NetGalley

Billie ，

THEIR MISSION IS MURDER。 HIS IS REVENGE。Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered。 When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them， looking for a chance to take his revenge。 What he doesn't realise is that he's about to get drawn into a web of 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 e THEIR MISSION IS MURDER。 HIS IS REVENGE。Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered。 When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them， looking for a chance to take his revenge。 What he doesn't realise is that he's about to get drawn into a web of 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 elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents。Suzuki must take each of them on， in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers。This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series！Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story。Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down。Can't wait to read more of these。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own honest voluntary 。。。more

Duncan Beattie （Fiction From Afar） ，

One of the most compelling and hard hitting but also most usual books to fall into my hands in 2021 was Bullet Train by Kotoro Isaka。 While it won’t be long until we see the Hollywood interpretation of the story – set in Japan but with American actors - in late July UK readers don’t have to wait as long to get some more of Kotoro Isaka’s craft with the publication of Three Assassins。Like Bullet Train， Three Assassins is a standalone novel， unlike the former， is clearly not set on a train。 Yet th One of the most compelling and hard hitting but also most usual books to fall into my hands in 2021 was Bullet Train by Kotoro Isaka。 While it won’t be long until we see the Hollywood interpretation of the story – set in Japan but with American actors - in late July UK readers don’t have to wait as long to get some more of Kotoro Isaka’s craft with the publication of Three Assassins。Like Bullet Train， Three Assassins is a standalone novel， unlike the former， is clearly not set on a train。 Yet there are some notable similarities。 Isaka actually illustrates a lot of psychology in his novels， and both stories follow the reactions of different some decent， some sinister who have to adapt to different and unexpected situations。 Throughout Three Assassins there is a regular returning theme of comparing humans to insects epitomised by the distasteful Cicada。 Translated again by Sam Malissa， the dialogue in the story is very direct and blunt with very little hesitancy from all but the main character。 The story features a hapless main narrator called Suzuki who is by far the most likeable and dependable character in the story。 For reasons that I won’t reveal Suzuki purposely involves himself with a criminal gang called Fraulein led by the powerful Terahara。 Yet our new hero quickly finds himself the hunter of one professional killer with two others on his trail。 A slight overlap between this book and Bullet Train occurs with mention of a mysterious and anonymous executioner known as The Pusher。 He is discussed briefly by characters Lemon and Tangerine in the earlier novel before a quick cameo doing what he does best。 The Pusher is known to pick off the victims he is contracted to kill by pushing them in front of oncoming traffic。 When Suzuki is suddenly compelled by his insistent boss Hiyoko to follow and discover the identity and location of The Pusher， he is completely oblivious to the interest this has generated on the Tokyo criminal grapevine。We encounter two other dangerous individuals in the course of their jobs who are also narrators to this story。 A giant of a man， known only as The Whale is able to convince his victims to take their own lives using just his words。 He’s the perfect hitman for anyone who wants to get rid of a partner or associate that they no longer need。 While you would hate to meet him， you would perhaps dread even more to meet young and restless Cicada。 He is a knife expert who never stops talking。 Through the contracts arranged through his associate Iwanishi has no scruples about taking the lives of victims of any age – why have an arbitrary limit he insists。 When they hear that that a man called Suzuki is on the trail of The Pusher on behalf of Fraulein， they are separately compelled to get to him first and eliminate their rival。Suzuki does not share the same ruthlessness as the other characters in the story and even when he is sure he has discovered The Pusher， he is reluctant to reveal his location to Hiyoko。 Yet when he agrees to meet her in safe location， the pace of the book develops significantly leading to a dramatic conclusion。 There is an extensive history of crime fiction in Japan and while Isaka’s stories vary significantly from the locked door mysteries of his predecessors， cunning and craft of the key protagonists still remain as two of the significant characteristics。 Three Assassins is a roller coaster of a read that you will not wish to miss。 。。。more

Mary ，

I really enjoyed Bullet Train by the same author and Three Assassins just about lives up to it。Suzuki is out to avenge the death of his wife and this unassuming， retired maths teacher becomes involved with the murky world of the assassin。 This is a thoroughly entertaining novel; it is fast paced， intriguing and a really different read。 The characters are fascinating， the narrative is sharp and clever， the action is intense。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an I really enjoyed Bullet Train by the same author and Three Assassins just about lives up to it。Suzuki is out to avenge the death of his wife and this unassuming， retired maths teacher becomes involved with the murky world of the assassin。 This is a thoroughly entertaining novel; it is fast paced， intriguing and a really different read。 The characters are fascinating， the narrative is sharp and clever， the action is intense。 Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Three Assassins

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Three Assassins&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Three Assassins&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0