Bullet Train

tags: bullet train, Japanese, Shinkansen, thriller

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

from GoodReads

Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird—the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world”—boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase—and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, “the Prince,” with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose.

When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear.

A massive bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with an incredible energy and surprising humor as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwind. Award-winning author Kotaro Isaka takes readers on a tension packed journey as the bullet train hurtles toward its final destination. Who will make it off the train alive—and what awaits them at the last stop?

Can I give this novel 10 stars out of 5? Yes I can. I enjoyed the book very much and it is like reading a Takashi Miike movie script on steroid. 3 professional hired killers, 1 vengeful dad, and 1 demented bad seed teenager aboard the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) have different reasons for being on the train. The synopsis from GoodReads and pretty much from other booksellers is far from accurate. Only the 3 assassins have connections to each other. The dad and the brat have their own story but get to meet the other 3 people and several passengers who may or may not be connected to them.

- Nanao, the black-framed eyeglass wearing hired killer called Ladybug, in my version of the novel, is assigned to steal a suitcase filled with money, then get off the next stop. How hard could it be? Nanao finds it's rather complicated. 

- The twin fruit assassins Lemon and Tangerine brought the suitcase onboard which they have recovered after successfully rescuing the kidnapped son of a much feared underworld boss. They are to deliver both to someone at the last train stop.

- Kimura, a former hitman and a recovering alcoholic, armed with a handgun is on board to kill the teenage boy, the Prince, who pushed his son off the roof of a building and the son is now in a coma.

- the Prince is a demented 14 year old androgynous boy who looks innocent but is manipulative and deadly, and has an obsession with killing. His reason is to taunt Kimura.

What could go wrong? Heaps with a capital H. A tale that is twisty turn-y, full of humor and philosophical musings, thrilling, unpredictable. The novel is hard to put down once you start reading.

Highly recommended. EBook is available to borrow from Hoopla.

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I read that the original title is Mariabītoru (Maria Beetle) published in 2010 and is now being made into a Hollywood movie. 🙄🙄🙄 Oh please, avoid the movie which I predict will change the story to make it one of, if not the worst, movie adaptations ever. IMHO, everything Hollywood touches becomes garbage.

A Rant: People who have read the book compare it to Tarantino movies but I beg to disagree. Obviously they haven't watched a single Takashi Miike movie. Tarantino is a talentless moviemaker who steals ALL his ideas from other movies specially from Japan, Hong Kong, other Asian countries, and a few from Scandinavian countries too. Tarantino is one big poseur and a FRAUD.