Bullet Train

Author: Kotaro Isaka

Series: Hitman #2

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Release Date: August 3, 2021

In a read before you watch debate, this will be better than the movie!

Aboard the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Morioka, multiple assassins are traveling with different, seemingly unrelated agendas.  Tangerine and Lemon have “rescued” a wealthy man’s son from a kidnapping and are making their way to deliver the boy and the ransom money that is housed in a suitcase.  Nanao, referred to as ladybug for his unlucky, yet successful adventures, is working with his partner Maria on an assignment to grab a specific suitcase off the train, which just happens to be the same suitcase that Tangerine and Lemon are guarding.  Kimura has boarded the train to avenge his young son’s accident by a teenager known as “the Prince.”  But the Prince is more calculated and sadistic than anyone knows who is out to determine the boundaries that he can push.  Could there be more assassins aboard that have even more agendas?  What will happen when they finally realize that things might not be quite as unrelated as they seem?

I picked up a copy of this book when I saw that it was going to be a movie and I love to read it before I see it.  Needless to say, this is an action-packed thriller from start to finish.  There are so many twists and turns throughout the book that it made my head spin.  There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed: the banter between Lemon and Tangerine, the frustrations of Nanao, and Kimura’s parents were just the icing on the cake.  It was easy to connect with certain characters and disdain for others, just as the reader intended.  The fight scenes on the train were done very well and was completely believable.

There is quite a bit of strong language throughout the book, a lot of violence, and some disturbing thoughts and concepts by one of the characters, but still a great book.  I recommend that those who love to compare books to movies check this out.