Bullet Train A Novel

Bullet Train

A Novel

By Kotaro Isaka
Translator Sam Malissa

Hardcover

Price: $28.00

  • Additional formats:
  • Publication Date: August 3, 2021
  • Imprint: The Overlook Press
  • Trim Size: 6 x 9
  • ISBN: 9781419756337
  • Page Count: 432
  • Rights: North America + Philippines

WINNER OF THE STRAND CRITICS AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT

A dark, satirical thriller by the bestselling Japanese author, following the perilous train ride of five highly motivated assassins—soon to be a major film from Sony starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, and Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and more

Satoshi—The Prince—looks like an innocent schoolboy but is really a stylish and devious assassin. Risk fuels him, as does a good philosophical debate, such as questioning: Is killing really wrong? Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to The Prince, and Kimura has tracked him onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board.

Nanao, also nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” is put on the bullet train by his boss, a mysterious young woman called Maria, to steal a suitcase full of money and get off at the first stop. The lethal duo of Tangerine and Lemon are also traveling to Morioka, and the suitcase leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it off alive?

A bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds up to the last station.

Praise

“Zippily translated by Sam Malissa for The Overlook Press, this is one novel that lives up to its title. Fueled by a seductively explosive premise, it's fast, deadly and loads of fun… At once outlandish and virtuoso, Bullet Train is like one of those dazzling balance beam routines that keep you hoping the gymnast will stick the landing.”

 
NPR's Fresh Air —
“A great end-of-summer beach read, as the action moves fast -- just like the bullet train of the title. Isaka will definitely keep you guessing to the end…”

 
Collider —
“Breakneck pacing, masterful character development, and well-timed comic relief set Isaka's pitch-perfect (and seamlessly translated) thriller up for blockbuster status."
Kirkus (starred review) —
“Isaka keeps the suspense high throughout. Fans of intricate action fiction will be enthralled.”

 
Publishers Weekly (starred review) —
“Isaka has created an off-beat, fast-paced, and humorous thriller, unlike any other thriller you’ll find on the bookshelves.”

 
Your Money Geek —

About the author

Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and award-wining 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. Bullet Train is his US debut.