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A review by tiffanielle
Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
A well done action/dark comedy! This book was outside my normal reading genre, but I thought I would change things up. Plus, the premise sounded really interesting. We have five assassins on a high speed bullet train in Japan - three with the same mission and two with agendas of their own. And what a mix of appealing and amusing personalities among them that include a Thomas the Tank Engine lover, a sardonic teen, and a very unlucky, nothing ever goes right killer.
I appreciated the author's nuanced characters, the interspersed comedic dialogue throughout, the alternating chapters from the assassins, and the seamless translation from the original Japanese.
Originally a best seller in Japan, it was published there in September 2010. It represents book number 2 in a trilogy, but can be read as a stand alone novel. A movie adaptation was released in 2022 starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, and Sandra Bullock, among other recognizable faces.
Trigger warnings for: murder and violence
I appreciated the author's nuanced characters, the interspersed comedic dialogue throughout, the alternating chapters from the assassins, and the seamless translation from the original Japanese.
Originally a best seller in Japan, it was published there in September 2010. It represents book number 2 in a trilogy, but can be read as a stand alone novel. A movie adaptation was released in 2022 starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, and Sandra Bullock, among other recognizable faces.
Trigger warnings for: murder and violence