Ratings5
Average rating3.4
Good dad or good assassin? Can he be both? From the internationally bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN- A seemingly ordinary family man tries to juggle his home life with his job as a hitman. Picture a mantis raising up its blades. It looks fearsome, but it's still just a tiny insect. The mantis actually thinks it can win. Even though it's tiny, it's still ready to fight to the death. Kabuto is an ordinary guy; stressed with work, hassled by his wife and disrespected by his son. No wonder he visits his doctor so often. Except 'the Doctor' is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a hired assassin. The 'prescriptions' the Doctor hands over are his unlucky targets. Because although Kabuto may seem like a small man at home, he's really good at killing people. Kabuto is worn out with the business of murder. He's trying to pay his way out of the Doctor's employment with a few last jobs. But the most lucrative contracts involve taking out other professional assassins and his final assignment puts both him and his family in danger.
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4 primary books殺し屋 is a 4-book series with 4 released primary works first released in 2004 with contributions by Kōtarō Isaka.
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I enjoyed this couple a lot more than I did the previous couple.
To begin with, this is a bit ploddy. Isaka's voice is idiosyncratic enough that it isn't boring, but it didn't feel particularly fresh or exciting. And then, just past the halfway mark, the whole book gets upended, everything changes, and it becomes a propulsive race to the end. It's cleverly constructed and very readable. My only caveat is that the relationship between the main character and his wife feels like something out of a terrible 80s sitcom. It's not entirely surprising, as Japanese views of gender roles are a lot more conservative than they are in the modern West, but it did stand out to me. If you can put those qualms aside, you'll enjoy a zippy and arch crime thriller.