Kotaro Isaka – författare

Brought to you by Penguin. Five killers. One train journey. But who will survive? An original and propulsive thriller from a massive Japanese bestseller.*SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING BRAD PITT AND SANDRA BULLOCK*Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura''s young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard.Nanao, the self-proclaimed ''unluckiest assassin in the world'', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station?''A locked-room crime drama played out at 200mph'' The TimesReaders can''t stop reading Bullet Train!''Original, quirky and highly entertaining''''A dark-humoured, twisty thriller that''s a lot of fun''''One of the most addictive thrillers I''ve ever read... smart and cinematic''''What an original novel! Exciting from beginning to end''''A whole lot of darkly comic fun''''A thrilling ride''Bullet Train was originally published in Japan with the title Maria Beetle.© Kotaro Isaka 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Brought to you by Penguin.THEIR MISSION IS MURDER. HIS IS REVENGE. A propulsive new thriller from the bestselling author of BULLET TRAIN.Suzuki is just an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. When he discovers the criminal gang responsible he leaves behind his life as a maths teacher and joins them, looking for a chance to take his revenge. What he doesn''t realise is that he''s about to get drawn into a web of unusual professional assassins, each with their own agenda.The Whale convinces his victims to take their own lives using just his words.The Cicada is a talkative and deadly knife expert.The elusive Pusher dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents.Suzuki must take each of them on, in order to try to find justice and keep his innocence in a world of killers.PRAISE FOR BULLET TRAIN:''Unlike anything you''re likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses'' Financial Times''Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it''The TimesPart high-octane thriller, part farce, this is an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable read'' GuardianThe action accelerates up and down the ten carriages but the question is: who will get off alive? Daily Mail© Kotaro Isaka 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Brought to you by Penguin.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.But 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.©2023 Kotaro Isaka (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Brought to you by Penguin.A luxury hotel full of assassins - what could go wrong? Nanao ‘the unluckiest assassin in the world’ has been hired to deliver a birthday present to a guest at a luxury Tokyo Hotel. It seems like a simple assignment but by the time he leaves the guest''s room one man is dead and more will soon follow. Events spiral out of control as it becomes clear several different killers, with varying missions, are all taking a stay in the hotel at the same time. And they''re all particularly interested in a young woman with a photographic memory, hiding out on one of the twenty floors.Will Nanao find the truth about what’s going on? And will he check out alive?In this original, gripping and inventive follow-up to the international bestseller Bullet Train, Kotaro Isaka demonstrates his unparalleled gift for unique characters and unexpected twists.‘Unlike anything you''re likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses’ Financial Times, on BULLET TRAIN‘Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it’ The Times, on BULLET TRAIN‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Guardian, on BULLET TRAIN‘Showcases Kotaro Isaka''s Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence’ The Times, on THREE ASSASSINS‘An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist’ Mail on Sunday, on THE MANTIS© Kotaro Isaka 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Brought to you by Penguin.Two inventive tales of espionage in one, from the internationally bestselling author of Japanese fiction sensation Bullet TrainIn Japan''s recent past, Miyako suspects her mother-in-law is a murderer. She uses her secret skills as an ex-spy to investigate her, while trying to maintain a peaceful home life.And in Japan''s not-too-distant future, a courier named Mito finds himself embroiled in the death of the developer of a sinister AI surveillance system.Seesaw Monster contains two sharp, thrilling novellas from the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer Kotaro Isaka.© Kotaro Isaka 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Two inventive tales of espionage in one, from the internationally bestselling author of Japanese fiction sensation Bullet TrainMiyako suspects her mother-in-law is a murderer. It’s not just a case of them rubbing each other up the wrong way – there is definitely something suspicious going on. But Miyako isn’t exactly what she seems either. Her husband has no idea about her past life as a secret agent. When she decides to use her professional skills to investigate her mother-in-law, the delicate equilibrium of their lives is thrown wildly out of balance.Many decades later, in a future world where electronic communication has been irrevocably compromised, confidential messages must be delivered by trusted couriers like Mito. But one delivery pulls Mito into a conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings, and forces him into a race against time to defeat a world-changing technological threat.Seesaw Monster contains two sharp, thrilling novellas - SEESAW MONSTER and SPIN MONSTER - from the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer Kotaro Isaka, internationally celebrated for his offbeat humour and inventive talent for twists.PRAISE FOR KOTARO ISAKA:‘Unlike anything you're likely to have read before . . . white-hot with double-crosses’ Financial Times‘Entertaining . . . high-speed . . . with lots of twists and turns’ The Times‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Guardian