I've decided I love this author. Bullet Train was such an amazing read and whilst Three Assassins doesn't quite reach those dizzying heights it is a hugely compelling thrill ride, quirky and weird and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Three Assassins plus one man seeking revenge in the death of his wife circle around each other relentlessly in this addictive narrative. Full of ghosts both literal and metaphorical this is a twisted tale of a community that deals in death, in some ways this is a strangely emotional relationship drama if you can imagine the most twisted relationships ever.

The ending is melancholy and somewhat interpretive, the characters are oddly likeable and overall this was another terrific read from this author.

Having just attempted to read Bullet Train, without much success, I thought I would try this one. But sadly, this is not for me either.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read in advance but Unfortunately this wasn’t for me and I couldn’t finish it.

After giving Bullet Train a go, which I dnf, I decide to give this author another opportunity... Unfortunately, this one wasn't much better for me and I dnf as well. The writing style is not my cup off tea, this could also be due to the translation. Thank you for the opportunity.

I found this a hard book to stick with. It's probably because I'm unfamiliar with some of Japan's cultural norms and there are references that might be a bit alien to anyone outside Japan. I didn't feel any empathy towards the protagonist seeking revenge for the death of his wife either. There were zero redeeming qualities about the assassins either. One of the assassins talks people into committing suicide and following his procedure (even in fiction) kind of needs a trigger warning. Sorry ... I thought the blurb made it sound like a fantastic read and while others will probably devour it - it really isn't for me.

I really enjoyed the first one in the series and the second one didn’t disappoint. It’s about a gentleman whom sets out to exact revenge for the death of his wife. This story involves the criminal underworld . If you enjoy thrillers and action packed stories you will love it.

Three Assassins by Kotaro Isaka is like nothing I have read. It is set entirely in Japan and tells the story of Suzuki. Suzuki sets out to avenge the death of his wife and gets involved in the criminal underworld. It reads like watching a fast-paced action movie with vivid descriptions of the actions. Suzuki is one of three assassins with different motives whose paths inexorable cross with a surprising outcome. It is tense, violent, action-packed with an injection of humour which makes it an engaging read.

Having just attempted to read Bullet Train, without much success, I thought I would try this one. But sadly, this is not for me either. The writing style is very difficult to read easily, spoils the flow of the narrative. The storyline was just confusing, with the Whale, the Cicada etc, sadly making no sense to me. This was a DNF, there are too many good books out there waiting to be read, to labour on with something I’m not enjoying on any level.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

The wife of Suzuki who was a teacher was murdered by a criminal organisation, a wierd and wonderful collection who are in the murder "industry" . Their only objective is to assassinate people. Suzuki is out for revenge.
The Whale, who convinces people to commit suicide, The Cicada, a knife expert who kills families and The Pusher, never seen but his victims all die in traffic accidents. They are all interconnected and Suzuki must take thrm all on to survive.
Its fast paced, funny, with lots of black humour. Very unusual and highly entertaining.

Suzuki is out for revenge. His wife was killed in a road accident, which seems to have been anything but an accident, and now he wants to kill the one he considers to be her murderer. Easier said than done. The three assassins of the title, come into his life at different points.

Having enjoyed this authors previous book, Bullet Train, I was hopeful that I would also enjoy this one. I’m still undecided as to whether or not I enjoyed it. It is again a very dark read, with less humour this time, and a very tangled plot line. I’m not sure if the sense of this book is lost in translation or it is a cultural difference, but it was much harder to read this than the previous book. It’s easy to empathise with Suzuki, who feels helpless to avenge his wife, but the other characters feel a bit two dimensional and more caricatures. Probably not the book for me. 2 1/2⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Having found Kotaro Isaka’s Bullet Train not to my taste,I decided to give Three Assassins a go, but again, I was left somewhat disappointed. Perhaps it is a book for another day and one I may well go back to, but for the time being, it is not one that made me continue turning the pages and so it was put to one side, as there are other more promising titles waiting to be read.