I really enjoyed this book. I felt it built nicely on the characters and had a good sense of pace. The events kept me interested in reading and I loved the setting of this novel. Having read read the author's previous novels, I thought that this was a great addition to the series. I will be recommending to others. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC.

This was the usual energetic joyride, this time in a hotel rather than on a bullet train, with a full cast of weird characters. I think it's slightly less funny and original this time round, nor is it as thoughtful as The Mantis. Perhaps this format is running a little out of steam.

I wanted to read Hotel Lucky Seven because I was intrigued by the cover and the title. I had no idea it was part of a series but not having read the previous books didn’t prevent me from enjoying this madcap adventure.

This is actually the fourth instalment in Kotaro Isaka’s Assassins series and sees the return of Ladybug from Bullet Train (no, I haven’t seen the movie either!)

All Ladybug has to do is deliver a painting to a luxurious Tokyo hotel room but he’s not known as the “unluckiest assassin in the world” for nothing so things don’t exactly go to plan.

Darkly humorous and fast-paced, Hotel Lucky Seven was a fun and entertaining read with a good mix of action and mystery. Recommended!

Ladybug is back to complete another job and you know that chaos will ensue! If you enjoyed the Bullet Train you'll love Hotel Lucky Seven; it was an thrilling and entertaining novel which had me on the edge of my seat hoping that Ladybug's luck didn't run out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to the madcap crazy world of Kotaro Isaka. I suspect that more people will come to this book after the Hollywood take on 'Bullet Train' (nope, still not watched it, never will), so if there is one crumb of comfort from that then that's a positive.

Anyway, to the matter in hand. Once again poor Nanao (aka Ladybug) gets himself involved in a hapless, hopeless mess. Deliver a painting, that's all. Right. One dead body later and all hell breaks loose. And once again there are more assassins in one hotel than is strictly necessary, if truth be told. Twists and turns, humour, violence. It's joyous and just a pleasure to lose yourself into this crazy world.

I'll be honest, I was in a race against time before my ARC expired, so I was rushing a bit to get it finished. I will have to go back and re-read it becasue I feel like I missed the sheer pleasure of just reading at leisure this madcap world and its characters.

Fans of the series will love this, and yes indeed, Isaka deserves more people to read his books. For me, this one comes in somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I am yet to find an Kotaro Isaka that I haven’t enjoyed! Such a wonderful blend of storytelling, mystery and action. Truly paving the way in the genre!

Another in the assassins series by Kotaro Isaka and this one brings back Ladybug from the "Bullet Train" novel. Excellent achievement similar level of action as that story and you'll not be far wrong. This time the setting of hotel becomes home for murders galore and you just can't even begin to fathom who is lonely to be the next victim. A very fast paced thriller with little to no let up in the violence or at least the anticipation of it. Extremely enjoyable.
Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my copy for review purposes.

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now
A more extensive review will follow. Many thanks to the publisher

The fourth book in Kotaro Isaka's Assassins series and the second book featuring the unluckiest assassin on the planet, Ladybug. Yes, the one from Bullet Train.

This time Ladybug has a very simple job. His handler, Maria Beetle, tasks him with delivering a painting to a man in a hotel room. What could possibly go wrong? Well, if you know what happened when he tried to retrieve a suitcase from a train, you know you are in for a ride this time too.

Just as funny and dark, and violent, as Bullet Train (yes, I haven't read the other two books yet. shame on me), but at times it felt like there were too many different plot lines going on and it felt a bit convoluted.

"We're all human, but some of us end up being the ones getting our strings pulled, while others end up pulling the strings. Life is cruel that way."

Kotaro Isaka's fourth book in the Assassins series reunites us with Ladybug, In Bullet Train, Ladybug was tasked by his handler Maria Beetle with retrieving a suitcase from a high-speed train in Japan. The job did not go according to plan. Being the unluckiest assassin in the world, he just wants things to be easier this time around. All he has to do is deliver a painting to a hotel guest, a portrait made by his daughter. Easy enough, except when Ladybug makes the delivery, he realizes that the guest is clearly not the guy in the painting. Then he attacks Ladybug, they fight, and the guest ends up dead. How can such simple jobs always go wrong?

What I love about this series of books is that there's always some kind of drama going on behind the job these assassins are set out to do. Ladybug is one of those you can't be mad at because luck just isn't on his side. In this hotel he is up against a band of other assassins with unique names and missions of their own which unfortunately for Ladybug he ends up accidentally being involved.

There are brilliant fight scenes, many flashbacks and a trail for the reader to figure out why all these individuals happen to be at the same hotel at the same time.

This was a fun and entertaining read. Much like Bullet Train it was addictive and funny whilst being action packed.

I read an ARC of Bullet Train and since then I have been obsessed with Kotaro Isaka’s works and so happy they have been translated to English. When I say obsessed I mean that I have the hardbacks, ebooks and audiobooks of the first three novels, Bullet Train, Three Assassins and The Mantis, so when I learnt there was another novel due I was so excited. It's safe to say I wasn’t disappointed.

As usual we enter Isaka’s world of assassins and there is never a dull moment. The translation is well done and keeps true to the original. I enjoy how we keep the references and pieces of Japanese culture as well as get dragged into a fast paced thriller. I also like how each story so far references, if not includes, characters from previous novels. It’s equally funny and action packed. I loved everything about this one from start to finish and I seriously hope we continue to get translations of Isaka’s work since he is definitely one of my favourite authors.

As always thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for the copy to review. My review is always honest, truthful and freely given.

Ladybird, Madame ClicketyClack, The Pusher, Cola and Soda, Blanket and Pillow, The Six. Popular Japanese writer, Kotara Isaka, certainly knows how to assemble an eccentric cast of obscure, intriguing, and oddly named characters.

Hotel Lucky Seven is the fourth installment in Isaka’s assassin series, but fans of his first, Bullet Train, will be pleased to see the return of the always-out-of-luck Ladybird. He is also the only returning character because he is the sole survivor of the train incident that resulted in a slew of deaths.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2024/11/20/hotel-lucky-seven-kotaro-isaka-transl-brian-bergstrom/?preview_id=7488&preview_nonce=48a7e260df&preview=true

I really enjoyed Bullet Train and was delighted to get the opportunity to read this sequel. I think Hotel Lucky Seven might be a stronger read.
It took me a little while to get used to the characters names and who was who ( this is wholly on me ) but once I did, I was all in and could not put this book down.

Stylish, twisty, funny and genuinely page turning tale about a number of different killers on varying missions all staying in the same hotel. This is a book where the less you know going in , the better. Hugely original, very entertaining and I had no idea where the story was going but really enjoyed the journey and the conclusion was deeply satisfying.

Recommend to anybody who enjoys a thriller and appreciates a fresh take on this genre

4 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, it had some Amazing humour involved and following the unlucky assassin was just heavily enjoyable this is the first I've read of the bullet train series but I found it so easy to follow and will be going to read the rest of this authors work

This is the 4th book in this series and you really should start from book one and read in order. If nothing else, please do try and read Bullet Train as it will give you an introduction to Nanao/Ladybug and Maria, and it is referenced a few times herein... But they are all great books so...
Anyway... in this book we start with two "hotel maids" - Blanket and Pillow - who "accost" a guest in a hotel room, with a sheet. We also have The Six and their blow darts. But this is just the start of things though as you will soon discover. And, as you have already read the previous books, will expect. We then reconnect with the hapless Ladybug as a the delivery of a birthday present portrait doesn't go according to plan when it obviously doesn't resemble the recipient... although it could be due to a legibility error, fun and frolics (death) ensue there too! Could he be even more unlucky?
Oh but there is so much more going on in this book that you really do have to have your wits about you. It's deliciously interconnected and convoluted and I would recommend you dedicate chunks of time to read, rather than dip in a few pages at a time, to really give it justice.
It's bonkers and violent, and occasionally very funny too. And with a cracking variety of "assassination techniques" described, it kinda blew my mind on occasion! All the way to the very unique ending!
Set in a hotel and with multiple assassins and assignments, some of which intersect and overlap, it's a very busy book and one that I might even have to revisit to sweep up some things I might have missed first time round. Something I am more than happy to do...
All in all a cracking addition to a brilliantly bonkers and satisfying series... I do hope it continues. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

In a large hotel in Tokyo various nefarious deeds are being undertaken. A politician is having dinner with a jounalist, a team of assassins are looking for a particular young woman and Ladybird just happens to be delivering a parcel as a favour to Maria. Unlucky Ladybird makes a mistake and starts a chain of events that cause murder and mayhem in various parts of the hotel.
fun and lively to read with references back to Bullet train all over the place

I loved Bullet Train so I had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint. I loved the pace of the book, it kept interested and engaged all way through.

4.25 stars

Nanao - code name Ladybird - continues to be the unluckiest assassin in existence. Maria has an 'easy, no problems' job for him: deliver a birthday gift to a wealthy hotel guest. But the usual comedy of errors occurs and soon the hotel is so full of corpses, people start to wonder if a plague god has come to stay.

This references Bullet Train several times, so it's probably best to read that book first.

I enjoyed this more than Bullet Train! It was slightly less chaotic and slapstick, while having even more hilarious characters. I liked the set up of all the action being contained to the hotel, with the assassins using the elevators, different floors, security cameras etc to strategize. The overall plot kept me guessing, and I enjoyed the overarching theme of appreciating what you have. This series is great for people who enjoy action sequences and silly Matrix-style dodging!

This was a fast-paced, fun read, filled with dark comedy and a lot of interesting and very quirky characters.

Hotel Lucky Seven is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. It is sleek, stylish and sensational.

I came into this as a standalone, having not read the previous books but I have seen the film adaptation of Bullet Train. That world of espionage and assassins is incredibly rich ground for fiction so I was excited to see this take on it. It really reminded me of the Inside No. 9 episode A Quiet Night In with that balance of darkness and comedy. The locked room style setting of the hotel also adds an extra element, seeing how characters interpret this familiar space in an entirely new way. Of course there are plenty of surprises and different layers to unfurl. I really enjoyed the central mystery and the plotting was stellar. The tension ramped up with every page and the writing was just so slick and precise.

However, my standout was the characterisation. You have these various zany figures caught up in this criminal world, all with their own quirks and personalities. It was an interesting twist on the typical presentation of an assassin, allowing for some humour to enter proceedings. For me, it was a brilliant cast of characters, though some definitely were easier to connect with than others. There is such a normalisation of death with them all that is at once both saddening and scary.

I loved seeing how all these seemingly disparate threads come together and gradually reveal the bigger picture behind it all. This is a world that turns on lies and duplicity, meaning that plot twists often come thick and fast. They can be unexpected connections or other narrative sleights of hand that just alter your perception a little. It is a really fun read where the pages seem to fly by.

Hotel Lucky Seven was a fantastic slice of action and character work that I thoroughly recommend.