"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.

Nanao has been asked to deliver a birthday gift to hotel room in Tokyo, Japan. Now the thing you need to know is he is the unluckiest assassin known in that world. This book is fast paced, with a dark humour running the story and told in multiple points of views. Nanao is not the only assassin in the hotel this particular day, which leads to series of events that I never saw coming. The characters, in particular their names were so funny and memorable! All the sub plots tie up to an unexpected ending!

Hotel lucky seven is book 4 in the Assassins series and the continuation of the story of Bullet Train.
Ladybug the unluckiest assassin has been tasked to deliver a portrait painting to a hotel guest. The Painting was a done but the guest’s daughter but when he tries to deliver it. He notices that it’s not the guy in the painting and the hotel guest tries to kill him.
Like the previous novels from this author, this is another action-packed quirky thriller novel. With a hotel full of assassins and everyone trying to kill each other and cleaner trying to clear the bodies up and the mess. This is a great thrilling ending to fab series. 4 stars from me.

A fast paced thriller with wit and humour that makes it an interesting read. It is quite different from what I have read so far in this genre. Also loved the way the characters are written. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

Ladybug, the unluckiest assassin, arrives at a hotel with the simple task of delivering a package to a hotel guest. Things do not go to plan and he finds himself in danger.

This was a really fun assassin thriller, full of quirky characters and humour. There was plenty of action involved to keep the reader invested in the story and very unique in its story telling. Some character’s I found more entertaining than others, however all a superbly crafted.

Having not read all the other books in this series, I was worried at first that I would struggle, however this wasn’t the case and I was able to follow the story. Saying that I do think I would have got more pleasure from this having read the others prior. Overall though, this was translated well and a great follow up for those who have followed this series. I will go back and read the ones I have missed out on. I also really like the cover! 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Get ready for another wild ride with Kotaro Isaka's Hotel Lucky Seven! This time, our favorite unlucky hitman, Ladybird, stumbles into a chaotic free-for-all at a Tokyo hotel. What starts as a simple delivery turns into a hilarious and thrilling bloodbath when Ladybird finds himself trapped in a building full of assassins with their own agendas. If you loved the over-the-top action and quirky humor of Isaka's other books, you won't want to miss this one.

In Hotel Lucky Seven, Kotaro Isaka brings back the world’s unluckiest assassin, Ladybug, for another wild, adrenaline-fueled misadventure. After his chaotic job on a high-speed train in Bullet Train, Ladybug is now tasked with what seems like a simple job—delivering a painting to a hotel guest. Easy, right? Except, of course, things don’t go as planned. The recipient isn't who he's supposed to be, a fight ensues, and before long, the guest is dead. It’s classic Ladybug—no job ever stays simple for long.

Internationally acclaimed for his stylish and masterful thrillers, Isaka delivers once again in this outrageously entertaining follow-up. Hotel Lucky Seven is packed with outsized characters, gripping action sequences, and plenty of plot twists to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Fans of Bullet Train will love the return of Ladybug’s unlucky streak, but even those new to Isaka's world will find this book stands perfectly well on its own.

As Ladybug navigates the chaos, he meets an intriguing cast of characters, including a woman with an eidetic memory and a host of other killers with their agendas. The sharp dialogue, witty banter, and non-stop action make for a fast-paced, thrilling ride. And while the book has plenty of nods to Ladybug's previous exploits, you don't need to have read Bullet Train to enjoy this one.

If you’re looking for a fun, twist-filled thriller that keeps you guessing and laughing all the way through, Hotel Lucky Seven is a must-read. Kotaro Isaka continues to prove why he’s a master of the genre, and Ladybug’s disastrous but entertaining jobs never fail to delight.

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This is my fourth book from this author and this one was particularly excellent (although I have enjoyed them all).

This follows on from Bullet Train and we see some returning characters. This replicates the same carnage in a confined space that we saw in Bullet Train but this time in a hotel. The hotel was used so well in this book with things taking place on different floors, confusion over room numbers and staff playing an unwitting role in the action.

We see a convoluted convergence of different assassins coming to the hotel in pursuit of their targets. Hunters becoming hunted and confusion over identities. It is completely action packed and you never know what will happen next! Really enjoyable blend of action, thriller and comedy.

Although I didn't remember all the characters from the Bullet train, this sequel was spectacular, in my opinion even better than the first book. Lady Bug returns and with him a couple of old acquaintances who turn out to be quite different from how I remembered them. I had a great time and the pace is very high, even though in some ways some of the situations are quite similar to what happens in the first novel.

Anche se non mi ricordavo tutti i personaggi del Bullet train, questo seguito é stato spettacolare, secondo me persino meglio del primo libro. Torna Lady Bug e con lui un paio di vecchie conoscenze che si rivelano essere ben diverse da come me le ricordavo. Mi sono divertita tantissimo ed il ritmo é altissimo, anche se per certi versi ci sono situazioni piuttosto simili ad alcune nel primo romanzo.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

'Hotel Lucky Seven' from the author of 'The Bullet Train' is a high-paced, wacky, thriller!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me! I don't fault the book at all, it definitely did what it set out to do. If you enjoyed 'The Bullet Train' I definitely suggest you pick this one up and continue the series!

This is one of my first translated books, the unfamiliar writing style and narration took me a while to get used to, which effected my enjoyment slightly.

This thriller is extremely wacky and unique, -as expected from this author- it just didn't mesh with my reading mood at the time! If you enjoy a fun romp and assasins, you will love following Ladybug on his crazy adventures!