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!

Hotel Lucky Seven is another assassin thriller from Kotaro Isaka featuring a web of assassins in Tokyo whose intersections cause a mess of violence, death, and ridiculousness. Nanao, the unlucky assassin known as Ladybird from Bullet Train, has a job to deliver a birthday present to a room in a hotel, an apparently easy job until a man ends up dead and Nanao discovers he isn't the only professional in the hotel that day. When he meets Kamino, a woman with a perfect memory who seems to be the focus of these professionals, Nanao is drawn into far more than he expected.

Given that Nanao is one of the main characters, you can guess that this book is very much a follow-up to Bullet Train, even though there are other Isaka books in the same world featuring some of the same characters. Hotel Lucky Seven takes the Bullet Train mould of a single location and far too many assassins, rather than the more wide-ranging (and less comic) The Mantis, and this works very effectively as a fun journey around scheming and mishaps, with plenty of ridiculous deaths. There's some fascinating character relationships in this one, and some further models for crime duos along similar lines to the citrus-themed pair from Bullet Train.

If you liked Bullet Train, Hotel Lucky Seven is another book in the same vein, with plenty of mishaps, gruesome deaths, and weirdly specifically skilled assassins. It's ideal for people, like me, who love dark comedy crime films. The translation has a good balance of making sure Japanese-culture-specific elements are clear, whilst not spelling everything out or removing things that give the book its setting and context (and the author's note at the end about yuzu pepper cheesecake is a funny touch).

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the ARC

Crazy fun! A hotel full of assassins all trying to murder each other, what could possibly go wrong? The book had a great, subtle humor which I loved. I mean an assassin named Blanket? It was fast-paced and kept me guessing all the time. It was refreshingly unpredictable and unique. I'll definitely read more from the author

I love this author's crazy books about Japanese assassins. This one has Ladybug again, the unlucky guy from Bullet Train. He has a simple task again, just to deliver something to someone. What could go wrong? It's Ladybug, so pretty much everything can go wrong. One of my favorite things about these stories is the unpredictability, and I love the fun nicknames he gives the assassins. Blanket and Pillow hilariously work at the hotel and use sheets to capture their victims. We also get to see Maria again. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Nanao only has to deliver a package to a hotel room at an exclusive Tokyo hotel. No problem, obviously. Except this is the same Nanao who only had to handle a briefcase for a stop on a certain bullet train that ended up in death, mayhem and destruction in the book of the same title (and later turned into the far inferior Hollywood movie of the same name). Yes, its a sequel of sort - but don't worry about it if you haven't read Bullet Train. All you need to know is we're back in the company of the self described 'unluckiest assassin in the world’ and things will get messy.
I'm a big fan of Kotaro Isaka's work. This one is a full tilt ride with assassins on every floor tripping over each other on purpose or by accident - if the author's last book The Mantis had some poignancy and social commentary to it this one's more 'fun' (if you like your fun black humoured and occasionally violent). The plot may at first appear to be video game levels of simplicity with wave after wave of attack but it's deceptive - there are a couple of narratives unfolding and they come together in unforeseen ways which are satisfying by the end of the book.
The translations for Isaka's work are always well done, and this is no exception. Just the right side of getting the cultural elements inherent in his work right, but not too alienating for those not familiar with Japanese literature or society.
Great fun.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so much fun having multiple different assassins in the same hotel that are trying to kill each other, all with completely different assassination techniques. The only issue I had was keeping track of all the characters with there being so many. However, this is without a doubt my favourite book that I've read by this author!

A fun escapade where several assassins end up in the same hotel and try to kill each other. This was so entertaining, suspenseful and very funny, I was kept thoroughly entertained throughout. Blanket and Pillow, two seemingly harmless housekeepers, The Six - a team of deadly blow dart assassins, a politician and the poor victim, a woman who happened to have an excellent memory.

Well worth a read.