Bullet Train is a very difficult novel to review without giving anything away. A fast paced crime thriller, with some dark humour, it is a very addictive read, and will make an incredible film.

Bullet Train begins with our main characters boarding the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) at Tokyo station, each of them boarding the train with a purpose. The train is headed for Morioka, but not of all them will reach the final destination.

Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy, but he is anything but. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and he will stop at nothing to get revenge.

Nanao is unlucky, possibly the unluckiest man in Japan. None of his jobs ever go to plan, and the task that he has boarded the train in order to complete, isn't going to be any different.

And Tangerine and Lemon, are ... well I think I will leave that up to the reader to discover for themselves, as I say this is a really hard novel to review without letting something slip!

I was excited at the prospect of reading a thriller based in Japan. It was particularly enticing to read one set aboard a bullet train on which I have travelled several times. The plot was good. The weaving together of their stories was good. The dialogue however let it down. This may well be down to poor translation.. In an attempt to use colloquialisms to portray the sinister characters it missed the mark. So many were dated. I was disappointed with the read but could well believe this will make an excellent film

Wow, this is not like anything I’ve read before! The basic plot is that a bullet train is hurtling through Japan with a suitcase full of money on board. The person who brought it aboard, as well as numerous other passengers, turn out to be hired assassins who end up interacting and competing after it transpires that their respective missions are not as unrelated as they initially appear.

The story and the action aboard the train are absolutely ridiculous, but surprisingly entertaining! It felt like the author had been feasting on “Snakes on a Plane” and Quentin Tarantino movies and then decided to write a book. There is a cinematic feel throughout the book that made me wonder whether it was written with the intention of selling the rights to make a movie. I was therefore unsurprised to find out when I’d finished reading it that the movie version is currently being filmed (Brad Pitt as Nanao though? Really?).

Each of the characters were engaging and original, and I found myself loving and hating various characters with real conviction – always a good sign! The twists along the way were bonkers, but it really kept me on my toes the whole way through. There were a few sections that I found a bit repetitive, but on the whole this was a great read.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I enjoyed this, particularly the way the chapters overlapped slightly at times. Wasn't sure about all the references to Thomas and Friends at first, but it paid off in the end. A few slight Deus Ex Machina issues and one character had an overuse of Murphy's Law, but overall a really good read, especially the final chapters.

I’m a big fan of Japanese authors in general - they always have such a beautiful style of writing, so I was really looking forward to reading this.

I did struggle to get into it to start off with, I think this was because I kept grabbing 15 mins here and there and you really need to sit down and concentrate whilst the scene it set and all the characters are established. However, once I got into it I started to really enjoy it. It’s a thriller but it’s also quite hilarious - it’s a bit comedy farce....the way it plays out is so clever.

One gripe I did have however, was the amount of times the characters fell over due to the swaying of the train..it got a bit much sometimes...I’ve been on many many bullet trains and they’re pretty smooth...I did get to the point of “they fell over...again?...” This didn’t detract me from what is a really excellent book to read though.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the advance copy

Utter lunacy in the best way possible. That’s what I thought when I’d finished Bullet Train.

If you read a crazier, more addictive novel this year I’ll be surprised.

So, there’s a train that moves as fast as the plot, little time at stations and strangely empty considering the number of seats available. Here though we will find a lot of nefarious people on nefarious missions who all end up in each other’s business and the nearer the train gets to its final destination the twistier and crazier it will all get.

This is going to be a movie and I can’t imagine a better one if you are looking for full on excitement, action in droves, contemplative moments in between and a plot that defies logic right up until it all falls into place. If they pretty much put the book directly to screen without messing too much with it that’ll be what you get.

I adored it. Definitely the most fun I’ve had with a book in 2021 so far..the characters pop and none of them are lovely but you’ll love them none the less. Well except maybe one who you’ll want to slap every time he appears..

Mad assassins, a popular suitcase, a bullet train that becomes literally just that and if I were you I’d avoid needing the bathroom whilst on a train for the rest of your life.

Most excellent. Highly Recommended.

I would have given this three stars but I snuck on a half star (rounded up) as it was delightfully bonkers and, although quite slow and laborious in places, I didn't feel the urge to give up at any time.
So... Set entirely (mostly) on a train, we follow the shenanigans of several nefarious characters as their criminal activities play out. We have a pair who have rescued a kidnapped boy and the ransom. Said ransom being stolen by another bad guy. We also have a father who is avenging his child. Oh and a couple of other random contract and serial killers if there weren't already enough.
Honestly, you actually have to watch the action play out - it is pretty much indescribable in only a few sentences so I will give up here.
It is quite a slow burn initially, especially with the author's penchant for replaying the action from the perspective of a different character. This is interesting and also very clever in places but it really does nothing to progress the action and I did find it a bit wearing after the first few times.
Characters were interesting and all, yes I think all, pretty unlikable. OK so there are a few that have the odd redeeming qualities but, on the whole, I didn't like any of them.
It's funny and dark - in all the right places. But it is also a bit poignant too. The setting on the train is interesting as it adds another layer to the action and how it play out. It's also pretty unique as in I read north of 300 books a year and I have never quite come across something like this. Refreshing I think!
All in all, a different kinda read for me but one that I mostly enjoyed. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Bullet Train
As the Shinkaisen train high speed train glides out of Tokyo station, bound for Morioka, the passengers settle down in their seats.
But not all of them. Instead of salarymen, families and people wanting to get from A to B, there are 5 dangerous criminals on board and they are all going to collide with each other over a suitcase of money.
Yuichi Kimura has sworn vengeance on Satoshi Oji, the 14 year old schoolboy known as The Prince. He is the reason that Kimura’s young son, Wataru, lies in a coma. But then the tables are quickly turned and instead of being the hunter he becomes the victim. Tangerine and Lemon, or Sour and Sweet, are partners and are bringing the son of a notorious gangster, Yoshio Minegishi, home to his father and with the suitcase of ransom money as well. However, someone else has been hired to steal the suitcase, Nanoa, a self confessed Jonah. He attracts bad luck like a magnet and his orders are very simple, take the suitcase and get off at the next station. What can possibly go wrong as the train speeds its way across Japan? And on the train of death, who will survive until the last stop?
Wow, what a ride! This is a fiendishly plotted, rollercoaster of a plot with new characters popping up, including a snake who slithers out at a very inopportune moment, and when you least expect them. There are also bible black comedy elements as with Tangerine and Lemon and the latter’s fixation with Thomas the Tank Engine and its life lessons and of course the disappearing and reappearing suitcase.
Tangerine and Lemon reminded me of John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction and Bullet Train has that same blend of humour and extreme violence as the bodies begin to pile up. And the reader is introduced to the seemingly innocent character of the Prince who is actually a ruthless, vicious psychopath. He revels in the control and cruelty that he shows to his victims. Kimura is a desperate man driven by his love for his son but ends up being caught up in the Prince’s mind games.
The train becomes their prison as they all prowl the aisles and carriages alternately looking for or avoiding each other while the suitcase passes from one hand to another.
There is a lot of back story as the Prince explains his philosophy and asks ‘Why is it wrong to kill people?’ and we discover how he and Kimura collided with each other. This does have the effect of slowing the action down but it isn’t long before another body appears.
I was really impressed by the author’s ability to keep such an intricately plotted story in control as new characters were introduced and the story sped towards an unexpected and bloody climax. However, there were no loose ends and it was a trip that was well worth taking.
My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and Netgalley for an ARC.

Welcome aboard the bullet train departing from Tokyo station whose final destination is Morioka. Amid the hustle and bustle alcoholic father of one, Kimaru, is boarding the train with one mission in mind. To kill the person responsible for pushing his six year old son Wataru from the top floor of a department store. As no stranger to violence himself, Kimaru is praying everything goes without a hitch and he can return to his son’s hospital bedside without anyone being any the wiser. Except he can’t possibly foresee that he won’t be the only professional hitman aboard this train. This unsuspecting assassin is about to become caught in the crossfire of another undercover operation involving the kidnapped son and heir to the throne of gang overlord Yoshio Minegishi and a suitcase that inadvertently keeps changing hands, inevitably landing in the wrong ones! With a handful of the most dangerous, well known and sought after contract men in the business on board, bullets won’t be the sole method of destruction in what turns into a frenzied battle for survival. May the best hitman win!! Darkly comic, ruthlessly violent and utterly crazy, this is not your usual run of the mill thriller.

Prepare for a train ride like no other you’ll EVER experience! Despite the fact this train is far from full, the ratio of ordinary passengers to mercenary killers is balanced highly in favour of the latter, each one playing a pivotal role in this very dark comedy of errors where violence reigns supreme and the dead body count keeps on rising. You have to stifle a giggle at the ridiculousness of some of these characters names, but mock them at your own peril because these men mean business. Let me introduce you to the line up, or more fittingly the identity parade of characters who make up this murderous crew. We have the hitmen duo, literature loving Tangerine and his Thomas the tank engine obsessed partner in crime Lemon. There’s the psychopathic 14 year old school student, Satoshi ‘Prince’ Oji, Nanao aka The Ladybird, a man who is blighted by the worst luck ever alongside the Wolf, The Pusher and the Hornet. I cannot forget to mention go-between handler Maria and Kimaru’s parents who perhaps provide us with the biggest surprise of all. The man who connects all these individuals together is Yoshio Minegishi,the most feared individual in this criminal underworld fraternity and the reason why they all find themselves chasing after one suitcase, desperately determined to dodge one another and any stray bullets! I wouldn’t dream of assassinating these characters personality traits/quirks for fear of reprisal but I think it’s safe to say they are a most unusual, unpredictable and entertaining bunch. Perversely I did end up harbouring a soft spot for one or two of them so that I can honestly say the author has penned some terrifically terrifying terminators for our enjoyment even though for much of the time I wasn’t on his wavelength. Ultimately this storyline is completely bananas, in keeping with the fruit theme running through the narrative but if you can get past all the weirdness it’s worth sticking with. Nothing goes quite according to plan for all those entrusted with ensuring the safe return of Little Minegishi and the suitcase save maybe for one cool, calm and collected customer but with wickedly dark humour woven into every farcical mishap I very slowly warmed up to this author’s writing.

I probably spent three quarters of the time HATING this bizarre thriller whilst LOVING the remaining quarter! For the most part reading this hurt my brain, all the Thomas and friends references just a teensy bit too bonkers, and the philosophical psychopathic Prince an unbelievable, abhorrent, extremely irritating character whom I felt like throttling! Although the time frame for this train journey from start to finish is approximately two and a half hours if I’m honest it felt like an eternity. Like all the other passengers aboard this train ride from hell I couldn’t wait to disembark! Parts of it were easier to read than others and for a thriller it possessed an original quirky vibe that I probably hadn’t been expecting.I hope this makes sense when I say Bullet Train is one of those novels I could happily rate either 1 star or 5 because whilst this wasn’t really on the right tracks in terms of my overall reading experience I can appreciate where the merits of this book lie. I’ve settled for a middling 3. I guess I felt confused and conflicted as to whether it’s a brilliant piece of fiction or one you should automatically bypass. However by the time the Shinkansen reaches the end of the line I strangely found myself invested in the outcome, namely who out of this motley crew would still be alive. I know who I was rooting for! I’m also not surprised this is destined to hit the big screens and having chugged and huffed my way through to the bitter end ( actually I loved the ending!) I’m interested to see how well the screen version compares. A visual interpretation of this author’s writing may well prove more enjoyable. With this thriller I was definitely reading outside my comfort zone which is always a gamble but one that I won’t forget in a hurry. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve only ever been on two bullet trains in my life and, let me tell you, they are amazing things. So when I noticed an entire thriller book based on my beloved Shinkansens, I was like ‘fuck yeah, give me those murdery train vibes’.

Ready to be sucked into this daft world of train chaos, I snuggled down with my Kindle only to be thrown into what felt like Groundhog Day. A slow and repetitive world that even Frodo might get a little bored with – unlike the Shinkansen, this book is slow and I have the attention span of a caterpillar so whilst the concept was dead interesting, I struggggggggled to get through this. Here’s what you’re in for:

✨ Five super murderous baddies (including some fruit and the unluckiest hitman in the country) on a train from Tokyo to Morioka.
✨ One suitcase full of cash-monies
✨ A weird race to see who can murder each other first

Cool so if you’re still on board, let’s get you acquainted with the chaps on the death train. First up – you’ve got the little prick of a 14-year old (Satoshi) who’s a manipulative psychopath and treats the school as his castle. No one stands a chance including adults who will probably lose their jobs if they cross him. Thanks to his cunty antics, Kimura’s son is in a coma and dead-set on revenge.

And then there’s Nanao. The self-proclaimed ‘unluckiest assassin in the world‘ and someone that if you see in the line for the supermarket, you make sure to stand in the other one cause he’ll be waiting for yonks. I can only imagine the assassin world is small (?) ’cause he bumps into another pair of well-known hitmen, Lemon and Tangerine – yes, they’re fruit related. Why? Not a clue but I do know that Lemon is infatuated with Thomas the Tank Engine.

All of them are obsessed with getting their mitts on that suitcase and they’ll kill to make sure it’s in their possession.

Now don’t get me wrong – I did enjoy this book but it just felt a bit of a struggle bus for me. I’m all about a ridiculous story but it needs to keep my attention and this just wasn’t quite there for me.

The best way to describe it is a Yakuza meets John Wick but at a Lord of the Rings pace – does exactly all the ridiculous things you expect but you’re in for the long haul.

Bullet Train comes out on 1st April in the UK but is already out in Japan.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. It was quite slow going at the beginning with a lot of dialogue that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. I agree with other reviews I’ve read and think this would make a better film. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was fun! The synopsis made me think it would go down the typical battle royale type route but there are a lot of moving parts that throw expectations out the window.

There are 5 killers on the train and they’re all vying for one thing, a suitcase full of money. Off the bat I have to say, Lemon and Tangerine are the best characters and in particular Lemon is my favourite. The guy just loves Thomas the Tank Engine, leave him be.

“It’s not clear why the man is naming fruits.”

On a base level, this book is interesting and keeps your attention, but it feels oddly calm and quiet. There are passengers on the train and every effort is made to keep the murders quiet. It’s urgent and desperate yet doesn’t feel chaotic and I found that really unique.

“Neither one has ever had a sit-down fistfight before.”

I was very happy to have read this, my only qualm is that it feels longer than it needs to be. This does affect the pacing but of course, picks up speed at the end.

Sorry, but this book was not for me. I just could not get into the plot at all and had to stop reading. Shame as it sounded intriguing, I think it was the rather confusing style that threw me. Sorry

Well this was certainly a different type of read. Who could anticipate so much could happen on a two and a half hour train journey?
On a train carrying so many professional bad guys you would expect things to happen but I defy anyone to predict all the events on this journey, you just never knew what would happen next. The main characters were well described and you felt like you really got to know them as different chapters were written from their point of view. Some I liked and was routing for, others not so much and one I actively detested.
Like the train this book carried you along and I enjoyed the ride, it could be a little longwinded at times in the psychological/philosophical segments but the action made up for any shortcomings.
I'm glad I read this rather crazy, madcap book, and I'm not usually keen on hitmen/assassin scenarios.

This is an incredibly daft crime caper about a bunch of hit men and dodgy types on a train, chasing a suitcase.  The book is overlong and the plot is unnecessarily convoluted but it is also very entertaining if you disengage a few brain cells and go with the flow.

The Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka is a very unusual book, one which would make a better film than something to be read. It's as long as the train from which it gets its tital and frankly I was glad when I got off. However, I did make it all the way to the last stop.....Morioka. The book is a comedy of hit men trying to avoid being 'hit' by each other mixed with some home spun philosophy. It would make for a very snappy film but it didn't work for me as a book.

I eagerly anticipated reviewing this title as it sounded intriguing. And to some extent I wasn't disapppinted. A plot that was dark, slightly bonkers and incredibly complex made for a thrilling read. Despite murder and mayhem abounding, there was a comedic slant to the writing that I enjoyed. And I was rooting for some characters, while despising others (namely, The Prince). The only thing that disappointed me slightly was the ending. I really had high expectations for all the complex threads to come together for an explosive ending that clarified so much of the complex stories of each character. But I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed by its closing words. I would still say this was an enjoyable read, highly original and quirky, complex and engaging.

Sadly I really struggled to connect to this book and DNFd at 30%
I thought the plot sounded incredibly intriguing but I felt it became a bit of a parody of a typically action and I wasn't a huge fan sadly

Slightly difficult one for me too write, as I found the plot a little too far fetched. But overall a thrilling ride.

Five killers travelling on a train to Shrinkansen to Tokyo all have the same goal to find a suitcase full of money. But if course nothing is ever straightforward.

Who will manage to grab the case first? What challenges do they all, have to do to get it?

The problem was some of the names were a little strange, then references to Thomas the Tank Engine!! Lots of parts repetitive which I find quite annoying.

But if you are into Quentin Tarantino films you may enjoy this, it just left too much to disbelief for me, I was looking forward to a thrilling book unfortunately this book just didn’t make it. I am sure this will appeal to other readers.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Randomhouseuk #Harvillsecker for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this slightly bonkers story of five assassins, a suitcase full of money, a snake and a journey on the Japanese bullet train. It's original, quirky and highly entertaining. There are also some interesting musings on human psychology and the control one person can exert over another.

The plot is relatively straight forward but then nothing goes to plan. There is non-stop action as the suitcase passes from killer to killer and the body count begins to mount up. The characters are exaggerated to comic effect and come with names like Tangerine, Lemon and The Prince, who is a particularly nasty fourteen years old sociopath/psychopath.

This was a great read, twisty, intense and humorous. You will really want to know how the snake fits in! A very different and wickedly rewarding novel.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.