The Mantis : a novel

The Mantis A novel

Kōtarō Isaka, 1971-

Book - 2023

"Kabuto is a highly skilled assassin eager to escape his dangerous profession and the hold his handler, the sinister Doctor, has over him. The Doctor, a real physician who hands over Kabuto's targets as "prescriptions" in his regular appointments with him, doesn't want to lose Kabuto as a profitable asset, but he agrees to let him pay his way out of his employment with a few last jobs. But the most lucrative jobs involve taking out other professional assassins, and Kabuto's final assignment puts him and his family--who have no idea about his double life--in danger.The third book in a loose trilogy set in Kotaro Isaka's imagined Tokyo criminal underworld, The Mantis features all the hallmarks of his work th...at readers have come to crave--assassins with quirky codenames and modi operandi, page-turning action sequences, madcap energy, and razor-sharp humor--making the novel a frenetic, unputdownable read that hurtles readers toward a thrilling climax." --Amazon.

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FICTION/Isaka Kotaro
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
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Subjects
Assassins > Fiction.
Families > Fiction.
Husband and wife > Fiction.
Detective and mystery fiction.
Domestic fiction.
Thrillers (Fiction)
Novels.
Genres
Detective and mystery fiction
Domestic fiction
Thrillers (Fiction)
Novels
Published
New York, NY : Abrams 2023.
Language
English
Japanese
Main Author
Kōtarō Isaka, 1971- (author)
Other Authors
Sam Malissa (translator)
Item Description
Includes an extract from Three assassins.
First published in Japan with the title Ax in 2017.
Physical Description
226 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781419769474
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Isaka returns to the hidden world of Tokyo's assassins introduced in Bullet Train (2021) with the story of Kabuto, a respected assassin who falls prey to the tension between his profession and his family life. Kabuto has asked his handler, the Doctor, for release, but only earns the concession of high-stakes hits on underworld figures that honors his distaste for killing innocents. These hits, the Doctor decrees, will pay Kabuto's way out. But when fellow assassins start turning up in the daily life he lives as a devoted husband and father, Kabuto knows that the Doctor has targeted him. That's no immediate concern, as quick-thinking Kabuto easily swats away attackers, but it's not looking good for his dreams of retiring into a blissfully dull existence. The ensuing war between Kabuto and the Doctor showcases deft plotting and explosive action, but Kabuto's cunning psychological traps and overwhelming love for his family propel the story. Themes of sacrifice, legacies, and thwarted dreams paired with sharp wit and complex characters pack a weighty punch.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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