The Mantis - (Assassins) by Kotaro Isaka

About the Book

"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.--

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of Bullet Train and Three Assassins, The Mantis is a propulsive thriller set in Tokyo's criminal underworld about the intrigue and tensions a family man faces as he tries to hide his secret life as a hitman.

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 that 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.

Review Quotes

"[A] superb and intricately plotted thriller ...Though Kabuto does commit violence, it isn't graphic and the novel is quite humorous. ... it leads to a satisfying and moving end."--Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"A deep meditation on hope and regret and the pain of being seen. I loved it."--Criminal Element

"The story is a fascinating one, filled with moments of excitement and flashes of humor . . ."--New York Journal of Books

About the Author

Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and award-winning writer whose books have sold millions of copies around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award, and the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize. His novel Bullet Train was the basis for the major hit film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock. He lives in Sendai, Japan.