The Mantis
A darkly funny, fast-paced Japanese thriller from the master of twisted morality
Published on 9. November 2023
272 pages
978-1-5299-0301-0 (ISBN)
Description
Dad by day, murderer-for-hire by night.
Kabuto appears to be an ordinary man: a stressful job, a complicated marriage and an irritable teenage son. It's no wonder he's always seeing his doctor. But the "doctor" is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a killer for hire. He's almost out - one last job before he quits for good. Then the final contract lands too close to home - putting his unsuspecting family in danger.
With Isaka's trademark wit and cinematic pace, this is a Tarantino-tinged tale of double lives and moral knots. Can Kabuto save his family, and quit the killing business for good?
'Showcases Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence' The Times
'Unusual and thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian
Kabuto appears to be an ordinary man: a stressful job, a complicated marriage and an irritable teenage son. It's no wonder he's always seeing his doctor. But the "doctor" is actually his handler, and Kabuto is a killer for hire. He's almost out - one last job before he quits for good. Then the final contract lands too close to home - putting his unsuspecting family in danger.
With Isaka's trademark wit and cinematic pace, this is a Tarantino-tinged tale of double lives and moral knots. Can Kabuto save his family, and quit the killing business for good?
'Showcases Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence' The Times
'Unusual and thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian
Reviews / Votes
An offbeat but touching thriller, with a wonderful final twist * Mail on Sunday * Unlike anything you're likely to have read before...white-hot with double-crosses * Financial Times, on Bullet Train * Entertaining...high-speed...with lots of twists and turns...it has a Tarantino-meets-the-Coen-Brothers feel to it. * The Times, on Bullet Train * Thoroughly enjoyable * Guardian, on Bullet Train * Showcases Kotaro Isaka's Tarantinoesque blend of offbeat wit and stylised violence * The Times, on Three Assassins * Highly entertaining... grips with plenty of twists before delivering a stylish and fitting finale * Sunday Express, on Three Assassins *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
File size
0,85 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-0301-0 (9781529903010)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Kotaro Isaka (Author)
Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning writer who is published around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and fourteen of his books have been adapted for film or TV. He is the author of the international bestseller Bullet Train, which was made into a major film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock.
Sam Malissa (Translator)
Sam Malissa holds a PhD in Japanese Literature from Yale University. He has translated fiction by Toshiki Okada, Shun Medoruma, and Hideo Furukawa, among others.
Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning writer who is published around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize and fourteen of his books have been adapted for film or TV. He is the author of the international bestseller Bullet Train, which was made into a major film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock.
Sam Malissa (Translator)
Sam Malissa holds a PhD in Japanese Literature from Yale University. He has translated fiction by Toshiki Okada, Shun Medoruma, and Hideo Furukawa, among others.
