Grasshopper by Isaka Kotaro (2004)

Grasshopper, also known as Three Assassins and Suzuki's Revenge, is a gangster thriller by renowned Japanese author Isaka Kotaro, that was first published in September 2004. A manga continuation saw the light of day from 2007 until 2009. A spin-off series was published between 2009 and 2012. This novel was also made into a Japanese movie released in 2015. The novel has also won the University Readers' Award.

The story revolves around a nervous adult named Suzuki. He is in his late twenties or early thirties. His wife has tragically died in a car accident that had been caused by the reckless son of a dangerous mobster. Suzuki has thus decided to quit his job as a maths teacher in order to infiltrate the organization of the dangerous mobster. Suzuki now sells dangerous drugs marketed as beauty products to young unsuspecting women. His true objective is however to assassinate the brutal son of the psychopathic mobster. Just before he manages to achieve his objective however, his target gets murdered by a mysterious hitman known as the Pusher. This professional assassin dispatches his targets in deadly traffic accidents. Suzuki is ordered to follow this man and infiltrates his family as a tutor. Things however start getting very complicated when the organization Suzuki is working for grows impatient and when two other assassins get involved.

This novel convinces thanks to its eclectic characters. Especially the three hitmen described in the novel are of particular interest. The Pusher is a cold-hearted family man who assassinates his targets by causing deadly traffic accidents. The Whale suffers from psychological issues and forces his victims to commit suicide. The Cicada is a talkative youngster who is really handy with knives. Reading how these three hitmen confront one another is this novel's greatest strength.

Another strength is the novel's short length as it has only taken me two days to finish the entire book. The original version has two hundred seventy-two pages. The novel's pace is quite fluid. The unique writing style is filled with dark humour, irony and sarcasm.

Another noteworthy element are the novel's minor twists. Especially the final fifty pages or so come around with a few clever surprises. These are however never too exaggerated to request a complete suspension of disbelief. The novel's content can certainly be described as eclectic but it remains firmly anchored in realistic fiction territory.

If I had to point out flaws, then I would mention that the storyline itself isn't particularly innovating and that there are a few too many lengthy dialogues to be found.

Genre fans however should certainly appreciate this good to very good gangster thriller that is easy to digest. I would also recommend reading Isaka Kotaro's most famous novel to date which is Bullet Train that is very similar in style, length and content.

Final Rating: 75%