An audio book. Korea. Hornclaw is 65. Her old nickname was Nails. She works for an agency of assassins - has done of 45 years. Are people hinting the she should retire? She's unsure herself - she thinks she's making mistakes. She sympathises with the old people she sees in the subway. She gets regular health checks. Her dog is her age in dog years. She kills about 6 times a year, researching the victim first. She works with Bullfight. She'd been adopted and ended up being a housemaid, then a sexclub worker. We learn about old cases, how Ryu and Hornclaw started the business. Ryu's wife was killed.
Dr Kang's wife is killed. He's her doctor. His father owns a market shop. His kindergarten daughter is kidnapped. Why is her agency out to get him? His father is resisting the building of a supermarket. Or maybe Bullfight (who she's never trusted) is trying to make her suffer. She fights of a group of thugs, then comes face to face with revengeful Bullfight.
Years later an old woman is charged half-rate at a nailbar. It's Hornclaw, with one hand left.
[I was distracted while reading this, not giving it sufficient attention. I thought the fight scenes were too long. Nevertheless I liked reading about the problems of being an aging assassin, and the plot held together well.]
Other reviews
- tonyreadinglist (it’s fairly clear where we’re going from very early on, probably a little too early for me. The story can stall a little, especially with the many flashbacks where Hornclaw remembers her mentor, and it does plod along a little in some places)
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