Brilliant books and tv series. The plot is different from anything i have read or seen before. A cold calculating killer lacking empathy for others. Can she be stopped ?

In a hotel room in Venice, where she's just completed a routine assassination, Villanelle receives a late-night call.

Eve Polastri has discovered that a senior MI5 officer is in the pay of the Twelve, and is about to debrief him. As Eve interrogates her subject, desperately trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, Villanelle moves in for the kill.

The duel between the two women intensifies, as does their mutual obsession, and when the action moves from the high passes of the Tyrol to the heart of Russia, Eve finally begins to unwrap the enigma of her adversary's true identity.

I loved the first book in the series and was looking forward to reading the second Villanelle story. It was a good read but lacked the impact of Code name Villanelle.
3/5*
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

Having read the first two Villanelle books, I'm still at a loss to see what the fuss is about. The books are too short and would be better published in one volume rather than making people buy multiple books. To be fair, the story did start getting interesting by the end of this book but I wish he'd just get on and tell the story already instead of putting out novellas.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

As l had seen Killing Eve on the tv l was intrigued about the books but once again the book wins so much more detail than tv and still the capability to make me hold my breath - a proper hero - who ? Well both of them of course

After reading the first book in the series I wasn’t expecting too much from this second instalment, but I have to say ‘No Tomorrow’ is in a different league! A highly enjoyable and fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. After not caring too much after the first book, I’m now hoping there will be a third, but if not this had an ending I could be happy with.

A recommended 4 stars.

A rip roaring, roller coaster of a ride and a highly imaginative spy caper.
Eve, the agent who doesn’t play by the rules but is trying desperately to prove herself to her superiors and Villanelle, an assassin for The Twelve who’s psychopathic tendency’s lead her to believe there are no rules, well not for her at any rate, have once more ended up in each other’s orbit and the chase is on. But who’s chasing who? And which camp do you sit in, are you rooting for Eve or Villanelle? That’s the thing about these books - you want Eve to win, but you don’t want Villanelle to lose - and that, right there my friend, is Stalemate!

This is great fun to read, I’m hoping for a third book - but what a fab ending if there isn’t.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic addition to the series, this is every bit as good as the first installment looking forward to the next.

Codename Villanelle was such a success that it has recently appeared as the major TV hit 'Killing Eve', albeit much changed and with a heavier focus on the female leads and their odd cat and mouse relationship. So following the way of these things, the second installment of the series 'No Tomorrow' was destined to be either a disappointing damp squib or a roaring success. Thankfully, it seems to be the latter.

With Eve Polastri heading off to Moscow hot on the heels of Villanelle, we are immediately thrown into the action where Eve is arrested and thrown into a Russian prison - not a salubrious start for any heroine, especially not one that's on the trail of a Russian assassin. Why is she there? Who has organised this?

On the flip side, we follow Vilannelle to Austria where she is tasked with a very high level assassination that she plans in a typically dark way. Once she's taken care of business, she's back to taking matters into her own hands. Can she convince Eve to believe her version of the truth or will Eve finally land the catch she's been waiting for?

I actually enjoyed this second instalment of the Codename Villanelle books more than the first one. Intriguing ending too.

Having now caught up with the Killing Eve tv series, I was keen to see how the story plays out in the books. They are both quite different, but the essence of the books remains - although, I prefer the Villanelle in the books and the Eve in the tv show.

Copies provided by the publisher via NetGalley. I am reviewing Codename: Villanelle and its sequel No Tomorrow together, as they feel like one book.

I’d watched the TV adaptation of these novels and also knew the author was experienced and has won prizes, so I was doubly disappointed by just how pedestrian the writing is in these two books.

To start with, the idea of a Villanelle has been done before - the TV series Nikita featured an uncannily similar female psychopath, also taken from prison and groomed to become the perfect killing machine by a shadowy organisation. In this case we have The Twelve, an international organisation of powerful men whose interest is the protection of stability in politics as well as organised crime, in order to ensure the continued flow of capital. If an individual threatens their interests, a sentence of death is passed, and one of their network of assassins is despatched to execute it. Villanelle - young, cool, clever, almost completely emotionless - is their star killer.

Eve Polastri, meanwhile, heads up P3, a department within MI5 dedicated to assessing the threat to prominent individuals visiting London and liaising with the police for their protection. For some time she has been growing increasingly interested in reports of a female assassin’s involvement in recent unsolved killings of prominent figures, so when the charismatic advocate of Russian-European relations Viktor Kedrin visits London, she is on guard. When he is killed on her watch, the stage is set for the start of a cat-and-mouse game between Eve and Villanelle.

The plotting felt quite lazy to me. Very little effort is expended on building up a plausible narrative, and there are great gaping holes where plot development would have been very welcome. So for instance, the first few chapters focus entirely on Villanelle, with some background and a couple of kills. The story then switches to Eve Polastri in London, with a similar outline of her back story. Eve is pulled from her job at P3 and set up in a secret office to track down Viktor Kedrin's killer, and suddenly there are references to how deeply she is hurting her husband with all the secrecy, but with no insight into any events that actually show their relationship changing over the course of time - we go straight from loving couple to strained relations with little sense of a progressive breakdown. Similarly, we are invited to believe that a seasoned, emotionless killer becomes obsessed with the detective investigating her, just on the strength of being told by her handler that a female detective is on her case. And indeed, why is Eve so obsessed with Villanelle, to the point of endangering her marriage and her life? There is no psychological insight, no nuances - all we get is being told, and we're expected to go along with that.

The second book, No Tomorrow, is if anything, even less interesting. There are more imaginative murders, and a secondary plotline about Eve's boss which anyone can see coming from miles away. And finally, an ending which should be intriguing but, because of the dire quality of the writing, ends up simply being wholly implausible.

Don't bother - I certainly shan't if there are any more books in this series in future.

I enjoyed this even more than the first as we get to know more about the characters. A really enjoyable read and perfect for fans of the tv series.

Excellent book, hilarious prose and grabbing narrative!

The duel between the two women intensifies, as does their mutual obsession, and when the action moves from the high passes of the Tyrol to the heart of Russia, Eve finally begins to unwrap the enigma of her adversary's true identity.

This spy story is unusual on several fronts. Firstly it is a follow up to a hugely successful book and television series without losing any of the previous thrilling cat and mouse game played out by the two main protagonists; unusual in a spy story in that they are both female. The storyline centres on employees of MI5 and espionage and counter espionage against Russia and China, Eve, committed patriot and teamworker, striving for success in a male dominated career path whilst balancing the back story of wife, glass ceiling and struggling to make sense of ambiguous orders from above. This dedication to her role is compounded by an uncontrollable interest in her counterpart the ambiguous and exotic Villanelle. The unique, beautiful and amoral highly tuned fighting and killing machine proves to be the adversary that equally matches two ambitious opponents with an outcome which must surely result in only one survivor. However the reader then becomes embroiled in a series of thrilling incidents leaving us in the murky depths of international espionage where nothing is what it seems, and unsure who are the villains in a world with no trust or loyalty, no definitive black and white only shades of cold and chilling grey. As a fan of books in the spy and thriller genre, this novel gives readers a worthy successor to Ian Flemings James Bond stories with the Me Too movement effect now resulting in thrilling bloodthirsty events iwhere the writer and story allow an opportunity for women to no longer focus as the appendages to a male hero. These two women the lead characters are written as strong focused individuals leaving no stone unturned and will take no prisoners as the story evolves into its shocking conclusion. Well written, acutely observed, and huge attention to research and detail. Mustsurely be a huge success in the book charts and second follow up television series.

Thank you for the ARC of this book. I must admit I am one of the few people who didn't rate the TV series, Killing Eve. However, I did like No Tomorrow and enjoyed it far more than the first. Plenty of twists and turns, killings and mayhem fast-paced and exciting.I am looking forward to the next instalment.

First, the good news - this is a much more satisfying thriller than the recent BBC television adaptation that is described as being based on this book and its earlier partner in the series. In fact, the best thing you can do, if you've seen the TV version, is to regard this book as an entirely different adventure; in this original story the characters are altogether more consistent in their behaviour and personalities. The impausibilities are still present, but nowhere near so annoying as they were in the expensive but strangely unsatisfying BBC production. The evolving relationship between the hunter and hunted - and they each play both parts from time to time - is captured perfectly and the denouement is satisfyingly unexpected. Humour plays an important but limited part in the developing story, but the stand-out features are the fluency of the narrative and the imperative to keep turning the pages long past the time the reader meant to turn the light out. An entertaining and unusual story which has to be recommended in the strongest possible terms.

The cat and mouse (which is which I'm not sure) between Villanelle and Eve continues and the mystery surrounding the Twelve tantalises. I loved the first book and this one hits the spot a well. I've read a few people saying it isn't realistic but to be honest I think that's the point! It's pure escapism. It deviates from the tv series but I don't mind that as it means much comes as a surprise. The only thing I'm not sure I like is that as I'm reading I'm seeing the characters who played Villanelle and Eve in the tv series and there are personality differences between book and tv but I don't mind that. If you liked the first book then you'll like this one. Pure escapism and that's fine with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for ARC.

Equally delighted with the next book that takes Eve and her target Villanelle through ups and downs as they continue their adventures. In search of the true nature of the mythical Twelve the novel travels from England where once again Eve discovers that the main MI5 officer is not what she thought and then to the Tyrol where Villanelle is in search of her new target to finally Russia as Eve tries to discover the real identity of Villanelle. Well paced to keep the reader engaged and the never ending twists and turns keep coming to make this a great read.

I read the first of the series a short while ago so was looking forward to reading the second book, and I was not disappointed. The book picks up on Eve’s pursuit of contract killer Villanelle, which takes her out into the field, with in England, Italy and Russia.

I can’t really say too much about the plot as it would give too much away. The story in the first novel was very different from the tv show and I think the characters have also been portrayed differently as well. I am interested to see where the next tv series goes with the follow up. I don’t think I had the same affiliation with the characters in the book as the tv show, but I think that has more to say about the acting to be honest.

This book speeds through and I enjoyed this book very much and I think this would have come close to a 5 star had it not been the fact there was a massive mistake I felt in a part of the story. When Eve went to Italy, she had been planning to go away to Suffolk with Nico in half term, but she went to Venice, whilst away Nico was hit by a parents car at the school when he stopped them from getting hit, but it was half term???

I got my copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in return for this honest review. I give this 4/5.

Wow!! Just finished this, the second book from the originator of the killing EVE series. Cannot wait for the third!!! Eve is on the trail of the assassin she calls Villanelle, after a perfume she wears. She eventually finds out her real name and history. Only after she had visited Russia and been shot at, a very close call. The dynamic better the two of them is very interesting. How far will EVE go? Will she catch her quarry or give up and.............

Excellent book.

I was interested in reading this book as I enjoyed the Villanelle television series. Despite knowing general outcomes and storyline from the TV series, the book was still a very good read, with interesting plot and character details. The TV series also deviates from the original storyline in some aspects so there are still some unexpected twists.

It was a gritty, fast paced story that I preferred to the TV series, I think it is well worth a read.