Codename Villenelle and No Tomorrow – Luke Jennings
Like pretty much everyone else in the world, I watched and loved Killing Eve, which was adapted from a series of short stories by Luke Jennings. I’m not sure if the decision to turn those stories into full length novels or the TV show came first, but both Book one, Codename Villenelle and the sequel No Tomorrow, were both released in 2018 and the lovely people over at netgalley sent me both of them, so here are my thoughts!



Villanelle (a codename, of course) is one of the world’s most skilled assassins. A catlike psychopath whose love for the creature comforts of her luxurious lifestyle is second only to her love of the game, she specializes in murdering the world’s richest and most powerful. But when she murders an influential Russian politician, she draws a relentless foe to her tail.

Eve Polastri (not a codename) is a former MI6 operative hired by the national security services for a singular task: to find and capture or kill the assassin responsible, and those who have aided her. Eve, whose quiet and otherwise unextraordinary life belies her quick wit and keen intellect, accepts the mission.
The ensuing chase will lead them on a trail around the world, intersecting with corrupt governments and powerful criminal organizations, all leading towards a final confrontation from which neither will emerge unscathed. Codename Villanelle is a sleek, fast-paced international thriller from an exciting new voice in fiction.

That’s the blurb for book one. I can’t tell you the blurb for book two because SPOILERS for the first book!

For those that have no idea what either of these books are about, they are the story of a cat and mouse style chase between an MI5 operative called Eve and a kick ass female assassin known as Villanelle. We are introduced to Villanelle first, she is in the employ of an organisation known as the Twelve who exist outside of political and regional confines. So far, so normal spy novel. After she manages to do a couple of high profile killings she comes to the attention of Eve who is tasked with finding her and eliminating her. Of course, Villanelle knows all about Eve, what she looks like and where she is. Eve on the otherhand knows very little about Villanelle other than she is smart, blonde and very good at what she does. It is pretty addictive reading.

The first book details Villanelle’s shaping into a master assassin and some of her recent jobs, Eve is introduced towards the middle of the book and their paths finally cross in the second half. The second book sees the two of them becoming increasingly more obsessed with each other as Villanelle continues her murderous quest around Europe and Eve starts to uncover more about the Twelve and how deep the conspiracy goes. The second book is a lot more fast paced and has a lot more action in it than the first one, I got the impression that Luke Jennings was growing in confidence the more he fleshed out these characters and it is something that comes across in the second book in particular. The ending did leave me wanting A LOT more, is there going to be a book three? Man, I hope so!

Codename Villanelle and No Tomorrow are both quite short, easy reads, seperated into long chapters which details various hits and with long running threads going throughout. It is pretty entertaining and delving deeper into Villenelle’s psyche is fascinating, but this isn’t literary genius by any stretch. It’s fun, fast paced and features a pan/bi sociopath as a main character, so for a lot of people, it ticks a lot of boxes.

I’ll be honest… I did prefer the TV show, it is witty and some of the timeline changes make a lot more sense and I think others that have watched the show will be disappointed with the source material. , but these aren’t bad books, and reading about these two women, their backgrounds and motivations gives you much more depth than the show has time to allow.

Basically, these two books are great fun and there is something very charming about them. They’re not your average crime thriller or political assassin kind of stories and as the series progresses I can only see it getting better and much more popular. If you get the chance, read these and then watch the series for a more well-rounded experience!

Also, FYI, the cover of book two didn’t appear to be any where online when I wrote this… So, I’ll update when one is available!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Having enjoyed the TV series 'Killing Eve' I thought I was going to be reading the books of the show. (the story begins in 'Codename Villanelle) If you think this you are both correct and wildly astray. In a way this fits in with the complexity of the plot and characters involved. Villanelle continues to stalk the pages of this second novel, sinister, beautiful, deadly and funny, while Eve grows, develops and fascinates in a similar manner, as she slowly moves to the truth of the situation she finds herself embroiled in.. The stories of the two women, so similar and so diametrically opposed, travels across Europe, into the the dark heart of the Russian state and back to prosaic London.

What are fascinating are the characters of the two women and the light touch wit used to describe the action and the supporting cast. The final assassination is brilliant in execution as is the final double cross executed by Villanelle, with her eye for detail and experience of the macabre being brought into play for a final time.

It is to be hoped that these two women will return at some time soon.

Carries on from codename villanelle, action filled, twisty, intense. Again good read. Will read next book.

I'd already seen Killing Eve on television and read the first book before reading this. I'd also read a lot of criticisms of the books by people who found them unsatisfying in comparison to the tv programme. It is certainly different, so if you're expecting the book and the programme to be faithful renditions of each other you will be sad. I loved the programme and also really enjoyed the books. I enjoyed finding where the two diverged and thinking about which elements I enjoyed more. There is certainly more humour in the programme, but I liked some of the plot twists of the book better. I particularly enjoyed the ending, which I won't spoil for anyone but I found it very satisfying. It's a pacy, page turner of a book. It requires very little thinking and is written in a very televisual way. I was able to fill in the bits I might otherwise have found unsatisfying because I had the programme to draw from. I thought it was really great fun to read.

Continues the story from Killing Eve. As before, you are told the story from the points of view of Eve and Villanelle. Its a pretty short book (or feels like it) and again ends on a point where...you just want to continue. I'd rather have read all three (?) books in one, but I'll wait for the next novel.

If you've watched the tv show, this book ends at a similar point. There are some major differences, but I won't be pointing them out here. Eve still has marriage problems, is still drawn to Villanelle, and still wrapped up in trying to figure out who she is. While Villanelle is the same psychopath as before. Villanelle has a little downtime between kills with her girlfriend while still toying with Eve.

I enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next book.

I received a free copy from Netgalley to review, see the blurb below
"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 saw the Killing Eve series on tv and absolutely loved it so when I saw this book was available to review I was really pleased. I bought the first book and read that, then tackled this book. The books have the same characters in as the tv series, but there are differences in the events that take place. I enjoyed the books, however, I think I would have enjoyed them more if I hadn't seen the tv series first. I think the feel of the characters is different in the book compared to the series. The tv characters are darkly comical however I didn't get the comic element while reading the book. I would say you can't go straight into this book without reading the first, and I enjoyed this book more than the first as I wasn't comparing it to the tv series. Overall a great read and I loved the goats! I feel I would have given the book a 5 star rating if I had not seen the tv series first.

I was sent a copy of No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings to read and review by NetGalley.
No Tomorrow is the sequel to the novel Codename Villanelle and is a direct continuation. For me this book is more engrossing than the first one, perhaps because the relationships between the characters are already well established. There seemed to be more tension and twists included and I can’t wait to see how it will be adapted for television as I am sure that a good deal will have to be either altered or left out altogether!

After loving Killing Eve, I was worried this wouldn't maintain the momentum - I couldn't have been more wrong. Action packed and intelligent from beginning to end, I loved the characters, drama and plot twists that weren't predictable. I can't wait for a sequel.

My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray for giving me the opportunity to read NO TOMORROW.
Wow, wow, wow, how I loved this book. Villanelle and Eve, totally brilliant characters I've fallen in love with. Strong women, wanting something totally different yet ending up wanting the same thing. Don't want to give anything away so won't describe plot. Villanelle is scary and murderous, totally psychopathic, but strangely sweet. Eve is so like the rest of us but incredibly brave and willing to put everything on the line to do what she thinks is right. The plots are different from the TV series, but it doesn't matter. An absolute triumph! More please!

A road trip of assassination, obsession and evasion.

The second of the Villianelle novellas has MI6 Agent Eve Polastri once more on the trail of what has easily grown to be her arch nemesis. Keeping with the international flavour of locations, Jennings has the reader gripped once again as we follow both characters through their personal pursuits. Polastri has become more rigorous in tracking Villianelle down allowing it to become an obsession of which everything and everyone else must be sacrificed. Villanelle has become more cautious in herself, not even trusting who she works for - the mysterious invisible organisation known as The Twelve. The intensive action jumps around a bit too rapidly in places but the final chapter has you completely spellbound as the hunted draws the hunter deeper and deeper into her world and this quick read reaches its ‘all over far too soon’ climax - all I can say, is more please and now!

Came to this via the TV adaptation, which is the opposite of how I prefer, as worry that the actors/actresses will stick in my mind and not let me form the characters in my own head when I read, but managed to avoid that here. Really enjoyed it - Villanele is such a great character - complicated, dark and twisty. You can't help but want her to win through even though she doesn't play well with others! Looking forward to reading more in this series.

I loved the series on BBC1 and the book was just excellent. I couldn’t wait to read this book, and I wasn’t disappointed!
So, No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings was just the best. Totally Hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do not normally read crime thrillers, but i had watched Sandra Oh in Greys anatomy and was intrigued by the tv show, watched it and loved it, so i took this book to see how different it was from the tv series.

I am glad i watched the show 1st because not only could i imagine the characters more clearly, but i was thrilled to find that it was different from the show in parts, like all books really, it is more detailed and descriptive

That said i think Sandra Oh makes the tv show something that transcends thrillers, because she captivated me and i couldnt take my eyes off her, she was so good in it, and whilst i would read the sequel to this, if i was given a choice i would choose the tv show, this is not a reflection on the author or his work, just that i thought the tv adaptation and Sandra Oh were exceptional.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

This was definitely not as good as book one and the story line left me disappointed. On the positive side, I liked the humour and there was plenty of action with a nice twist at the end. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Although I don't find the connection between Eve and Vilanelle as captivating as the show, the plot was a lot more exciting and I preferred the ending. Can't wait for the next installment!

No Tomorrow is Luke Jennings’ sequel to Codename Villanelle. It is even more enjoyable as we already know the characters. Villanelle starts to take more risks in her work, as if she is showing off to Eve. Each of Villanelle’s ‘kills' is more entertaining than the last.
As Eve continues her pursuit of Villanelle, her marriage begins to suffer. Home life with Niko and their little goats (I loved the goats!) doesn't deliver the thrills or exotic locations she now craves.
As the two leads get nearer to each other there is a development that resets the story for the next volume. It was so good I swore at the page!

Another thrilling read from Jennings starring two of my favourite fictional characters. This is an excellent next instalment of this series and I truly believe it is going from strength to strength. Thank you again for providing me with this book!

i really Enjoyed Reading Killing Eve:Codename Villanelle

Eve is hunting down a female contract killer Called Villanelle but she is clever manipulative and dangerous they both want each other did but its a game of who kills who first... this is faced paced thriller i loved the story i liked the characters rather like that the lead characters are female and powerful women..

and we know that the books have be turned into a hit TV show so now ive read the books i can binge watch the show see it all come to life, i hope that there is more books to come ...

Thrilling, dynamic and fast-paced. This series continues to deliver complex and capable females and I am here for it!

Thank you so much to Net Galley, The publishers and the author for an ARC copy for review.

I was so excited to read and review this book, after just finishing watching "Killing Eve"

A thrilling duel between Villanelle, an elite female assassin, and Eve Polastri, the MI6 agent who is tasked with hunting her down.

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.

What do I love about this book and the series, especially in the books.

It is two things, the enormous humour that is added to these books especially Villanelle, a reckless but very interesting assassin and of course Eve, not your typical M16 agent,in fact you cannot get further away from an agent, but it works.

The book speeds a long at a great pace, with great action, great pace, some violence, some laugh out loud moments, and as we get to end some great twists and surprises.

The great relationship/obsession between the two main characters is so well done.

A great book, really fun to read.