Thoroughly enjoyed this book - ready to start the next one now!
The story begins in Russia and travels around the world telling the he story of Oxana, a young woman destined to be imprisoned for a crime of passion and the second chance she is given....by becoming a professional killer. Whilst going about her affairs, Oxana leaves behind clues that lead Eve, a former M15 agent, to begin a search for her.....
Well worth a read, thank you Net Galley!

Not going to lie the reason that I wanted to read this book was because I watched the BBC adaption Killing Eve and I completely loved that. However, this did bring up the worry for me that the book wouldn’t be as good and that it was actually the cast of actors that I loved more (because they were amazing and so much fun to watch!).

Luckily, watching the show has not detracted from the novel at all, which is an achievement considering the deviations from the book that TV show took. The characters are wonderfully developed (the actors of characters in the book have done a great job) and there are very few characters which I found refreshing, especially for a novel in this genre, it allowed all the focus to be on those that were important. I also loved Villanelle’s confidence in her sexuality throughout the book, which for me is always worth an additional half a star, especially when that is not the main focus of the story.

The story is paced beautifully, albeit shorter than what I thought it would be. However, the cliff-hanger ending was frustrating and I did have a moment of thinking, this cannot be the end of the book! I loved that the story was mainly focused on Villanelle and we got to see her development and history without it ever taking away from the progression of the story.

I would highly recommend that anyone that enjoyed the show also read the book, you won’t regret it! 3.5 stars for Codename Villanelle.

A slick spy-thriller that never sleeps

Having already watched the Killing Eve TV series, I was familiar with the two main characters in this novella and as I read, I also recognised some of the scenes as well. However, this did not prevent me from enjoying this rollercoaster of a ride as the reader is literally swept along in the slipstream of Villianelle’s Audi TT Roadster, for one minute, you are right there with her and Eve Polaski as if filming them on your mobile, then the next minute you’re inside their heads as they transport you to their clandestine world, where the hunter becomes the hunted and vice-versa in a supersonic battle of wits. The slick writing methods of Luke Jennings, easily make this a one-session read, as the combination of present-perfect narrative and rapid dialogue quickly carry you along through this pacy, tension-charged, non-stop spy thriller. Jennings has produced an anti-heroine who you can’t help but fall in love with, and has also featured all the typical conventions of the ‘spy’ genre with things such as counter-surveillance, number stations and one-time pads. If you are expecting the book to play like the TV series, then you are in for a surprise! I was privileged to receive this sample and the next novella in the series to review and frankly just want to finish writing this so that I can get stuck into that second book.

I loved the tv adaptation of the book and binge watched the series. When this book was available to be requested on netgalley I jumped at the chance to read the book that inspired the tv series. I could not stop reading this book and I didnt compare it to the tv show at all (which is a good thing!). The characters were well written and cannot wait to read the next instalment! Villanelle is a “baddie” but you can’t help liking her as she figures her way around the twelve and Eve!

An enjoyable quick read. I have heard so much about the tv series that I expected more from this book. I feel the book could have been longer and have more depth do it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I was excited to read Codename Villanelle after watched the BBC series 'Killing Eve'. I enjoyed the book, it was gripping despite having already watched Killing Eve. I enjoyed the insight in to Villanelle's past and what led her to her life now. However, I enjoyed the TV show more as it had more humour and character development for the female characters. I am planning on read the next book to get a sneak peak in to where season 2 is going!

I was excited to read this because I really enjoyed the BBC drama "Killing Eve". The story is similar and a very rich thriller with lots of detail, just like in the show. However I actually think that this is one of those rare occasions where the tv show is better than the book: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (the writer of the show) added the aspects which I loved best: the feminism and independence of the female characters and the irreverent humour and witty one-liners. Luke Jennings' novel, while entertaining and easy to read, doesn't have that much humour and the way the female characters are written is disappointing: they're unnecessarily sexualised and one-dimensional. It's all "plump pudendas", pert breasts, flashing green eyes and looking at themselves naked in the mirror. I'm glad I read this and i did enjoy it, but it wasn't as great as I hoped.

It is very hard to read this without comparing it to the TV series that is based on it, Killing Eve. The story is very different in places, very similar in others. The wit of the TV series script is there and so are the bases of the characters.

It is a quick read because it is divided only into four chapters and the narrative never slows. And you just want to keep reading. The past is written in the past tense, the present in the present, so you never lose track of where you are.

A good, entertaining read.

If half stars were a thing this would be a 3.5 star book but as they aren't I have to round up to 4.

I've recently finished watching the first series of Killing Eve, the tv show that this series of books inspired, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this first instalment.

The book and the tv series are very different. A reader looking for a direct match to what they've watched will be disappointed. I really liked the book however, particularly the way we get to meet Villanelle and understand how she became the character we see on the screen.

The book feels quite dense, it took me a little while to read it, but I never felt frustrated by its pace. It does end on a reasonable cliffhanger so I'm looking forward to reading the next book to see where the story goes next.

3.5 stars


I'll be honest,I watched one episode of killing eve and didn't feel the need to watch more.
I think the books are going to be different.
There was a good pace to the book.... And enough background to our assassin to make her seem slightly more than a gun for hire.
There were some real wince inducing moments,but they felt in fitting with the storyline.
Over All I don't think it's the last book I'll be reading with Villanelle and Eve.

After watching (severely bingeing) the TV show I knew I had to read this. The idea is similar, but it's very obvious that the TV show is only based around and not a proper adaptation. I enjoyed this, but found Villanelle a little too different to the adaptation version who I'd fallen in love with. I'm intrigued for the next book to see what happens next though, so that's saying something!

Villanelle is the compelling, sociopathic assassin you can’t help rooting for.

I read this book in one sitting after watching the BBC adaption ‘Killing Eve’, and I liked it just as much- if not more.

As much as MI6’s Eve Polastri is needed as Villanelle’s nemesis, the true star is Villanelle. The book covers her training as an assassin, information about her childhood and more of the undercover day to day life she leads alongside the fast paced, world travelling life of a highly skilled hitman with a fascination of death.

There is explicit sex in this book, and Villanelle uses it for pleasure and power. She is an interesting main character and I’m looking forward to the next book to see more of the cat and mouse game between her and Eve.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great read. Not my usual genre but I was gripped throughout. I will definitely look out for more from this author and will be recommending to others.

Previously released in four separate Kindle singles but perhaps much better to be read as a whole.
We are introducted to this special agent, the female assassin code name Villanelle. Her background makes her an ideal candidate for the role of a hit woman and she passes every conceivable test to be recruited into a sinister organisation that has links across many governments but ultimately takes out contracts on individuals who are perhaps disruptive to big business and the common interest of a balance of power.
Her motivation and recruitment arose while she was in prison so she had little option other than to agree to take this path; the problem being though she was already a fragile and damaged human being.
We learn that she has been successful on a couple of occasions and now is focused on a new target.
I can think of similar female contract killers in TV and literature and it is interesting to follow Villanelle's story to see what marks her out and keeps her as a compelling character to enjoy and share in her daring missions.
As the book progresses we are presented with a cold hearted, emotionally inert individual who has spy tradecraft and a self preservation streak. We learn more about her handler and his concerns about her risk management.
A deeper concern however is when she travels to London, we are introduced to a potential enemy in a female operative in the UK security services. She has a sense of Villanelle's existence but no real proof or evidence.
Her many faceted and multiple identities and characters mean we struggle to find any empathy, leaving aside she is a killer, but her upbringing and family disconnect means we can initially sympathise, especially with her early choices.
Never content in one sphere of operation her tasks take her across the world. But here the book fails for me in terms of the danger that threatens Villanelle in the role taken up by former MI5 operative Eve Polastri who is off the books investigating the female assassin. Polastri is driven to find this assassin, she perceives but without any real leads. Although Eve seems tenacious, for me she seems completely unsuited to this role, but you know their paths seem undoubtedly destined to converge. Title suggesting?
Villanelle's desire to face up to her potential nemesis again does not seem to make operational sense and you feel the ratcheting up of this confrontation between the two women is a fiction too far.
However, the passages with Villanelle are engrossing and it is both odd and liberating to read of such a strong female character. She remains cold and efficient and her lack of emotional interplay make her a great sociopath and psychopath.
I particularly liked the relationship between Villanelle and her handler Konstantin. It validates her in some way but you have to question the bond, if their agent is just an expendable asset.