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Killing Eve #p-1a
Codename Villanelle: short story
In an isolated remand centre in the Ural Mountains, Oxana Vorontsova awaits trial for murder. One man with his throat slashed to the bone, two shot in the face. Not quite the behaviour you’d expect of a star linguistics student at one of Russia’s top universities. But as a string of unnerving incidents attests, the signs were always there.
Half a world away, Oxana’s potential has been noted. Recruited as an assassin on behalf of a secretive global power-elite, she is reborn as the beautiful, lethal Villanelle. The rewards of her new life are spectacular, but the risks are deadly. And when she’s tasked with the elimination of a senior Mafia boss, it’s clear that the job is going to have to be carried out at close quarters…
Luke Jennings is the author of Blood Knots, short-listed for the Samuel Johnson and William Hill prizes, and of several novels, including the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic. As a journalist he has written for The Observer, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Time. He is married and lives in North London.
Half a world away, Oxana’s potential has been noted. Recruited as an assassin on behalf of a secretive global power-elite, she is reborn as the beautiful, lethal Villanelle. The rewards of her new life are spectacular, but the risks are deadly. And when she’s tasked with the elimination of a senior Mafia boss, it’s clear that the job is going to have to be carried out at close quarters…
Luke Jennings is the author of Blood Knots, short-listed for the Samuel Johnson and William Hill prizes, and of several novels, including the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic. As a journalist he has written for The Observer, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Time. He is married and lives in North London.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2014
About the author
Luke Jennings
23 books666 followersLuke Jennings is an author and the dance critic of The Observer. He trained at the Rambert School and was a dancer for ten years before turning to writing.
As a journalist he has written for Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Time, as well as for numerous British titles. He is the author of Blood Knots, a memoir, short-listed for the 2010 Samuel Johnson and William Hill prizes, and of three novels: Breach Candy, Beauty Story, and the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic. With Deborah Bull, he wrote The Faber Guide to Ballet, and with his daughter Laura, the Stars fiction series for Puffin Books, about teenagers at a stage-school.
He is currently writing a follow-up to his 2017 thriller Codename Villanelle (John Murray). The Villanelle titles are the basis for BBC America's upcoming TV series Killing Eve, airing in 2018 and starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.
As a journalist he has written for Vanity Fair, the New Yorker and Time, as well as for numerous British titles. He is the author of Blood Knots, a memoir, short-listed for the 2010 Samuel Johnson and William Hill prizes, and of three novels: Breach Candy, Beauty Story, and the Booker Prize-nominated Atlantic. With Deborah Bull, he wrote The Faber Guide to Ballet, and with his daughter Laura, the Stars fiction series for Puffin Books, about teenagers at a stage-school.
He is currently writing a follow-up to his 2017 thriller Codename Villanelle (John Murray). The Villanelle titles are the basis for BBC America's upcoming TV series Killing Eve, airing in 2018 and starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 26, 2017
Ths is a collection of 4 kindle single stories about Oxana Vorontsova, a young woman who kills the men responsible for the death of her father. This lands her in prison, where she is approached with a deal. Oxana becomes erased with the cover story that she dies, and she acquires a whole new persona, Villanelle, and trained to become an extraordinary assassin in strong echoes of Nikita. Konstantin is the representative of the 12 powerful men who sanction Villanelle's hits. The stories are interconnected with recurring characters. The first story gives the backstory of Oxana and her conversion to Villanelle. We learn of her personality, she is a sociopath with an inability to access human emotions such as empathy or compassion. She is, however, superb at learning to simulate emotions for power, sex and for exposing the vulnerabilities of her targets.
Villanelle's first hit takes her to Palermo and a much feared Mafia boss with a host of enemies. We come to see just how talented and cold a killer she really is, although she does go off the page when it came to her instructions. There is a detailed breakdown of her abilities, her observational skills, reactive speeds and sensory powers are phenomenal. Her second hit brings her to London, where an elaborate plan is devised that targets a charismatic Russian fascist leading a growing movement. We encounter Eve Polastri, and her deputy, Simon Mortimer, working for MI5. Initially Eve rejects the need for protection of the Russian but changes her mind. Entering Eve's radar is the awareness of a highly able female assassin operating globally. Eve ends up working on a solitary aim of identifying this assassin in a covert operation at MI6. The third hit is in Shanghai, the leader of the White Dragons, FatPanda and the fourth has Villanelle in Odessa as events turn in an unexpected direction.
These stories give us remarkable insights into the killing machine that is Villanelle, her warped sense of the romantic, her inner drive and need to kill that gives her a high that nothing else matches. She has a need to manipulate, and dominate her sexual encounters, which include men and women, although once she achieved her conquest she loses interest. Luke Jennings expertly documents her character development and Eve's, as she becomes obsessed with hunting down Villanelle after traumatic events take place. The author does a tremendous job of making Villanelle monstrous but never less than compelling. A great collection of stories. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.
Villanelle's first hit takes her to Palermo and a much feared Mafia boss with a host of enemies. We come to see just how talented and cold a killer she really is, although she does go off the page when it came to her instructions. There is a detailed breakdown of her abilities, her observational skills, reactive speeds and sensory powers are phenomenal. Her second hit brings her to London, where an elaborate plan is devised that targets a charismatic Russian fascist leading a growing movement. We encounter Eve Polastri, and her deputy, Simon Mortimer, working for MI5. Initially Eve rejects the need for protection of the Russian but changes her mind. Entering Eve's radar is the awareness of a highly able female assassin operating globally. Eve ends up working on a solitary aim of identifying this assassin in a covert operation at MI6. The third hit is in Shanghai, the leader of the White Dragons, FatPanda and the fourth has Villanelle in Odessa as events turn in an unexpected direction.
These stories give us remarkable insights into the killing machine that is Villanelle, her warped sense of the romantic, her inner drive and need to kill that gives her a high that nothing else matches. She has a need to manipulate, and dominate her sexual encounters, which include men and women, although once she achieved her conquest she loses interest. Luke Jennings expertly documents her character development and Eve's, as she becomes obsessed with hunting down Villanelle after traumatic events take place. The author does a tremendous job of making Villanelle monstrous but never less than compelling. A great collection of stories. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC.
October 16, 2018
Alright homefries, gun to your noggin: TELL ME A STORY ABOUT A FEMALE ASSASSIN! What do you come up with? If you’re as braindead as me, your empty mind will go to Marvel’s Black Widow and it’ll go something like: hot Russian babe skilled in martial arts and guncraft shoots henchmen John Wick-style before taking out the boss gangster.
Well guess what Codename: Villasmellypants is? Exactly that - and hacky Luke Jennings didn’t even has a gun to his head!
Jennings’ prose is utterly flat and unengaging - as lifeless as Lee Child’s yet somehow more dull. There is nothing worse than reading descriptions of scenery, clothing, etc. when none of it is relevant to the story and you get pages of that useless filler in this so-called “thriller”.
Oxana/Villanelle has no personality and goes through the motions of this generic claptrap like the robot she is and no part of the formulaic, uninspired story was remotely interesting.
I’ve not seen the recent BBC adaptation of this series, filmed as Killing Eve, but, going by the critical acclaim, I’m guessing this is one of those rare instances where the screen adaptation is better than the book. Either way, I won’t be reading any more of Luke Jennings’ garbage writing which has also put me off watching the show.
I would recommend anyone curious about the show to check that out first rather than have that curiosity assassinated by its unimaginative and boring original source material!
Well guess what Codename: Villasmellypants is? Exactly that - and hacky Luke Jennings didn’t even has a gun to his head!
Jennings’ prose is utterly flat and unengaging - as lifeless as Lee Child’s yet somehow more dull. There is nothing worse than reading descriptions of scenery, clothing, etc. when none of it is relevant to the story and you get pages of that useless filler in this so-called “thriller”.
Oxana/Villanelle has no personality and goes through the motions of this generic claptrap like the robot she is and no part of the formulaic, uninspired story was remotely interesting.
I’ve not seen the recent BBC adaptation of this series, filmed as Killing Eve, but, going by the critical acclaim, I’m guessing this is one of those rare instances where the screen adaptation is better than the book. Either way, I won’t be reading any more of Luke Jennings’ garbage writing which has also put me off watching the show.
I would recommend anyone curious about the show to check that out first rather than have that curiosity assassinated by its unimaginative and boring original source material!
April 22, 2018
I decided to read this after watching the first two episodes of BBC's Killing Eve and was not disappointed.
In fact, Jennings' descriptions and obvious knowledge of what he's writing give a more realistic feel to the story than the show's visuals have managed to do.
Jennings has a true gift for descriptive prose, you can't help but see in your mind's eye everything he writes, and he really nails the European atmosphere of the surroundings in the book.
I loved Villanelle (as much as you can love a sociopathic assassin) and from her backstory to her training nothing was skipped, yet it was always engaging.
I definitely recommend this!
May 1, 2018
so far, ugh. this book is formulaic and so obviously written by a man with a fantasies about a woman assassin who gets to wear designer clothes & murder people. i am reading it because a) it's a 2week loan from the library, and b) sandra oh is in the movie and i adore her. otherwise, forget it. maybe there is some transformation in the character but i would not put any money on it. finished, terrible
June 30, 2019
1 Not-What-I-Expected-Star ☆
I must say I was disappointed that the story was written in third-person. It took away from the emotional connection to characters and plot twists.
I couldn’t relate to anyone! Vilanelle is some cold, detached serial killer who has no feelings or emotions. And technically neither does the author for making her sound so dull.
Another flaw I found in the story are the descriptions. Everything, and I mean everything to and from the height of the glass, to the color of some random lady’s sweater is described. Why?! At first I thought it was refreshing, how the author painted the scenery for me for the opening scene. But very quickly I began getting bored. It took away from the story.
I did like how Villianelle mirrored other people’s body posture, movements and facial expressions to better assimilate with her surroundings. It was nice seeing the correlation to the TV Series, Killing Eve. But where the TV series kept me hooked and wanting more, the book has me looking elsewhere. It loses another star because I can’t believe how boring it is. Even death scenes aren’t pulling me in.
It’s a shame. I assumed Luke Jennings is an accomplished writer to have a tv show based off of his books but I don’t see it. There are a few similarities but honestly they feel worlds apart.
I must say I was disappointed that the story was written in third-person. It took away from the emotional connection to characters and plot twists.
I couldn’t relate to anyone! Vilanelle is some cold, detached serial killer who has no feelings or emotions. And technically neither does the author for making her sound so dull.
Another flaw I found in the story are the descriptions. Everything, and I mean everything to and from the height of the glass, to the color of some random lady’s sweater is described. Why?! At first I thought it was refreshing, how the author painted the scenery for me for the opening scene. But very quickly I began getting bored. It took away from the story.
I did like how Villianelle mirrored other people’s body posture, movements and facial expressions to better assimilate with her surroundings. It was nice seeing the correlation to the TV Series, Killing Eve. But where the TV series kept me hooked and wanting more, the book has me looking elsewhere. It loses another star because I can’t believe how boring it is. Even death scenes aren’t pulling me in.
It’s a shame. I assumed Luke Jennings is an accomplished writer to have a tv show based off of his books but I don’t see it. There are a few similarities but honestly they feel worlds apart.
August 4, 2017
This is a very enjoyable load of old hokum. It could be utterly dreadful – a ruthless, beautiful highly trained female assassin (the eponymous Villanelle) working for a shadowy group of ultra-rich people protecting their own interests isn't exactly a fresh-sounding set-up - but it's well done and actually very entertaining.
I've largely summarized the plot in the last sentence, but we also meet a British intelligence operative whose mission it is to catch and kill Villanelle. She is a rather engaging character: brilliant and determined but unglamorous and ordinary in her personal life, she makes a good foil to Villanelle's character, and I like that the two chief protagonists are both women. Luke Jennings writes well, presents a good, detailed background and creates pretty believable scenes and characters - within the overall implausibility of the whole thing, of course. He structures the plot well and I found it an exciting and easy read.
I did think that a couple of the sex scenes were gratuitously explicit – especially one in which a potential target for Villanelle visits a brothel and indulges in some, shall we say, very niche practices which were described in needlessly graphically detail. Also, this is the set up for at least one more book; there is no real resolution at the end and I'm not sure that the idea will carry a series. Nonetheless, I did enjoy Codename Villanelle and I will look out for the sequel. Recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
I've largely summarized the plot in the last sentence, but we also meet a British intelligence operative whose mission it is to catch and kill Villanelle. She is a rather engaging character: brilliant and determined but unglamorous and ordinary in her personal life, she makes a good foil to Villanelle's character, and I like that the two chief protagonists are both women. Luke Jennings writes well, presents a good, detailed background and creates pretty believable scenes and characters - within the overall implausibility of the whole thing, of course. He structures the plot well and I found it an exciting and easy read.
I did think that a couple of the sex scenes were gratuitously explicit – especially one in which a potential target for Villanelle visits a brothel and indulges in some, shall we say, very niche practices which were described in needlessly graphically detail. Also, this is the set up for at least one more book; there is no real resolution at the end and I'm not sure that the idea will carry a series. Nonetheless, I did enjoy Codename Villanelle and I will look out for the sequel. Recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
April 17, 2018
A quick listen and not as bad as some said. The tv show is infinitely better because Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer.
May 21, 2019
Boy, this was disappointing. Love the tv show, but the book? Whoa boy.
Okay first of all, it's only half a book. At around 135 pages, it's short. And it's not short because it's a whole story that is just short, it's short because it literally reads like half a book.
Why was a novel cut in half and published as two seperate novels? Ripping off consumers? I can only assume.
Second problem, it's clearly written by a man, because gosh Villanelle is terribly terribly aware of her breasts all the time. They're pert and perfect. And she has a lot of sex, because this is a lot of sad male fantasy fulfillment stuff going on.
Stick to the tv show.
Okay first of all, it's only half a book. At around 135 pages, it's short. And it's not short because it's a whole story that is just short, it's short because it literally reads like half a book.
Why was a novel cut in half and published as two seperate novels? Ripping off consumers? I can only assume.
Second problem, it's clearly written by a man, because gosh Villanelle is terribly terribly aware of her breasts all the time. They're pert and perfect. And she has a lot of sex, because this is a lot of sad male fantasy fulfillment stuff going on.
Stick to the tv show.
October 7, 2017
Good introduction to this special agent, the female assassin who is Villanelle. Her stories were originally introduced through Kindle Singles.
In Codename Villanelle we learn of her background and how she was 'chosen' to be a hit woman in a sinister organisation that has links across many governments but ultimately takes out contracts on individuals who are not in the common interest of a balance of power.
The young woman who was recruited rather than face a time in prison becomes their agent, her life transformed to be reformed as a trained killer with no tactical support, a lone operator who goes under cover to make the hit and extract herself from the danger.
We learn that she has been successful on a couple of occasions and this novella towards its conclusion tells the story of taking out a mafia don.
I can think of similar female contract killers and it will be interesting to follow Villanelle's story to see what marks her out and keeps her as a compelling character to enjoy and share her daring missions. A good start but more is needed to make a valued judgement. It is good to see that the book is going to be reproduced as a whole comprising its original four parts as - it was originally published as e book singles: Codename Villanelle, Hollowpoint, Shanghai and Odessa. She may be as trailed: Without conscience. Without guilt. Without weakness but would this first 'chapter' allow you to continue that journey: With her?
In Codename Villanelle we learn of her background and how she was 'chosen' to be a hit woman in a sinister organisation that has links across many governments but ultimately takes out contracts on individuals who are not in the common interest of a balance of power.
The young woman who was recruited rather than face a time in prison becomes their agent, her life transformed to be reformed as a trained killer with no tactical support, a lone operator who goes under cover to make the hit and extract herself from the danger.
We learn that she has been successful on a couple of occasions and this novella towards its conclusion tells the story of taking out a mafia don.
I can think of similar female contract killers and it will be interesting to follow Villanelle's story to see what marks her out and keeps her as a compelling character to enjoy and share her daring missions. A good start but more is needed to make a valued judgement. It is good to see that the book is going to be reproduced as a whole comprising its original four parts as - it was originally published as e book singles: Codename Villanelle, Hollowpoint, Shanghai and Odessa. She may be as trailed: Without conscience. Without guilt. Without weakness but would this first 'chapter' allow you to continue that journey: With her?
January 23, 2019
I enjoyed Killing Eve a great deal, so I gave the first in this series of novellas a try. It's frustratingly short, but a thrilling read.
May 18, 2019
When a book goes to screen I always try to read the book before it appears at the cinema or TV. I did this one the other way round, and I'm so pleased I did. After watching the Killing Eve series, I just had to read the book – Villanelle was under my skin. After reading a few book reviews, I realised that it wasn't liked by all but I felt that watching the series first gave a head start on Villanelle's character.
With visual characters already in my head, I quickly got into the story, slightly different from the TV series, and immediately loved Octana (later becoming Villanelle) and Konstantin. The book does flip about and has a rushed, almost the book in a draft form feel about it, but this staccato, slightly detached writing style really fits with Villanelle's character. She is seriously flawed, crazy and uncontrollable at times and her lack of emotion makes her a perfect assassin.
Eve is a character who seems to be always running on catch-up. She never makes dinner with her husband even when they have guests round. She's uncomfortable in fashion and barely has time to do her hair or apply make-up – she knows she should make more of an effort but it just doesn't seem to work for her. The final straw is when she's kicked off her job of finding the mystery female assassin who killed on her watch. She knows she's close and just has to find this cold killer.
Villanelle has certainly got under my skin and I now have to read book two before it hits the screen.
With visual characters already in my head, I quickly got into the story, slightly different from the TV series, and immediately loved Octana (later becoming Villanelle) and Konstantin. The book does flip about and has a rushed, almost the book in a draft form feel about it, but this staccato, slightly detached writing style really fits with Villanelle's character. She is seriously flawed, crazy and uncontrollable at times and her lack of emotion makes her a perfect assassin.
Eve is a character who seems to be always running on catch-up. She never makes dinner with her husband even when they have guests round. She's uncomfortable in fashion and barely has time to do her hair or apply make-up – she knows she should make more of an effort but it just doesn't seem to work for her. The final straw is when she's kicked off her job of finding the mystery female assassin who killed on her watch. She knows she's close and just has to find this cold killer.
Villanelle has certainly got under my skin and I now have to read book two before it hits the screen.
May 28, 2018
Actually not as good as the TV series! Written in the present tense (mostly) which I generally find very irritating, the story of Villanelle's background is way more interesting than just about anything else in this novel. Naturally Villanelle is beautiful, stylish, sociopathic and sexually voracious, but most of it reads as a male wet-dream fantasy of what a professional assassin could be like in this world of mysterious organizations that secretly run the world.
Watch the TV series - it's much more intriguing and entertaining.
Watch the TV series - it's much more intriguing and entertaining.
September 26, 2019
Very much enjoyed the Killing Eve tv series, which I was drawn to by Sandra Oh (amazing Grey's alumni) and am now wholly bewitched by Jodie Comer.
Anyway - on to the book! It is good, but.... while I'm not finished it yet... it bothers me that you can tell it was written by a man? Our central characters are Eve and Villanelle. The description of each female character and their effect on men & women around them, goes beyond the necessary. I get it - Eve is plain, Villanelle is beauty personified. The adaptation of these characters, among others, in the tv series was much better and likely a consequence of "the industry's" move towards a modernised treatment of women.
It's a good story though, despite this. And now I have Sandra and Jodie to picture in my head, it's easier to ignore the male gaze style depiction. Besides, if we were to stop reading books (or watching films) because of how women are described, there'd be little to read? And we should be only delighted to have a story with two female leads, right? Ha just kidding, kind of.
The environment is beautifully written however. I'm listening on audible while commuting, and a number of times wished I could jot down the name of a place or wine or a designer to look them up later. I really enjoyed the international jaunts, visits to the opera or coffee in Paris.
So... all going well, I will read the next book, and have pre-ordered the 3rd too.
Anyway - on to the book! It is good, but.... while I'm not finished it yet... it bothers me that you can tell it was written by a man? Our central characters are Eve and Villanelle. The description of each female character and their effect on men & women around them, goes beyond the necessary. I get it - Eve is plain, Villanelle is beauty personified. The adaptation of these characters, among others, in the tv series was much better and likely a consequence of "the industry's" move towards a modernised treatment of women.
It's a good story though, despite this. And now I have Sandra and Jodie to picture in my head, it's easier to ignore the male gaze style depiction. Besides, if we were to stop reading books (or watching films) because of how women are described, there'd be little to read? And we should be only delighted to have a story with two female leads, right? Ha just kidding, kind of.
The environment is beautifully written however. I'm listening on audible while commuting, and a number of times wished I could jot down the name of a place or wine or a designer to look them up later. I really enjoyed the international jaunts, visits to the opera or coffee in Paris.
So... all going well, I will read the next book, and have pre-ordered the 3rd too.
December 4, 2018
I started watching Killing Eve, the BBC TV series starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, and I quite liked it. So I've decided to read the books it is based on, Codename Villanelle being the first one. The result is a mixed bag. I clearly prefer the TV show, but the book is not bad either. They are, I have to say, quite different.
While both focus on a police woman trying to find a highly skilled female professional sociopath assassin, the show adds a little dark humor, which is both nice and off putting, while the book is going for the full "secret world of spies and weapon technobabble" route, which is also half and half. I think Luke Jennings wanted to write a simple spy story, inspired by the likes of John le Carré, while the show screenwriters have more ambitious goals. Most of the little episodes there are based on stuff in the book, but wholly reinterpreted, the characters changed or added, their fates changed.
But enough about TV. The book is easy to read, but a bit one sided: kill after kill and the chase of the department that has to uncover not only the identity of the killer, but also who are the high placed people who help hide her tracks, without most of the emotional exposition that makes a character relatable. Funny enough, there is more emotional content related to the killer than the cop. Makes you wonder which one of them is the psycho sometimes.
In conclusion, I will not read the rest of the books, but I will continue to watch the TV show. I feel like reading the first book opened my eyes on what the characters were supposed to be and thus Codename Villanelle acted like a nice companion book for an interesting series that I enjoy watching.
While both focus on a police woman trying to find a highly skilled female professional sociopath assassin, the show adds a little dark humor, which is both nice and off putting, while the book is going for the full "secret world of spies and weapon technobabble" route, which is also half and half. I think Luke Jennings wanted to write a simple spy story, inspired by the likes of John le Carré, while the show screenwriters have more ambitious goals. Most of the little episodes there are based on stuff in the book, but wholly reinterpreted, the characters changed or added, their fates changed.
But enough about TV. The book is easy to read, but a bit one sided: kill after kill and the chase of the department that has to uncover not only the identity of the killer, but also who are the high placed people who help hide her tracks, without most of the emotional exposition that makes a character relatable. Funny enough, there is more emotional content related to the killer than the cop. Makes you wonder which one of them is the psycho sometimes.
In conclusion, I will not read the rest of the books, but I will continue to watch the TV show. I feel like reading the first book opened my eyes on what the characters were supposed to be and thus Codename Villanelle acted like a nice companion book for an interesting series that I enjoy watching.
August 7, 2019
Engaging, but not amazing. I watched the show first which definitely made the book a bit stranger to read since there are a few large discrepancies between the original and the adaptation. Honestly, I think I preferred the show because one, crucial moments were more emotional, and two, everything seemed more cohesive.
I found that while reading the book I had a hard time following all the characters. Most of them sort of... melted together. I also thought the ending was a bit of a let down. It's good to leave readers on a cliffhanger, so they read the next book, but I do wish more happened. The ending felt more like "and, scene! now read the next book!", instead of "this was so cool that I can't possibly not read the next book".
Both versions are worth a try, though, and I will definitely consider coming back to this series.
(Sidenote: If you're like me -- addicted to Agatha Christie novels and struggling to read anything besides Agatha Christie novels -- this is a pretty good stepping stone back into the world of books. Hopefully, I'm able to pick out literally anything besides Christie mysteries next time I go to the library.)
I found that while reading the book I had a hard time following all the characters. Most of them sort of... melted together. I also thought the ending was a bit of a let down. It's good to leave readers on a cliffhanger, so they read the next book, but I do wish more happened. The ending felt more like "and, scene! now read the next book!", instead of "this was so cool that I can't possibly not read the next book".
Both versions are worth a try, though, and I will definitely consider coming back to this series.
(Sidenote: If you're like me -- addicted to Agatha Christie novels and struggling to read anything besides Agatha Christie novels -- this is a pretty good stepping stone back into the world of books. Hopefully, I'm able to pick out literally anything besides Christie mysteries next time I go to the library.)
June 19, 2018
I'm kind of mixed on this one. I love the KILLING EVE TV show on which this story and the others in the series are based. It's enjoyable and it gave some background on Villanelle that the show didn't go into but as a story, it didn't quite work for me. 80% of it is back story and comes across as an outline than a self contained story it. Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about it, unfortunately.
August 20, 2019
I have watched the TV series, and loved it, and wanted to see how the book compared.
I was not disappointed. It had the same build up of characters and intensity as the TV series.
I only finished the book yesterday and already have the second one lined up to read.
I was not disappointed. It had the same build up of characters and intensity as the TV series.
I only finished the book yesterday and already have the second one lined up to read.
April 9, 2018
Easy and entertaining read. Wish it was longer.
March 24, 2020
In Luke Jennings’ British thriller novel Codename Villanelle, a female analyst hunts an up-and-coming female assassin, who is sanctioned by 12 powerful illuminati-type men with an aggressive political and economic global agenda.
In a Palazzo surrounded by pines and cypresses, overlooking an Italian Lake, 12 men gather to discuss Salvatore Greco—a member of the Sicilian Mafia. Each man is given a pair of ivory fish; one yellowed with age and one blood red. When the votes are counted, 12 red fish equal a “unanimous sentence of death” which is to be carried out by Villanelle—a contract killer with a photographic memory and a flair for languages. Meanwhile, Eve Polastri, a low-key British Intelligence analyst, is quietly but methodically building a criminal profile of a new female assassin in her spare time. When Villanelle assassinates Greco in her usual flamboyant way—a medieval looking hair pin that conceals a chamber of poison and is plunged into Greco’s eye—Eve’s theories are taken seriously by her superiors and she is tasked with hunting and capturing Villanelle. A high stakes game of cat and mouse ensues.
The two main characters, Villanelle and Eve, are at once equal and opposing forces. Villanelle, previously subjected to “unspeakable” conditions in a Russian prison, values her freedom, and Eve is a “hunter [who] will not readily let go.” Both women are ambitious hunters who thrive on their work; operating on opposing sides make for a suspenseful dynamic and creates a trapeze of tension.
Contrasting settings imbue the characters with added dimension. Villanelle, who has a penchant for designer clothes, is based in a spacious Paris apartment near the Porte de Passy, while Eve wears Marks and Spencer clothes, prefers to go make-up-less, and lives in a cramped flat in Finchley, London.
Thoughtful scenes and sophisticated writing enrich characterisation and add substance.
While in Shanghai, Villanelle visits the Aquarium nightclub where a “moving shadow darkens [the] luminous expanse” and she realizes that she is looking into the “blank, indifferent gaze” of a shark. Like the shark, Villanelle is a moving shadow in the world, and the glass aquarium doubles as a mirror for her own reflection.
Supporting characters, such as Eve’s husband Niko, a Polish maths teacher, brings an additional layer of tension and realism to the human story as he tries to ground Eve with his tried and trusted charms—cooking pierogi and inventing an icing sugar fuel cell to charge a mobile phone—but ultimately fails to divert Eve’s attention from her dangerous, intoxicating work.
Codename Villanelle is a British thriller with two wilful female characters at its heart. The novel moves at a steady pace through theatrical assassinations, narrow escapes and foreign locations as Eve fleshes out her singular theories and relentlessly pursues her target.
In a Palazzo surrounded by pines and cypresses, overlooking an Italian Lake, 12 men gather to discuss Salvatore Greco—a member of the Sicilian Mafia. Each man is given a pair of ivory fish; one yellowed with age and one blood red. When the votes are counted, 12 red fish equal a “unanimous sentence of death” which is to be carried out by Villanelle—a contract killer with a photographic memory and a flair for languages. Meanwhile, Eve Polastri, a low-key British Intelligence analyst, is quietly but methodically building a criminal profile of a new female assassin in her spare time. When Villanelle assassinates Greco in her usual flamboyant way—a medieval looking hair pin that conceals a chamber of poison and is plunged into Greco’s eye—Eve’s theories are taken seriously by her superiors and she is tasked with hunting and capturing Villanelle. A high stakes game of cat and mouse ensues.
The two main characters, Villanelle and Eve, are at once equal and opposing forces. Villanelle, previously subjected to “unspeakable” conditions in a Russian prison, values her freedom, and Eve is a “hunter [who] will not readily let go.” Both women are ambitious hunters who thrive on their work; operating on opposing sides make for a suspenseful dynamic and creates a trapeze of tension.
Contrasting settings imbue the characters with added dimension. Villanelle, who has a penchant for designer clothes, is based in a spacious Paris apartment near the Porte de Passy, while Eve wears Marks and Spencer clothes, prefers to go make-up-less, and lives in a cramped flat in Finchley, London.
Thoughtful scenes and sophisticated writing enrich characterisation and add substance.
While in Shanghai, Villanelle visits the Aquarium nightclub where a “moving shadow darkens [the] luminous expanse” and she realizes that she is looking into the “blank, indifferent gaze” of a shark. Like the shark, Villanelle is a moving shadow in the world, and the glass aquarium doubles as a mirror for her own reflection.
Supporting characters, such as Eve’s husband Niko, a Polish maths teacher, brings an additional layer of tension and realism to the human story as he tries to ground Eve with his tried and trusted charms—cooking pierogi and inventing an icing sugar fuel cell to charge a mobile phone—but ultimately fails to divert Eve’s attention from her dangerous, intoxicating work.
Codename Villanelle is a British thriller with two wilful female characters at its heart. The novel moves at a steady pace through theatrical assassinations, narrow escapes and foreign locations as Eve fleshes out her singular theories and relentlessly pursues her target.
October 20, 2017
Superb – read it!
Oxana Vorontsova has had a tough upbringing and then her father is murdered. She avenges him and then apparently commits suicide in prison only to be reborn as Villanelle. Villanelle has been taken in hand by Konstantin who puts her through several gruelling regimes to toughen her up and to turn her into a cold, dispassionate killer for hire – the ideal assassin. Eva Polastri is a section leader at MI5. Her path crosses that of Villanelle when a high-profile Russian is murdered in London and Eva suffers the consequences.
The idea behind the thriller isn’t new as “Nikita” follows a similar storyline. However, having read both books this beats the original in every single respect. It is superb. I consumed it in a 24-hour period and for once was delighted with the final pages when invariably this type of ending leaves me disappointed and frustrated.
The writing is intelligent. The building of the personalities is excellent. Luke Jennings is a master of the use of language and in just a few words he can paint a vivid picture where many others fail miserably. The counterpoint between the two female characters is very well done and led me to care about both for very different reasons. I knew I would feel the loss of either.
A follow-up book is being written and I shall be first in line. During further research, it was no surprise to read that the book is to be turned into a TV series in 2018 by BBC America. I do hope it is aired in the UK and I pray that they do it justice.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Oxana Vorontsova has had a tough upbringing and then her father is murdered. She avenges him and then apparently commits suicide in prison only to be reborn as Villanelle. Villanelle has been taken in hand by Konstantin who puts her through several gruelling regimes to toughen her up and to turn her into a cold, dispassionate killer for hire – the ideal assassin. Eva Polastri is a section leader at MI5. Her path crosses that of Villanelle when a high-profile Russian is murdered in London and Eva suffers the consequences.
The idea behind the thriller isn’t new as “Nikita” follows a similar storyline. However, having read both books this beats the original in every single respect. It is superb. I consumed it in a 24-hour period and for once was delighted with the final pages when invariably this type of ending leaves me disappointed and frustrated.
The writing is intelligent. The building of the personalities is excellent. Luke Jennings is a master of the use of language and in just a few words he can paint a vivid picture where many others fail miserably. The counterpoint between the two female characters is very well done and led me to care about both for very different reasons. I knew I would feel the loss of either.
A follow-up book is being written and I shall be first in line. During further research, it was no surprise to read that the book is to be turned into a TV series in 2018 by BBC America. I do hope it is aired in the UK and I pray that they do it justice.
mr zorg
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
June 12, 2018
This book would have been more entertaining if its focus was Villanelle having sex. If it were I would have given it five stars because that part of her life is very detailed and the author obviously saw it as one of the building blocks of her personality. However, since this book is supposed to be about assassins and the people that hunt them I will give it two stars because I can't do one and a half. The book is pointless, I understand it is supposed to be a set up for the ones that follow it but it doesn't have a plot, Villanelle is efficient and boring and Eve is just there because I guess we need a good person. I can say I like it was very short so I don't feel like I wasted too much of my life in it.
August 16, 2018
It is often said that the book is better than the movie (notable exceptions in my opinion: Fried Green Tomatoes and Silence of the Lambs). In this case, the TV series (Killing Eve) is better than the book. The TV series benefits from being extraordinarily well-cast in the two lead roles (Eve Polastri, a British intelligence agent, and Villanelle, the titular globe-trotting assassin), making smart choices in structuring the story (the series gradually reveals Villanelle's backstory, while the book leads off with most of it), and in developing a more compelling (and occasionally darkly humorous) supporting cast. It was interesting to read the genesis of a series that I've enjoyed so much, but the book itself wasn't anything special.
February 4, 2020
This was a short, fun read. Villanelle is a dark, but enjoyable anti-hero. Eve is an intelligent, but relatable woman. I loved the descriptions and I definitely laughed out loud a few times with the characters. My main complaint is even though it’s nice to read short books every once in awhile, the book ended very abruptly which leads me to think the series was written as one book, but the publishers/author wanted more money so they marketed it as a series instead as a larger novel. Still enjoyed it though, it’s not as bad as lots of the reviews make it out to seem.
Also for those Killing Eve watchers: It shouldn’t be compared to the show. There are many similarities, but also many differences.
Also for those Killing Eve watchers: It shouldn’t be compared to the show. There are many similarities, but also many differences.
May 30, 2018
The only reason I gave this little book 3 stars is because it gave me some back story for the fantastic BBC America series "Killing Eve" which is very loosely and incompletely based on it. Actually I'm here to recommend seeing what is in fact a black assasination comedy also streaming on Amazon if you don't have BBC. Jodie Comer stars as a sometimes likeable psychopath assassin employed by a Russian group named "The Twelve". She switches personas and languages at the drop of a hat. Sandra Oh also excellent as her UK MI-5 nemesis. But wait this is not a book! Oh well, it should be. Must be viewed in order from episode one, and there will be an episode two! Yay!
October 18, 2018
Full review to follow.We find out why she has chosen Villanelle as her codename and what she has to go through to become the woman that she is and why she does the things that she does.
I have to admit to having loved the TV series when I saw it earlier in the year and was intrigued to read the book - which I don't think it particularly well written but I was happy enough to continue reading.
If I had read this first, I very much doubt that I would have bothered with the series.
I do believe that this is one of the rare occasions when the TV series / film is better (and different, but in a good way) than the book.
I have to admit to having loved the TV series when I saw it earlier in the year and was intrigued to read the book - which I don't think it particularly well written but I was happy enough to continue reading.
If I had read this first, I very much doubt that I would have bothered with the series.
I do believe that this is one of the rare occasions when the TV series / film is better (and different, but in a good way) than the book.
October 16, 2018
After watching ‘Killing Eve’ on BBC3 I was eager to read Codename Villanelle, and as usual, the book is even better than the show!
Although the series is based on the book, there are plenty of differences in the plot of the book so that it means that even if, like me you’ve watched and enjoyed enjoyed every episode, you will not feel you’re merely reading a screenplay of the series, but the series has stayed true to the book in many ways so if you’re someone who is a mega fan of the show, you will not be disappointed.
I cannot wait to read ‘No tomorrow’ due to be published later this month!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Although the series is based on the book, there are plenty of differences in the plot of the book so that it means that even if, like me you’ve watched and enjoyed enjoyed every episode, you will not feel you’re merely reading a screenplay of the series, but the series has stayed true to the book in many ways so if you’re someone who is a mega fan of the show, you will not be disappointed.
I cannot wait to read ‘No tomorrow’ due to be published later this month!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2019
Loved it! I admit that I read this book after seeing the series "Killing Eve" which I found riveting so perhaps my bias is showing. However, I think it's a clever novel and Villanelle is a wonderful anti-hero. The assassinations are perhaps implausible but oh so cleverly executed (the pun!)
I have previously given poor reviews to books that finish "up in the air" and it could be argued that this is exactly what this one does. In my mind it was quite a good conclusion as the reader is left wondering what the future holds for Villanelle and Eve. It helps that I have the sequel here and am about to go read it!!
I have previously given poor reviews to books that finish "up in the air" and it could be argued that this is exactly what this one does. In my mind it was quite a good conclusion as the reader is left wondering what the future holds for Villanelle and Eve. It helps that I have the sequel here and am about to go read it!!
May 13, 2020
Like many people, I am a huge fan of the TV series so my judgement was always going to be swayed by that. First things first, I found this to be more like soft porn than anything else. I understand that sex is used to show how Villanelle can manipulate and showcase the dominant aspects of her personality but there were times when I just found it an unnecessary addition to the book. The plot, is much better in the book than the series, but I do prefer the characters in the series and the playfulness of Villanelle. It was good to feed my curiosity, but I don't think I'll read any further and stay in my BBC bubble
May 20, 2021
Honestly? What a let down. I laughed at most of this book and it's not a comedy. Gave myself 10 points for each head hop in the book and won my own game by chapter 1. Full of harmful eastern european stereotypes and female stereotypes. Within a few sentences you can tell this is written by a man who does not understand women and merely views them as devices for entertainment. Why is Villanelle so obsessed with her own boobs? Why is the writer dropping in so many references to fashion designers? Why does Villanelle have so much sex? It cheapens her character. I feel like the writer wrote this for himself - thank god the BBC sorted it out. Don't waste your pennies.
January 31, 2019
Very disappointed in the book after watching the brilliant television adaptation. Far too many mentions of brand names and designers etc most of whom I had not heard of! Knowing the make of gun and knife used in the assassinations likewise did nothing to add to the story. In fact all the detail (which actually became very repetitious) totally detracted from the story. This was read for a Book Club and I definitely will not be reading any sequels although I await the new dramatised series with bated breath!
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