Luke Jennings' Codename Villanelle - Review

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The thrilling first volume in the ‘Killing Eve’ series.

Rescued from a life of incarceration, Villanelle commits assassinations at the behest of a mysterious group known only as the Twelve.

Her proficiency and flair for the dramatic soon attracts the attention of British intelligence agent Eve Polastri.

Villanelle’s anonymity is now under threat, thus beginning a dance for survival where there can only be one victor.

‘Codename Villanelle’ is the first book in the ‘Killing Eve’ series by Luke Jennings, a gripping, fast-paced espionage crime thriller, following the assassinations orchestrated by Villanelle and the hunt that commences to track her down. Originally published in four parts as separate novelettes: “Codename Villanelle”, “Hollowpoint”, “Shanghai” and “Odessa”; the structure of the novel retains this serialisation in four short, sharp, globetrotting capers, navigating twists and turns; Villanelle displaying her ingenuity in hunting and dispatching her victims, while a cat and mouse game ensues.

Villanelle is a superb character – dangerous and captivating, at times unpredictable and impulsive while her work is intricately planned and skillfully orchestrated. Intelligent and theatrical, charming and seductive, she displays as a classic psychopath – ruthless, detached, devoid of empathy, learning how to mimic other human beings in order to survive and manipulate, but never truly feeling a connection or depth of emotion. She displays neither guilt nor remorse, no moral questioning – she relishes her kills, while often becoming bored between assignments, seeking the superficial pleasures of sexual encounters, which never come close to the ecstasy of murder.

We delve into Villanelle’s backstory and the creation of a killer, how she became imprisoned in Russia after an act of vengeance, which brought her to the attention of the Twelve, a shadowy organisation comprising of powerful men, from whom she receives her orders to kill. Jennings took inspiration for the character from Idoia López Riaño, known as La Tigresa, a contract killer for a former Basque nationalist group, active in 1984-86, imprisoned for her crimes in 1994 and later convicted of twenty-three murders.

In the second story enters Villanelle’s nemesis-to-be: MI5 agent Eve Polastri, happy in her home life with her husband, Niko, and somewhat content with her work, if a little uninspired. She is quiet, committed, methodical and analytical, displaying strong instincts and proving herself to be a dogged investigator. She becomes convinced a female assassin is operating with impunity across Europe and Asia and begins tracking her. But the closer she gets, the more Villanelle’s machinations impact her own life, and Eve soon becomes determined to hunt her down as her investigations develop into a personal crusade, thus her obsession, joining ours, begins.

The Villanelle series was adapted as BBC TV series ‘Killing Eve’, starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh, in 2018, which ran for four seasons before ending in 2022. So impactful were the actors’ performances, particularly Comer’s as Villanelle, that it has become impossible to separate them. The books continued to be published under the series’ name from the second entry onwards.

Four entertaining missions provide a marvellous introduction to the characters, capturing the entertaining allure of a spy thriller, the suspense of a psychological game, the visceral and sometimes inventive bursts of violence of a slasher, all with shades of quirkiness and dark humour. Laying the foundation for the duel to come as predator and prey become blurred and the mutual obsession begins, ‘Codename Villanelle’ ends with a cliffhanger that leaves us eagerly poised for the next chapter as Villanelle and Eve head for an inevitable collision, as the series continues with the novel ‘No Tomorrow’.



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