Wanted to read this having enjoyed the TV series - which is always a gamble and sometimes difficult to 'see' anything other than the brilliant actors who brought this to life on screen. I actually thought the TV show was far better than this, though this is by no means awful. There are differences between the book and show so I think that can bring some difficulty if you're a huge fan of the TV version. That said, this story is well-paced and delivers some good moments.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A wonderful introduction to the cold, calculating and complex character of Villanelle. Villanelle was trained to be a merciless assassin when she was released from a Russian prison. Eve Polestri, MI5 Agent, is on her trail. With a good pace and plenty of action, this was a great entertaining read. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book but perhaps had slightly inflated expectations after being such a fan of the TV adaption. I would still recommend it to fans of the genre, but would warn those who have watched the TV show first that the tone is slightly different which may feel jarring at first.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

Rating 2.5/5

Usually, when a tv show or movie has been adapted from a book I try my best to read the book first because I know that generally, the adaptation isn’t as good as the original, so I prefer reading first in case I am put off and can’t bring myself to read the book. There are obviously a few exceptions to this rule and I hate to say it but Codename Villanelle is one of them, I was really excited to read this book because I thought it would be every bit as vivid and entertaining as the tv show and it really didn’t live up to that at all.

I think maybe if I had read the book first then I would have a slightly more favourable view of it but not by much. Unfortunately, it just didn’t grab me in any way, it is a fairly short novel at roughly 220 pages but at times felt like I was trying to slog my way through a 600 page book. It’s not that it’s particularly badly written. Still, for such an interesting concept everything is very surface level and there wasn’t that feeling of getting invested in the characters which in turn makes it difficult to care about the story.

Eve and Villanelle were unfortunately very flat in this, there just wasn’t enough of a chance to get to know Eve on a deeper level, and whilst I found out a lot more about Villanelle she still didn’t jump off the page. I felt like there were occasions when I was reading and I couldn’t figure out why some of it was included, it was as if some form of personality was trying to be injected into the book too late on in the story when this should have been built from the start.

As I said the concept is such an interesting one, a female assassin that there is not much trace of working for an unknown and far-reaching organisation and a British agent that wants to bring her down, but the execution is admittedly a little boring. There is a lot of telling me what is going on without really going into any feelings, which I think would have helped to add a bit more suspense to the story, instead of reading like a very formulaic thriller story. Also considering the main characters are female and are supposed to be highly intelligent and trained in combat you would have thought the author would have a bit more care not to sexually objectify them at every chance he could.

I think if you haven’t watched the tv show yet and you get a chance to read this first then you might enjoy it, but I know that even with the very unusual cliffhanger of an ending I won’t be continuing with this series.

Very on par with the overall series - book gives abit more insight into all characters and what the aim of the show is all about

Villanelle is plucked from a Russian jail and trained to be a ruthless assassin, something with her psychopathic tendencies she has a knack for. She works under the radar until MI5 operative Eve Polastri sees a pattern. Eve sets Villanelle firmly in her sights, but soon finds out that she shouldn't have underestimated her.

I think there's a lot of us out there who wanted to read Codename Villanelle after watching Killing Eve, and I'm no different.

Codename Villanelle is a fairly short book, just over two hundred pages, but plenty of glamour, sex and slightly gruesome killings packed into its pages.

The character of Villanelle dominates the story. She's completely lacking a conscience or any sort of empathy, but at the same time, she's difficult not to like.

The entire problem I found reading Codename Villanelle was I kept comparing it to the TV show, in particular the first series which I loved. I felt like it lacked the dark humour of the series. Also, as an overall story, for me it lacked tension and didn't really gain any momentum until Eve's character was introduced.

I think if I'd read this before the TV series I would have probably enjoyed it more, although I am interested in what happens in the next books.

Having enjoyed the series, it was fascinating to read the original book. It lacked the wonderful acting of Jodie Comer, who really excelled in her portrayal of Villanelle. However, I had never understood why there was an American actress playing a character in British security, and I was amused to see that the original book made no mention of the character of Eve being anything but British.
It was therefore interesting to see how the book had been changed to appeal to the US market as a TV show, both in character and name, as well as the intent given by that name change. I also liked the back story - how Eve came to be in that dingy little office, rather than the expected location, I never picked that up in the series.
It is a rare occasion that I cannot say that the film was better than the book or vice versa, in this case I loved the film because of Comer's sublime acting, but preferred the book as the character of Eve being American brought nothing but confusion to the role.

This book was sooooo good! I loved both these female characters so much. Loved Villanelle's backstory that is slowly revealed as the story progresses. It was a difficult read as I really wanted both women to succeed, but they're complete enemies. This book was packed with mystery, violence and plenty of interesting characters.

I really liked how Villanelle was characterized as I don't think I've read of many female characters with psychopathy and she blends in the world so well, but she herself is aware of the missing pieces, not that she cares about it. Don't really understand the friend angle, but I suppose it is her way of blending in.

After watching the show and finding out it was based on books, I knew I had to read them and this did not disappoint. It was exciting and well written leaving me with a need to find out more and keep reading until I'd finished.

Just as sharp and exciting as the TV show. I love Villanelle as a central character. At times naive, funny and always deadly, I love following her story.

The writing is witty, wry and perfectly paced I honestly can't wait to read more!

I might be late to the Killing Eve party but I’m really glad I turned up! It’s certainly action packed and fast paced which kept me turning the pages. I haven’t enjoyed a book of this genre since Salander in the Millennium series. I’ve already downloaded the other two books and can’t wait to watch the TV series. Thank you NetGalley and John Murray Press for letting me read and review this book.

Killing Eve! I love the show and finally got around to reading the book the show is based on and...well...that's not as riveting as the show is it? This seems a little generic and the writing is heavy-handed - apparently Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the best reason the show works...c'est la vie, i'm interested in trying the next one out and, hopefully, the writing improves. C-

Great read, enjoyed this having watched the tv adaptation. Good crime drama with humour, interesting characters and different to the usual.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

though its not quite like the series killing eve,its a good reminder of the first series....thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to get to book 2 in this series

well worth a read and written in a style that i like easy to understand and flows really well

Having seen the tv drama I was keen to read the book. The characters backgrounds are more detailed in this book. A great book that kept me interested throughout.

Being a fan of "Killing Eve" I was keen to read the book the TV show is based on.

There are many similarities and it's easy to imagine the TV doubles in the story. We hear a lot about Villanelle's backstory and the mysterious organisation "The Twelve" whom she works for and so get to understand her a lot better. We remember how MI5 operative Eve meets her husband Nikos and her life before her obsession with assasin Villanelle takes over....

It's a brilliant read, fast paced and thrilling and #2 is nestling on my kindle right now. I'll be picking up the third one too. It's a great story in it's own right and I really recommend it.

I haven't seen the TV series Killing Eve yet but can see that this book would make a fast paced show. There's a lot of sex and violence and worldwide locations.
The book does end abruptly and the writing could be better. The female characters especially aren't very complex. It is a good short read though without being too taxing on the brain.

I'm not normally one to see the movie before I read the book, however after the phenomenon of Killing Eve I had to check out the books that inspired the series.

The books follow fairly much in the same vein as the show. Eve is a secret service agent who recognises a trend in a series of killings and believes a female serial killer is behind it, soon she is put on a task force to track down the woman we know as 'Villanelle'.

If you enjoyed the series this is a fun return to that, much of the cast and basic plot lines are the same. However, it is easy to see the smaller flaws where the show improved the text. On occasion, the way in which female characters are written can be a little bit clumsy and stereotypical, an aspect the show makes huge efforts to avoid.

However, it is not entirely fair to only hold the book up against its adaptation. It is entertaining in it's own right, and carries humour and thrills. It was fun enough to read and I would definitely think about picking up the sequel.