Mr. Jennings and his clever writing and gripping story lines is my new brilliant new discovery this week, and as I finish the 3rd novel of his in a row, I can’t wait for the next one.
“Villanelle : Hollowpoint” is a Kindle single, and having also just discovered this e-novella format, I am chomping at the bit for the next instalment in the Villanelle series.
Because there is clearly going to be a third book, right? Otherwise, what on earth would have been the point of introducing us to Eve Polastri of MI5? The arch nemesis of the racy Villanelle, if ever I saw one.
Eve is a good woman, a thorough professional, whose career gets sideswiped when…oh, but I can’t tell you exactly what derails Eve’s career, because that would be a total plot spoiler, and that is one thing you don’t want with these novellas.
This story isn’t as exclusively about the psychopathic killing machine called Villanelle as the first book in the series, and the beautiful Russian now shares the storyline with the not so glamorous (in fact not remotely glamorous) Eve, who is married to a maths teacher. They live in a small, messy flat and they play bridge at the local club in the evenings. Nothing could be further from the jet-setting, expensive, luxurious, lethal world of Villanelle.
Eve is the antithesis of Villanelle in so many ways – clothes, home, family life – but when it comes to work, they are both focused and dedicated professionals and I can foresee many delicious books on the horizon, pitting these 2 formidable women against each other.
What I enjoy about Villanelle is that she is robotic and ruthless and kills to order, but you don’t in any way dislike her. Her effortless cool and glamour and cleverness ensure that. She kills on the orders of a shadowy organisation that requires certain people whom they consider to be troublesome to be eliminated, and the beautiful Villanelle is a professional killing machine and she does her job, never stopping to query the ethics or the rights and wrongs of her work. Actually, neither did I, very much.
A gripping story. Well written. Fast paced. Two great female characters.
What’s not to love?
Thoroughly recommended, and you can buy it here, right now.