I have finally reached the end of the Killing Eve saga (in the written word at least) and it was quite a satisfying adventure. All-encompassing, I got to experience action, love, and all the dirty and grimy bits in between. Again, seeing as I haven’t watched the show, I do wonder how this novel stacks up to the adaptation. I would like to hope that they looked to Jennings’ original text for at least most of what happened, or at the very least, took each novel’s premise as a base for each season.
This book picks up right where the last one left off, which is Eve and Villanelle on the run from a dangerous organization called the Twelve. Villanelle helped Eve fake her own, very bloody, death in order to fool everyone. On a motorcycle on the way to their destination, Eve comes to the realization that despite Villanelle’s obvious psychopathy, that she loves her. And judging by all the hoops Villanelle went through for Eve, it is clear she cares for her, too. In whatever capacity she can, at least. The two make it to a barge and into a crate that’s heading to Russia. On this journey the two women become very physically accustomed to each other, and it’s interesting to see how different yet similar they really are. Eve can’t seem to see it, but we know Villanelle does. Why else would she have went to all the trouble in the first place?
Once in Russia, there is a very comical scene that involves poop, but I won’t spoil that for you. Through this encounter they end up connecting with a former colleague of Villanelle’s by the name of Dasha. In exchange for helping Dasha execute an assassination, she will provide the two women with all the necessary garb to escape and hopefully start to live a life of anonymity. If that would have happened when it was supposed to, then this book would be very short and a little boring, so of course it doesn’t turn out that way. The Twelve do get their hands on the two of them, but rather than take them out, they are recruited for another high stakes hit.
With really no choice, the two join the group, which includes Villanelle’s ex-lover, Lara, who’s changed her name to Charlie and chooses to be regarded with non-binary pronouns. They get stopped by Russia’s secret police on the way to their destination and they end up recruiting Eve to double-cross the Twelve. She’s asked to report back anything she finds out about the attack. I give Eve props for being able to hold that lie down for so long – even to Villanelle (who at this point is going by Oxana).
When they get to a platform out in the middle of the North Sea, they split into teams and begin preparing for the mission. During this time, Oxana completely cuts herself off from Eve, and desperate to get out of this mission alive, draws blood in order to be able to reach out to the Russian secret police. The mission does move forward, however, and at first the novel seems like it’s going to end devastatingly, but the Jennings throws in some very clever, if not aloof twists. Either way, it ultimately gets us to a happy ending, so I’ll take it. Having never watched the show I can’t say that these books are better, so it’s really your choice whether or not you spend time reading this short series. Although, I would certainly recommend it.