Five

Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies.

‘Ridiculously good … darkly thrilling and unforgettable’ Chris Whitaker

‘Brilliantly propulsive … A seriously impressive novel’ Hannah Beckerman

‘Original. Urgent. Disturbing. Brilliant’ Shari Lapena

‘Insightful, emotionally punchy, wryly observed … I read it in one sitting’ Sarah Pinborough

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Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives.

Take note of their positions. The child, the mother, the businessman, the old woman and the gambler.

One of them will die despite your attachment to them. There is probably one you want to get rid of. You don’t have to admit who. But perhaps you should ask yourself why.

The train has stopped.

Someone is dead.

Was it who you chose?

It wasn’t your fault …

So why, dear reader, do you feel so guilty?

Five stories. Five minutes until a life ends. Unfolding in real time, FIVE is a tense and intriguing drama that will have you on the edge of your seat, as you race to the end to find out who survives … and who dies.

* * * *

Readers are hooked on FIVE:

'This is a sharply drawn, darkly funny, and quietly devastating character study wrapped inside a ticking‑clock thriller' Reader review *****

'What a fantastic style of writing. Unique in it's telling that had me gripped from the start … I couldn't put it down' Reader review *****

'Five stars for Five! … This is a sharp, unsettling and original novel that explores morality, judgement, addiction, motherhood and privilege with confidence and control. It stayed with me long after I finished' Reader review *****

Reviews

Praise for Ilona Bannister:

'Propulsive, sharp, and ferociously addictive, Five is one of the most original novels I’ve read in years. I devoured it quickly, but I can’t stop thinking about this story. Ilona Bannister is such a talent' Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Note and The Better Sister

About the author

ILONA BANNISTER is a New Yorker who has lived in the UK for many years with her husband and sons. She is a dual qualified US lawyer and UK solicitor and practised immigration law in the UK before she started writing fiction. Her family’s history of migration to the US, her experience as an American mother raising children in the UK, and her work as a lawyer have led her to write stories about otherness, belonging, and what it means to be on the outside of a place looking in. Her first book When I Ran Away was longlisted for the First Novel Prize in 2021.