Five

An Amazon Best Books of 2026 So Far Pick! Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies. ‘Will have you glued to the page … guaranteed to shock and entertain’ The Times ‘Ridiculously good … darkly thrilling and unforgettable’ Chris Whitaker ‘An excellent novel … Bannister has a clear gift for a razor sharp, brutal, and oftentimes hilarious writing style' FIVE star reader review ‘Dark, tense and compulsively readable, Five is a thriller that keeps you constantly questioning what you think you know' FIVE star 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' FIVE star reader review * * * * 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 doesn't just tell a story; it provokes, unsettles, and lingers. By weaving together the stories of those complex, flawed lives, Bannister creates a tapestry of human struggle, resilience, and hope. FIVE offers no easy answers, but rather a nuanced exploration of the human condition in all its messy complexity. * * * * Praise for FIVE : ‘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 'This is a sharply drawn, darkly funny, and quietly devastating character study wrapped inside a ticking‑clock thriller' FIVE star 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' FIVE star reader review

An Amazon Best Books of 2026 So Far Pick! Five passengers. Five minutes until the next train … five minutes until someone dies. ‘Will have you glued to the page … guaranteed to shock and entertain’ The Times ‘Ridiculously good … darkly thrilling and unforgettable’ Chris Whitaker ‘An excellent novel … Bannister has a clear gift for a razor sharp, brutal, and oftentimes hilarious writing style' FIVE star reader review ‘Dark, tense and compulsively readable, Five is a thriller that keeps you constantly questioning what you think you know' FIVE star 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' FIVE star reader review * * * * 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 doesn't just tell a story; it provokes, unsettles, and lingers. By weaving together the stories of those complex, flawed lives, Bannister creates a tapestry of human struggle, resilience, and hope. FIVE offers no easy answers, but rather a nuanced exploration of the human condition in all its messy complexity. * * * * Praise for FIVE : ‘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 'This is a sharply drawn, darkly funny, and quietly devastating character study wrapped inside a ticking‑clock thriller' FIVE star 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' FIVE star reader review

Five lives. Five stories. Four will live--one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of psychological fiction, the choice is all yours. " Five is a gripping, chilling story that asks difficult questions about judgement, forgiveness, and the notion of cause and effect."--Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark Have you ever tried to pass the time by imagining the lives of the strangers standing next to you? Ilona Bannister's Five introduces readers to five seemingly random people waiting for a train. But these are not just any five people. From the beginning we know that one of them is going to die soon. Very soon. In five minutes the next train to London will arrive, killing one of them. But before this happens you will learn their stories. None of these people are saints. Readers might fall in love with the beautiful young man who is on the verge of gambling his life away. They may pity the cantankerous old woman who has fallen to the ground yet is refusing help. Perhaps readers will look away from the child throwing a tantrum. Or judge his mother, who must surely be to blame. And some will be curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman orbiting them all. These are the candidates for this morning's misfortune. But they don't know it. Only you know. And you, our complicit reader, will not be able to resist deciding who deserves to walk away, and who deserves only five more minutes to live. An incredibly original novel that breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader to be judge, jury, and executioner, Five looks at some of the most complicated issues of contemporary life: motherhood, disability, addiction. Every stranger has a story. And in Ilona Bannister's skillful hands, five people's stories come together to create an unforgettable novel.

Five lives. Five stories. Four will live--one will die. Who it will be? In this slow-burn masterpiece of psychological fiction, the choice is all yours. " Five is a gripping, chilling story that asks difficult questions about judgement, forgiveness, and the notion of cause and effect."--Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark Have you ever tried to pass the time by imagining the lives of the strangers standing next to you? Ilona Bannister's Five introduces readers to five seemingly random people waiting for a train. But these are not just any five people. From the beginning we know that one of them is going to die soon. Very soon. In five minutes the next train to London will arrive, killing one of them. But before this happens you will learn their stories. None of these people are saints. Readers might fall in love with the beautiful young man who is on the verge of gambling his life away. They may pity the cantankerous old woman who has fallen to the ground yet is refusing help. Perhaps readers will look away from the child throwing a tantrum. Or judge his mother, who must surely be to blame. And some will be curiously compelled by the successful and damaged businessman orbiting them all. These are the candidates for this morning's misfortune. But they don't know it. Only you know. And you, our complicit reader, will not be able to resist deciding who deserves to walk away, and who deserves only five more minutes to live. An incredibly original novel that breaks the fourth wall and asks the reader to be judge, jury, and executioner, Five looks at some of the most complicated issues of contemporary life: motherhood, disability, addiction. Every stranger has a story. And in Ilona Bannister's skillful hands, five people's stories come together to create an unforgettable novel.