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When a successful pop singer suddenly retires and comes home to Wales, not everyone applauds her decision. Then two of her closest business associates are murdered, and unless Bain can stop the killer, she may be next. At the end of the last Fleming book The man with the Golden Gun we get the return of the oldish 007 more or less. The James Bond before he met his wife Teresa. Other regular actors included Gillian Elisa, Meic Povey and Geraint Lewis. Joining the regulars in the last series were Bryn Fôn, Ieuan Rhys, Huw Llyr and Elen Bowman. The series featured many guest spots from well known actors such as Margaret John, Ioan Gruffudd, Sue Jones-Davies, David Warner, Mark Lewis Jones, John Rhys-Davies, David Lyn, Archie Panjabi and Siân Phillips. A significant chunk of the novel is taken up with Bond and Katya on a seemingly never-ending first date that develops predictably and is never once compelling. What’s worse is that Horowitz’s usually strong characterisation seems to regress considerably to portray Katya as the worst kind of stereotypical damsel-in-distress. She goes from being an independent, intelligent woman to a simpering, clingy bimbo in no time, existing only to be used by Bond, and Horowitz too, when the narrative suits. Some of this was very painful to read though it was true to the time and what men and women expected of interactions. Sad
Although Horowitz may not have the detailed descriptive talent of Ian Fleming his characters are spot on. Katya Leonova is a wonderful creation & worthy of any Fleming novel, as are many of the characters throughout this novel. Horowitz completes his James Bond trilogy—begun in Trigger Mortis (2015) and Forever and a Day (2018)—by providing what would be the nonpareil British spy’s final adventure if only all those other earlier scribes hadn’t preceded him at the feast. Plagued with nightmares about the death of his wife—killed 12 years earlier by a drunk driver—Bain takes a leave of absence to seek revenge against the man who ruined his life. Bond is still very Bond, but he is older and jaded and, maybe for the first time, overconfident. There are plenty of typical Bond moments to enjoy but there is a definite theme of a man out of his depth and at the end of his career. Can he pull it together in time to not only survive intact but complete his mission, or is this the end of the line for 007? I think this was the most high stakes mission Bond has ever been on and at some points I was genuinely frightened. But that goes to show how thrilling Horowitz’s writing is!!A young mother is beaten to death at a run-down holiday camp, and her 7-year-old son - who may have witnessed the crime - disappears. Racing against time to find the boy before the murderer does, Bain uncovers secrets worth killing for. The death of a young Pakistani man looks like a hate crime, but is it? Racial tension is the last thing the community needs, and it's up to Bain and his team to keep the situation from escalating into full-scale violence. When the plot gets going it consists of steals from From Russia With Love (James Bond #5 - 1957) (including SMERSH type thugs & assassins, the conflicted Russian femme fatale and a train ride) and then even from other authors such as Len Deighton's The Ipcress File (1962) (the Russian brainwashing techniques), Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate (1959) (the unknowing, brainwashed assassin) and Le Carre's The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963) (the doomed and cynical spy). After the final reveal, it pretty much fizzles out. Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s third James Bond novel, after Forever and a Day. Bond's brief marriage to Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is discussed by Katya Leonova and Colonel Boris, with the latter expressing her belief that the marriage wouldn't have lasted long had Tracy survived due to Bond's inability to commit to a long-term relationship and domestic life. Towards the end of the novel, Bond muses that he was at least able to make Tracy happy before her death while he was unable to do so for Katya before she sacrificed her life to save his.
The Windsor Public Library stated that the series drew upon "Intricate plots, strongly drawn characters, and gritty authenticity", making it a "riveting Welsh drama series". [2] Eclipse Magazine said of the series; " A Mind To Kill is a dark and twisty show... CSI's ancestor. Murder is the most extreme human action and stories sometimes play out against the most extraordinary of circumstances, e.g. a Miners' Strike, when the traditional way of life of the community is already under threat." At the same time, he knew, deep down, that love from Mary Goodnight, or from any other woman, was not enough for him. It would be like taking "a room with a view". For James Bond, the same view would always pall. So it was a downbeat end for the Horowitz Bond trilogy, maybe even qualifying for an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™. I am rather more hopeful for the new Kim Sherwood Double-00 trilogy which started off with Double or Nothing (September 2022) [4 **** stars] even if it is set up as an intentional icon-breaker.I was really looking forward to the books as the movie franchise with Craig after CR went a direction that was not my cup of tea, and not like the books about the mission but it turned into a bloody family soap. Bookends: In the first Bond novel Casino Royale Bond contemplates resigning from the Secret Service after his torture at Le Chiffre's hands while his friend Mathis tries to convince him not to. In this novel, which serves as a coda to Fleming's canon, Bond recalls that conversation with Mathis, revisits his decision to resign from the Service, and this time round is determined to see it through. Putting an agent into a risky place with very little support is not good for the agent. It is exploitation and abuse. Katya Leonova is a far more rounded Bond lady than the norm for these novels, and Horowitz, I think, does well to make her changes of view and emotions believable. As for the villains? They’re all, quite rightly, thoroughly nasty bastards!
Casino Royale (1953) • Live and Let Die (1954) • Moonraker (1955) • Diamonds are Forever (1956) • From Russia with Love (1957) • Dr. No (1958) • Goldfinger (1959) • For Your Eyes Only (1960) • Thunderball (1961) • The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) • You Only Live Twice (1964) • The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) • Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
False Flag Operation: Stalnaya Ruska's plan involves sending Bond to assassinate Nikita Khruschev in East Berlin. Their goal is to implicate the West in the murder of a Soviet leader, which will be a massive propaganda victory for them, while simultaneously clearing the way for a more hardline, uncompromising Stalinist leader to take Khruschev's place and lead Russia to glory. A third outing for Anthony Horowitz taking on the mantle of Ian Fleming and delivering a credible and all immersing Cold War thriller. The story-lines were good, up to the standard of such major series as 'Frost', and the direction firm. The sense of well being come from not only not being harmed. The sense of wellbeing come from accepting the risk and the harm and feel it is all worth it. A couple commits a desperate act when their only daughter falls into a coma after a routine surgery. All they want is a public admission of guilt from the surgeon; all Bain wants is to prevent another tragedy.
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