The penultimate entry on my "read/reread Ian Fleming's Bond books" project. (Yes, I go out of my way to use the word "penultimate" when I can.) This is Ian Fleming's final Bond novel, published posthumously; the last book is a combination of two novellas.
The critics were not particularly kind, even given the slack often given to dead authors. I can understand, it seemed padded to me. Especially the ending, which extended twenty pages past the ostensible climax.
The previous book, You Only Live Twice, ended with (spoilers ahead) an amnesiac Bond, thought dead by most of the world, about to head off to the Soviet Union to possibly recover his memory. Bad news: when this book opens, Bond's been KGB-brainwashed and turned into an assassin aimed at his old boss, M. That unpleasant situation is resolved by page 22 here. And, as a check to see if 007 is back to his old self, M gives him his assignment: track down the murderous gangster Scaramanga on Jamaica, mon, and terminate him with extreme prejudice.
Along the way, Bond discovers his deep affection for his old secretary, Mary Goodnight. He passes up a sure shot at Scaramanga because it just wouldn't be sporting. He infiltrates Scaramanga's organization, discovers Scaramanga's latest nefarious schecme, gets his cover blown, and becomes the target of Scaramanga's needlessly complex murder scheme.
So, many classic Bond elements are here, but it's kind of a slog. For completists only, I think.
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