WITH A MIND TO KILL

 WITH A MIND TO KILL. A James Bond Novel. Anthony Horowitz. 2022; Harper. 

This novel takes place directly after Ian Fleming's excellent final 007 adventure, The Man with the Golden Gun. In that story an amnesiac Bond had been captured by Russians, brainwashed, and sent to kill M, a plot which fortunately fails. Bond was then deprogrammed, and sent into action against assassin Scaramanga -- he proves that he still has the right stuff when he succeeds in his mission. So now M decides on a daring plan -- he will be supposedly assassinated by Bond, who will return to Russia as a fugitive, still brainwashed -- (or so it is hoped that the Russians will believe) -- to find out what's up with a new organization, Stalnaya Ruka (Steel Hand)  that is planning some deadly offensive action. 

Right away Bond falls under suspicion from Colonel Boris, the master of mind control. He also has to convince Boris' beautiful colleague, Katya Leonova -- another person who supervised his brainwashing -- that he is still under their influence. Bond has very mixed emotions about Katya, hating her for her part in what was done to him, but also feeling an undeniable attraction toward her, and coming to feel that she had no choice but to do what she did to him. She is a fascinating character.

Although Bond privately refers to the bullet wound given to him during his adventure with Scaramanga, it is somewhat improbable that M wouldn't have had this taken care of, as it indicates that Bond was somewhere where he shouldn't have been during those months he was supposedly in England. it is even more improbable that none of the Russians notice this wound and wonder or ask about it. 

As the novel progresses the suspense increases as Bond has to pass certain tests, including the elimination of a certain agent in the (architecturally-stunning) Komsomolskaya subway station. As Bond and Katya grow closer he wonders if he can truly trust her. Then Bond is given an assignment to assassinate a certain party in East Berlin at the state opera. Even if he's successful in his mission, will he be able to get out of East Berlin? 

Verdict: Despite some moments that might give the reader pause, this is an exciting and memorable Bond adventure. ***. 

FOREVER AND A DAY

FOREVER AND A DAY. A James Bond Novel. Anthony Horowitz. Harper; 2018. 

Horowitz' second 007 novel after Trigger Mortis is a prequel that takes place before the events of Ian Fleming's first Bond adventure, Casino Royale, post-WW2. The original 007 is killed while investigating Corsican mobsters who have for some reason seemed to have left behind the highly profitable heroin trade -- but what are they up to now, M wonders. James Bond is given the License to Kill and asks to take the 007 number as a homage to the late operative, and continues the dead man's investigation in Marseilles. There he encounters CIA agent Reade Griffith as well as a beautiful older lady, an adventuress, named Sixtine, whose back story is fascinating. Sixtine not only teams up with Bond, but in some retrograde continuity that some readers may choose to reject, she's in part responsible for his taste in martinis and his bedmanship abilities. 

There are two main villains in Forever and a Day: Jean-Paul Scipio and Irwin Wolfe. The former is a monstrously corpulent mobster who threatens Bond's face with an acid bath although he doesn't really want to wreck his good looks. (Bond is confused over this even though a report on Scipio suggests that he's homosexual, making 007 seem not only unsophisticated but a bit dumb). Irwin Wolfe is an American billionaire who makes film stock and is bitter over the deaths of his two sons in WW2. The two have cooked up a scheme on Wolfe's huge new ocean liner that threatens society. Against all odds, the captured Bond and Sixtine do their level best to sink the liner and its cargo. 

For most of its length Forever and a Day is suspenseful and entertaining, although your eyebrows may rise over certain actions and attitudes of Bond, especially during the post script. Making Scipio gay seems more regressive than anything else, and his plans for 007 -- to turn him into a heroin addict who will become compliant in everything Scipio wants so the agent can get his fix -- is in questionable taste. Despite some very good scenes, Forever and a Day is a step backward from Trigger Mortis. 

Verdict: Bond fans do not have to consider this adventure canon. **3/4.