Doubleshot - 1st Edition/1st Printing

Raymond Benson's Bond #4

by Raymond Benson

Seeing double makes life twice as dangerous for James Bond-when an organized crime organization makes him believe he's going insane. It's a mad but brilliant plot that forces Agent 007 into the ultimateface-to-face confrontation...with himself.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Adventure, Mystery Thriller, Action, Novels

Hardcover

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Raymond Benson is the author of approximately 40 titles. Among his works are the critically-acclaimed and New York Times best-selling serial THE BLACK STILETTO, and he was also the third--and first American--continuation author of the official James Bond 007 novels. His latest novels are HOTEL DESTINY--A GHOST NOIR, BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT and THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time there was a major fan of Ian Flemings masterspy/assassin James Bond 007 who wrote a serious bedside companion on the subject that was on every fans wishlist. However as soon as he got the job of writing some 007 novels by himself he suddenly was rather loathed and considered below fan-fiction. Any selfrespecting James Bond fan knows for a fact that he/she can write a better book than any of the continuation writers have done or than EON has made the movies. Indeed they are rather full of themselves, visit any fansite and you'll get my drift.

This book is about Ian Flemings spuerspy/assassin but more as envisioned by EON, as in the movies. But in its defense I doubt EON would ever film this book as the story is not the best advertisement for the character of James Bond EON would consider as it is a far more grimm tale as compared to the glamorous affairs the general 007 vehicles are.. Bond is on medical leave after his last job which included climbing in the Himalaya's and stopping a criminal organisation by the name of UNION. (an organisation not unlike Flemings SPECTRE or EON's QUANTUM) they are kind of upset about how such a simple secret agent foiled their plans and have decided to take revenge on 007 himself and England. Their plot is taking Gibraltar away from the UK and making the UK and 007 look like fools.
This book is certainly not Mr. Bensons finest hour and a somewhat unrealistic story with a predictable ending that woul not thrill any reader with a little bit of experience with thrillers. While the book is decently written and you can easily see the research done for the book in the scenery and subjects as a thriller it kind of fails. You never are really involved, it is like a movie chosing obvious solutions and well traveled roads that sadly don not add anything new to the series. And the story really never gets going leaving the reader with the choice to struggle on or do something else like reading a better book on the subject of 007.

While I have enjoyed some of mr. Bensons literary attempts in the genere of continuations novels with 007, this one is certainly not one of them. In the so-called UNION trilogy it is the weakest book, and I would dare to state that it is overall the weakest of Bensons output.
I am not one the crowd who likes to overreact in their critism on any writer but Ian Fleming. I do think that Ian Fleming did give us the best books but am also of the opinion that all continuation writers did give us some more of that addictive stuff called: Bond, James Bond.

So why did I read it again. Well as a fan of Flemings hero I find it difficult to say NO whenever I run into a 2nd hand copy of any of the James Bond adventures especially when it is an Hardcover for 99p. Not the best of defenses but for a novel that is probably one of the weaker attempt overal in the continuation genre of 007 it will do.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to be on a James Bond kick lately. I finally finished reading all of the original Bond books by Fleming just last week. Now I am on to reading the Benson books. This is my 3rd Benson Bond book and the 2nd in the Union trilogy. I have liked all his books and to me they seem to fit the tone of the original author. I already ordered the 3rd book in the Union trilogy (Never Dream of Dying). If you like the old Bond stories, with not too many gadgets, but mystery and Bond action, then Doubleshot is for you.

Just last month I read Forever and a Day, the latest Bond thriller by Anthony Horowitz (his 2nd Bond thriller, I had previously read his Trigger Mortis).

And I will soon delve into the John Gardner Bond stories as well. Think I will start off with his adaptation of Goldeneye!

[Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leading up to "No Time to Die," I am re-reading some of the greatest hits of the literary 007.

"DoubleShot" is the 2nd entry of the "Union Trilogy" by Raymond Benson; the Union being the bunch that rivals SPECTRE in its plotting and terrorist strategies. The group emerged in stellar "High Time to Kill," Benson's best, and continues here as an intriguing plot has Bond seeing "double." Literally.

No spoilers here. The action is fast-paced, takes us into the bullfighting ring, and sees Bond tested throughout. Very strong entry in Bond canon. There are some ridiculous items thrown in, but nothing too silly to stomach. 4 stars.
_________________________________________________
Another masterful entry from Raymond Benson, it does not eclipse previous effort "High Time to Kill" as it continues Bond's chase of The Union yet it does what the film "Skyfall" did so well: thoughtfully explore Bond's vulnerabilities.

In the aftermath of "High Time To Kill" Bond returns hell bent on chasing down the Union and yet his mental health is not its finest. Cross that with an introduction that foreshadows the ending and leaves you wondering the entire time just exactly how the pieces will align and you have another Benson thriller on your hands.

Some chastise showing Bond at his weakest points, but this is what - in my opinion - makes him such a perfect protagonist. For, even in his darkest times, he is able to fight through, focus on the mission and somehow get the job done while willing his thoughts and insecurities and anxieties away.

"Doubleshot" is a double shot of fantastic. 4 stars.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A follow up to "High Time to Kill", but not as well written. Too many unbelievable things. The ending was not a surprise but could have been written to be a surprise ending to the reader. Hoping the 3rd in the Trilogy will have the same suspense as the 1st did.

[Julian Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doubleshot by James Bond novelist Raymond Benson is an EXPLOSIVE! installment into the Bond Franchise. Noteworthy addition to an already beloved character.

_____________________________________________________

Two Thumbs Up!

- Review from Amazon Bestselling Science Fiction / Horror Novelist - Julian Michael Carver

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Union is hired by an insane former matador turned politican. He wants to wrest Gibralter from control of the British in favor of Spain. Part of the plan includes sending a double of James Bond into play and convincing the real Bond he's going crazy.

Just doesn't really feel like a Bond novel.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always had some trouble with the Raymond Benson Bond novels. It's not that they're bad, they're not, it's just that they don't resonate with me. When I first read the Ian Fleming novels, I was mesmerized by the prose, captivated by the character and enthralled with the action. They may not be great literature, but they were literature. I then moved on to the John Gardner novels and was equally enamored with how the stories developed and the how Gardner approached the character. Unfortunately the Benson novels have not caught my attention in the same way. Case in point, Doubleshot: the pacing seems clunky, the prose is forced and narrative blunders along, instead of being driven toward an inevitable conclusion. I know it may sound like I'm saying this book is terrible, it's not. Unfortunately it is only mediocre. 

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Review - Doubleshot - Raymond Benson
Seeing double makes life twice as dangerous for James Bond in author Raymond Benson’s “Doubleshot” — when the organized crime syndicate, The Union makes Bond believe he's going insane. It's a crazy but brilliant plot by Benson that forces Bond into the ultimate face-to-face confrontation...with himself. Not as good as the other Benson Bond books but not bad either. All of Raymond Benson Bond novels are very worthwhile reads but Doubleshot is probably my least favorite. A decent read when I was traveling internationally…

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the beginning of the book, James Bond is sent as a taunt a novel from a smut shop, and that sums up this novel perfectly. Yes, sex has always been a part of James Bond novels, but it has always been used as a plot devise and not just for titillation. The incessant use of doppelgangers and twins as a plot devise just adds insult to injury, and easily makes this the worst James Bond novel that I've ever read.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but no where near as exciting as the Ian Fleming books.
Plot was too flat for my tastes.

[David]

Among the best of the 21st-century Bonds. Some genuinely new plot wrinkles, mixed in with some old favourite templates.

[Clem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the first three Raymond Benson authored James Bond books. I guess, as the law of averages go, it was only a matter of time before I would consume one that would be a bit less than spectacular. Alas, this was the case for Benson’s fourth Bond book.

Benson was always a major fan of the Bond books, and really only seemed to like the films if they were identical to the books. So you can imagine his distaste for the movies once Roger Moore took over as the super spy, and also when John Gardner took over as the authorized author. When Benson took over in the late 1990s, one of his main intentions was to bring the “old” Bond “back”. I suppose that’s a good thing, and as mentioned, his first three books were very strong.

As far as the “old” Bond, it should be mentioned that Benson has created a major crime syndicate for many of his books called “The Union”. Let’s just say that “The Union” very closely resembles Ian Fleming’s SPECTRE – right down to their clandestine meeting locations amongst the leaders in the middle of nowhere, to their mysterious intimidating “leader” (he’s blind, but he seems to be able to “see” everything – especially when his lieutenants are trying to cheat the organization). Benson introduced us to “The Union” in his previous Bond work “High Time to Kill”. In that book, Bond obviously thwarted the baddies, so in this book, "The Union" is out for revenge.

Another feature of the “old” Bond, especially the literary Bond, is that he was more human. He wasn’t quite as untouchable as the guy we see on the screen. This has some advantages as well in some cases, but not so much in this book. It seems as though Bond was pretty beat up at the end of his last adventure, so this book has the poor guy limping around between the pages looking worn, with black circles under his eyes, seeing hallucinations, taking handfuls of pills to help splitting headaches, and nearly passing out all of the time. This isn’t how I like to picture 007 throughout an entire adventure.

Then, I found the plot to be rather stupid. It seems as though “The Union” has managed to find (or construct) a replica (hence the title) of James Bond. I don’t really like books that expect me to believe that a virtual clone can somehow be created of another human being. So, anyway, another Bond is created that happens to look, act, and talk just like the original, and he’s doing some really “bad” things. This, you see, is so the powers that be (such as M and her staff) become so confused and think that Bond has finally “turned”. So they try to stop him, hence hindering the man’s plans.

Speaking of “doubles”, it seems as though Bond meets a lovely pair of sexified kittens in the book that are identical twins. He meets the first one on a train somewhere and manages to score a date. He then sees the twin, not realizing it’s a different person, and resumes talking about the future rendezvous. Of course, being the clueless sister, she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, screams something like “Pervert!” and storms out. No wonder the guy has persistent headaches. Side note: If this happened in real life, wouldn’t the twin be able to figure out that the poor guy was actually talking to the sister? I mean, I would assume a set of twins would get used to this sort of thing happening frequently. Eventually, all works out well and the confusion is cleared up. Still though, the entire time we spend with Bond and the twins reminds you of a bad Disney movie (except for the “sexified” part).

Without going into too much detail, the plot follows a pretty straight formula, and it doesn’t take much of a genius to figure out what’s going on, and stay one step ahead of the author, even though he thinks he’s fooling you.

Overall, this reminded me of a John Gardner Bond book, which really isn’t a compliment. Gardner’s books usually fell somewhere in the “mediocre-o.k.” department, which is where this one belongs. Benson’s first three Bond novels were much better, and I hope I’ll be able to say the same thing about the last two once I tackle them.

[Dustin Dye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raymond Benson continues his James Bond series with the middle installment of his Union trilogy. The Union is Benson's SPECTRE, and its head, the enigmatic Le Gérant his Blofeld. The plot was set up to be something of Benson's From Russia with Love with a terrorist organization's strategic mastermind planning a trap for Bond in revenge for him foiling their previous plot. (I'm talking about From Russia with Love the movie, not the book, in which the villain was the KGB's assassination arm, Smersh.)

Unlike From Russia, with Love, which had a refreshingly simple plot, Doubleshot is downright contrived. In order to get revenge on James Bond and humiliate the U.K., the Union recruits a convict, has him get plastic surgery to look exactly like Bond, stalks Bond for months, infiltrates his doctor's office, tampers with his prescription medication to cause him to have hallucinations and blackouts, plants a series of plot points for Bond to follow, leading him into their trap to frame him for the murder of the British prime minister, while also manipulating a Spanish nationalist into precipitating an emergency that will lead to a war between the U.K. and Spain, leading to the Union snatching Gibraltar from British control, a plan that could go wrong at any number of points. If the Union wanted revenge, they could have easily killed Bond at any point over the months they were following him, and relied on a less elaborate plot to kill the PM and take Gibraltar.

This is also Benson's third use of a Bond doppelgänger--Guy Thackeray in Zero Minus Ten appeared to be inspired by Pierce Brosnan's character in the TV mini-series Noble House, Roland Marquis in High Time to Kill was Bond's boyhood rival, who Bond admits was "cut from the same cloth" as he, in case it wasn't already obvious. This time we have a villain literally trying to body snatch Bond à la SPECTRE with Angelo Palazzi/François Derval in Thunderball.

The plot was so contrived and needlessly convoluted I found myself thinking the Union was stupid, and James Bond could upset their plan at any point by not mindlessly going along with every MacGuffin they obviously put in front of him, which made it hard for me to get engrossed in the story. This was something of a letdown after Benson's previous effort, High Time to Kill, one of the high points of the Bond series with an original plot for a series that was almost 50 years old at the time.

What I did like about this book, and Benson's treatment of Bond in general, is that Bond's job and lifestyle take a physical and mental toll on him. At the end of High Time to Kill, Bond suffered a concussion (precisely his 39th in the series, if you're keeping count). Throughout Doubleshot he is coping with the damage this has done to his brain and the physical implications, giving him a handicap throughout the book that makes him seem more like a real person than a superhero. The malaise he feels at the outset is also a realistic depiction of the mood of someone who drinks as much as Bond.

Doubleshot is for Bond completionists only.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gaslight." James bond has not recovered from his adventure in the Himalayas. He has headaches, fatigue, insomnia, paranoia, and has been drinking heavily, even for him. He has also had blackouts and hallucinations, once seeing his dead wife, and once seeing himself across the street. He is on medical leave from MI-6, but really wants to hunt down the Union for killing his secretary. So, as usual, he goes off on his own. Right after he wakes up from a blackout covered in blood in a room with a dead girl.

Meanwhile, a retired toreador who is now a big political figure in Southern Spain is stirring up trouble. He wants the British out of Gibraltar, and he wants to bring back the glory days of Franco. The Union thinks he may be useful.

Bond follows clues to Morocco. He is wanted by the police for a series of murders. He blacks out some more, gets chased a lot, rides a train, and goes to Spain. Where we learn a great deal about bull fighting.

An interesting story. The plot is better than usual as the evil villain recognizes that his evil plan is totally suicidal instead of thinking otherwise, so he sets up a patsy to take the fall for him. The effort to convince Bond that he is crazy never really works, but the psychological effects on him are intriguing. In the entire book Bond is never at his best, sometimes barely adequate, which is a major contrast from the hyper-efficient killing machine we usually see. That's the best part, a stumbling, confused Bond with a splitting headache seeing dead people and not acting at all rational managing to bulldoze his way forward despite his disabilities. The ending is very Fleming like, in that the author had said everything he wanted to say and decided to wrap it all up quickly. A good book even so.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, I admit, is my first exposure to this author’s take on Ian Fleming’s James Bond character. I realize that entering an arc midstream is a flawed tactic, but here we are. Anyway, I enjoyed this book overall- certain things are predictable, certainly, but the character holds the work together as a severely damaged Bond muddles through as he slowly discovers he is being manipulated and targeted.

Benson’s Bond here is presented in a state we rarely saw the film Bond - recovery and forced leave that spans the majority of the work. He is uneven, inefficient, and uncertain. Still, the work seems more movie than literature with my mind, on occasion, inserting the Bond theme riff where it deemed it appropriate. To some, this is unsettling or not what they wanted in a Bond novel, which, I suppose is fair enough. But I rather enjoyed a Bond not at the peak of his game and Benson captures the travelogue-like heart of a Bond world as we as readers see locales filled with sights and intrigue.

I know that, for many, Benson, as an American, was a controversial pick to carry on Fleming’s character, but now that he has retired from writing Bond, his taking some risks and creating new foes via the Union, as Spectre like as it might be, deserves some due. Benson also captures a damaged Bond that did make me recall Fleming’s badly hungover Bond that opened the novel Thunderball. Benson hits enough notes for me to return to his Bond, probably sooner than later. A tad bit disappointed in myself for taking this long, but glad to be able to do so now.

In short, I enjoyed this chance to return to Bond in print and will do so again.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a second of a James Bond series written by Raymond Benson, who was a director of the Ian Fleming Foundation.

James is recovering from injuries sustained in the first book, where he is fighting the new international crime syndicate known as the Union. For unknown reasons, James is experiencing severe headaches, paranoia, blackouts, and hallucinations. Though officially on leave, Bond decides to hunt down the leader of the Union, which has embarked on a complicated scheme to take over Gibralter from Great Britain (why? don't ask me!) and simultaneously ruin James Bond's career. James moves to Spain, faces death multiple times, meets up with two beautiful CIA agents, makes love when the opportunity arises, and saves the day.

I'll make two points. The Ian Fleming James Bond was ruthless and unfeeling; the version of Bond in this book is somewhat less pathological, and the physical ailments make him, at times, vulnerable. I wouldn't say the newer version of Bond is less appealing, just different. Secondly, the story is just downright silly. Part of the plan is to hold the Prime Minister of England at gunpoint until he cedes authority of Gilbraltar to a particular Governor of one of Spain's provinces. I seriously doubt such an agreement obtained in that way has any enforceability and also, why does anyone care about Gilbraltar???

There's plenty of action, some mildly suggestive dialogue at times, and same kind of cartoon-like bad guys who can be found in any of the Bond books or movies. There is no technology at all, beyond a simple cell phone.

All in all, not great, not terrible.

[Tom Thomas Koshy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just finished the doubleshot novel...It's an mediocre entry of James Bond ..I don't know why everyone praise Benson's 007...His language is very plain and simple and doesn't give any further contribution to 007 franchise....Just feel like a travelogue rather than a novel having a literary quality..A far cry from Ian Fleming's 007....I didn't feel even it's James bond...A stupid, lazy 007...
And the main thing is he used very graphic vulgar language in some chapters...I think he is the only 007 author who write like this...Honestly I feel Vomiting...It's pathetic...He thinks readers will addicted to this...Continuation authors please give some respect to woman characters in 007 novels...It's 2021 now not 1960s where pulp fiction had enjoyed..

Coming to the story, it's a page turner and fast paced...I think it's the only merit of the novel. 007's Torture in bullring and his escape from there is the only enjoyable chapter i found...He presented 007 as insane but not upto the mark...The language is not well written...He failed to present a 007 who goes mad...He introduced a blonde twins as bond girls but he could not use the opportunity to make a chemistry with Bond and Twant Twins..
Overall rating 7/10...Don't expect too much...Can read for just time pass...An airport novel

[Ira Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, picking up shortly after High Time to Kill in the Himalayas.

The Union hasn’t forgotten how James Bond ruined their previous plans, and now set him up, using a double to frame him over the division of Spain and Gibraltar.

Bond is manipulated from the very first pages, causing the reader to try and figure out the problem along with Bond. Truly an original plot for Bond fans and I really enjoyed it.

Overall rating of book series:
1 - Casino Royale / On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2 - Goldfinger
3 - From Russia with Love
4 - Live and Let Die
5 - Diamonds are Forever / Dr. No
6 - Moonraker / For Special Services
7 - Scorpius / High Time to Kill
8 - Doubleshot
9 - Thunderball / License Renewed / The Facts of Death
10- Colonel Sun
11- You Only Live Twice
12- James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me (Wood)
13- Icebreaker / GoldenEye
14- Zero Minus Ten
15- For Your Eyes Only / Octopussy & The Living Daylights
16- The Man with the Golden Gun / Tomorrow Never Dies
17- The Spy Who Loved Me
18- Lives Forever
19- No Deals, Mr. Bond
20- James Bond and Moonraker (Wood)
21- The Man from Barbarossa
22- Win, Lose or Die
23- Role of Honor / Brokenclaw
24- Death is Forever / The World is not Enough
25- Licence to Kill
26- Never Send Flowers
27- SeaFire / COLD

[Craig Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second book of the year was Raymond Benson's James Bond novel Doubleshot, published back in 2000. I'm working my way through them all as they've been released by Audible narrated by Simon Vance. Benson's Bond is quite enjoyable actually carrying on from where John Gardner left off (with Cold, a cracking book that saw the original M Sir Miles Messervy retire trying into Judi Dench's appearance as M in Goldeneye). There's less gadgets and much more of a Fleming feel to the stories, the previous novel High Time to Kill was brilliant. Having said that Doubleshot was a little contrived, it felt like it may have worked better as a screenplay especially given the over the top nature of the new Villainous organisation, The Union. I did enjoy it though and am looking forward to the next one in the series (after a science fiction sidestep with Tade Thompson's Rosewater)

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It takes a rather long time to get going and even then is a bit meandering. Based on the opening prologue I thought I was in for License to Kill situation, with Bond infiltrating and posing as one of the bad guys. Instead he just kind of wanders aimlessly about until the bad guys decide it is time for the climax. Basically the entire middle chunk of the book is pointless, made worse by Benson constantly reminding the reader how much of a shithole Morocco is. Usually a Bond novel makes you want to vacation, not actively avoid someplace. The twins and bad girl were the real saving graces of the book. It is a shame that Bond has so few interactions with Margareta as I found her to be a far better version of Hera from Benson's previous novel, The Facts of Death.

[Pete Szilagyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining 007 novel by Benson, featuring a unique twist- Bond is suffering from a brain injury while trying to stop an assassination plot in Spain; plus, the usual Bond motifs are present- girls, guns, meaningless characters who get killed off quickly, and quips.

Knocked it down one star due to the anti-climatic ending- the final resolution just sort of happens without much action or fanfare. But, the twist of Bond's brain injury makes it stand out from the usual books, so I give Benson credit for trying something new (although this is wrapped up super conveniently at the end, as well).

[Tony Drummond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting, easy to read and realistic Bond novel.

The strength and weakness of the novel comes with the vulnerability of Bond. We see him physically and mentally impacted by previous missions. As a reader, we actually know more about the plot than Bond and so see him gradually fall into the villain's trap.

The problem is that he often has to be saved and doesn't seem to be aware of people double crossing him - not exactly a super spy.

The plot and villain are realistic and you could see this happening in real life - this is a major change from some of John Gardner's novels that bordered on fantasy

[Richard Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The middle chapter of the Union Trilogy is arguably one of Benson’s best Bonds. Putting us off guard almost immediately, with the implication that Bond has gone rogue, Benson uses a twist on a classic model. While Benson is occasionally somewhat prurient in his outlook – especially anything to do with Dr. Feare or the Taunt twins, Heidi and Hedy – his willingness to experiment with Bond is one of the keys to the success of this fairly taut thriller. (Or is that a Taunt thriller?) We’ve seen a diminished Bond on screen since then, and they are arguably some of the better films. Benson’s book culminates in a bullfight, which turned my vegetarian stomach but nevertheless got my heart racing.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A semi-return to the solid storytelling Benson exhibited in High Time To Kill and light years better than the novelization of The World Is Not Enough. And even though it is relatively devoid of the sophomoric sex scenes Benson has stumbled through in his previous works, it still falters thanks to some glaring plot gaffes and a clunky set-up that leaves no surprise when the wholly predictable twist arrives in the final chapters.

[Jeff Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that is entertaining from its diabolical villain, well textured plot, it’s roster of characters, political intrigue, Bond’s alleged treachery. Benson has provided a compelling story that tightens the tension from the first chapter. The reader is knocked off his feet, disoriented, like Bond, until the last chapter, at the last gun blast, the last target, the last prisoner. Then we’re thrust to chase the central boss.

[Tom Tipton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book of Raymond Benson’s “Union” trilogy mixes Manchurian Candidate with Day of the Jackal. Most women who come in contact with Bond fall quickly into bed and then meet predictable ends. As is too often the case an ally becomes the sacrificial lamb.

Not as thrilling as its predecessor “High Time to Kill” with a fairly predictable denouement; disappointed to see Benson give into what was probably inevitable for this fading hero, a three-way with twin sisters.

[Greg Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raymond Benson does a fantastic job at make the classic Ian Fleming style novels still feel like a classic Bond story. There are some predictable moments but not always. Sometimes you feel you know where it’s going and then it happens sooner than you expect and something goes in a different direction. But that can be overlooked cause you know how a Bond story goes. All in all it’s entertaining and you want to know what’s next after each chapter. Loved it.

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second entry into Raymond Benson’s Union Trilogy is set in England, North Africa and Spain and involves a James Bond double with nefarious intentions. Some of it is a bit over dramatic, but then again - this is James Bond after all.

[Fraser Merricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading high time to kill I had expectations when reading this book. I will admit despite a lot of reviews expressing that many aspects of the book are not realistic, I found the whole plot quite intriguing. A clever story but could of been written better.

[Niraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, very Ian Fleming in it's delivery with a hint of the movies present. Loved the female M! Nice contrast to the previous book in that it had almost no gadgets. Again, great book, can't wait for the next one!