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SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED
"ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2013. Spellbinding ... highly entertaining ... a must-read for die-hard James Bond fans. 5 stars."
- IndieReader.com
"Combines the best ingredients of an edge-of-your-seat action movie and a page-turning thriller into one riveting punch. I wish I could nominate it for an Oscar!"
- Joel Schumacher, director of THE LOST BOYS, A TIME TO KILL and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
"Aaron Cooley writes with such galloping deftness and verve that you’ll find yourself swearing you were present at the creation of James Bond."
- James Kaplan, author of FRANK: THE VOICE
"Cooley has done the near-impossible: crafted a tale even Ian Fleming himself would have been proud to call his own. The best book I've read this year."
- David Callaham, screenwriter of THE EXPENDABLES and DOOM
"That fun hybrid of a fast-paced thriller and fantasized Roman a' clef. Bond readers will enjoy it immensely -- those who like WWII espionage stories will find it a good ride as well."
- Wesley Britton, Bookpleasures.com
Haven’t you ever wondered what inspired the creation of fiction’s greatest secret agent? Author Aaron Cooley takes the reader on a World War II thrill ride across two continents and six nations in pursuit of the answer to this question. A first-time British spy is on the trail of the Allies’ most important Double Agent, on a mission to determine his loyalty before he can hand over the means of creating history’s most devastating weapon to the Nazis. Before his mission is over, this young Briton will be inspired to create a fictional super-agent who will one day become one of literature’s most famous characters. An engaging, fantastical what-could-have-been, SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED is not to be missed by World War II buffs, literary devotees, and especially, fans of Her Majesty’s most famous spy.
A former child actor, Aaron Cooley has been living on film sets since the age of three. Upon graduating from Yale, Aaron migrated to Los Angeles, where he has apprenticed under director Joel Schumacher, most recently serving as his head of development and Associate Producer. As a screenwriter, Aaron has developed projects for the companies behind PULP FICTION, TRANSFORMERS, ROCKY, SAW, and THE BREAK-UP, as well as helped create advertising for various MTV Awards Shows and public service campaigns. SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED is Aaron’s first novel.
- IndieReader.com
"Combines the best ingredients of an edge-of-your-seat action movie and a page-turning thriller into one riveting punch. I wish I could nominate it for an Oscar!"
- Joel Schumacher, director of THE LOST BOYS, A TIME TO KILL and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
"Aaron Cooley writes with such galloping deftness and verve that you’ll find yourself swearing you were present at the creation of James Bond."
- James Kaplan, author of FRANK: THE VOICE
"Cooley has done the near-impossible: crafted a tale even Ian Fleming himself would have been proud to call his own. The best book I've read this year."
- David Callaham, screenwriter of THE EXPENDABLES and DOOM
"That fun hybrid of a fast-paced thriller and fantasized Roman a' clef. Bond readers will enjoy it immensely -- those who like WWII espionage stories will find it a good ride as well."
- Wesley Britton, Bookpleasures.com
Haven’t you ever wondered what inspired the creation of fiction’s greatest secret agent? Author Aaron Cooley takes the reader on a World War II thrill ride across two continents and six nations in pursuit of the answer to this question. A first-time British spy is on the trail of the Allies’ most important Double Agent, on a mission to determine his loyalty before he can hand over the means of creating history’s most devastating weapon to the Nazis. Before his mission is over, this young Briton will be inspired to create a fictional super-agent who will one day become one of literature’s most famous characters. An engaging, fantastical what-could-have-been, SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED is not to be missed by World War II buffs, literary devotees, and especially, fans of Her Majesty’s most famous spy.
A former child actor, Aaron Cooley has been living on film sets since the age of three. Upon graduating from Yale, Aaron migrated to Los Angeles, where he has apprenticed under director Joel Schumacher, most recently serving as his head of development and Associate Producer. As a screenwriter, Aaron has developed projects for the companies behind PULP FICTION, TRANSFORMERS, ROCKY, SAW, and THE BREAK-UP, as well as helped create advertising for various MTV Awards Shows and public service campaigns. SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED is Aaron’s first novel.
- GenresThriller
341 pages, ebook
First published November 5, 2012
24 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Cooley
15 books24 followersAaron Cooley is the Creator and Executive Producer of Showtime’s upcoming event series FIRST LADIES, starring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama. Aaron has served as Head of Development for director Joel Schumacher for more than a decade, while also writing screenplays and teleplays for Netflix, Lionsgate, MGM, A Band Apart, and many other companies. His first novel SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED was named one of the Best Books of the Year by IndieReader.com. A native of Portland, Oregon and graduate of Yale, Aaron now lives in Los Angeles with Whitney and Beatrix.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 13, 2013
Imagine for a moment Ian Fleming writing the opening scene of his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. Do you ever wonder where he got the inspiration for the world’s most famous spy? Several candidates have been named, but in Aaron Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred, the spy who helps a young Fleming is none other than Dušan Popov. Names are changed, Popov becomes Dusan Petrović and Fleming is Ioan Phlegm. Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred is a fictionalized account of Ian Fleming’s wartime work, but it’s easy to imagine it really happening.
In Shaken, Not Stirred, a young Ioan is working for the Naval Intelligence and he’s sent to the Congo to find and report back to MI6 the whereabouts of double agent Dusan Petrović. His naiveté is apparent and he stands out like a sore thumb. While Petrović could have easily looked the other way, he takes Ioan under his wing and teaches him how to be a spy. At first Ioan isn’t sure what to make of Petrović and even the reader isn’t sure. Does Petrović have a master plan or does he feel sorry for Ioan? Perhaps this is the nature of a double agent. Together Ioan and Petrović navigate the perils of being agents and Ioan gets a little more than he anticipated. Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of what would eventually become Fleming’s James Bond. Ioan gets a code name and is introduced to gadgets Bond would be happy to use. We’re also introduced to would be Bond Girl, Christine who has a preference for martinis. It’s through Christine, Ioan quickly learns how women play a role in espionage. Petrović tells him, “ ‘ If you take one lesson from me, Phlegm, never forget the number one rule of espionage: Women are a business expense. You allow yourself to expect anything more out of them, you lower your defenses. To a knife in the back.’ ” It’s at this exact moment, a reader can understand Fleming and why women are the “business expense,” in a Bond novel.
I really enjoyed Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred. It’s thoroughly researched and well written. It’s a different take on the life of Ian Fleming. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Fleming himself had experienced everything Cooley writes? Fiction mixes with reality and as I stated, Cooley does a superb job with the research. Several events included are based on true events such as the Heisenberg and Diebner rivalry and it goes hand in hand with Hitler’s pursuit of the bomb. Petrović and several other characters bring up the ‘what if’ Hitler gets the bomb, which is a question a lot of people asked themselves at the time. Cooley kept me on the edge of my seat and afterwards all I could think of was, “thank god Hitler didn’t get there first.” It’s something you’ll be thinking as you read. A note on the spelling used: it is British and might throw off the reader and mistake it for spelling mistakes. Keep in mind Cooley is writing as Fleming and hence the reason for the use of British spelling.
Readers will easily recognize aspects of the Bond novels and films. In fact if you’ve read Casino Royale or seen the film version, the scene where Bond watches Le Chiffre at the card table is familiar in Shaken, Not Stirred. This time it’s with Ioan and Petrović and a set of cards with Skorzeny and a game of Baccarat. Prior to Iaon joining Petrović and Skorzeny, Petrović sends him a suit and Ioan asks why. Petrović says it’s to seduce Christine and here we can see the birth of the immaculate Bond in his tux. It works well enough for Ioan since Christine waits for him in his room and says, “ ‘Why Ioan. I thought spies were meant to be suave. Deboniar.’
‘I was ill that day at spy school.’ ”
Favorite quote: ‘If you fictionalized my character, I could live a bit longer.’
Aaron Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred is without a doubt a must read for any James Bond fan. If you’ve wanted to try a spy thriller, this is a good starting point. I eagerly anticipate the next installment.
Review originally posted at Literary, etc.
In Shaken, Not Stirred, a young Ioan is working for the Naval Intelligence and he’s sent to the Congo to find and report back to MI6 the whereabouts of double agent Dusan Petrović. His naiveté is apparent and he stands out like a sore thumb. While Petrović could have easily looked the other way, he takes Ioan under his wing and teaches him how to be a spy. At first Ioan isn’t sure what to make of Petrović and even the reader isn’t sure. Does Petrović have a master plan or does he feel sorry for Ioan? Perhaps this is the nature of a double agent. Together Ioan and Petrović navigate the perils of being agents and Ioan gets a little more than he anticipated. Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of what would eventually become Fleming’s James Bond. Ioan gets a code name and is introduced to gadgets Bond would be happy to use. We’re also introduced to would be Bond Girl, Christine who has a preference for martinis. It’s through Christine, Ioan quickly learns how women play a role in espionage. Petrović tells him, “ ‘ If you take one lesson from me, Phlegm, never forget the number one rule of espionage: Women are a business expense. You allow yourself to expect anything more out of them, you lower your defenses. To a knife in the back.’ ” It’s at this exact moment, a reader can understand Fleming and why women are the “business expense,” in a Bond novel.
I really enjoyed Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred. It’s thoroughly researched and well written. It’s a different take on the life of Ian Fleming. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Fleming himself had experienced everything Cooley writes? Fiction mixes with reality and as I stated, Cooley does a superb job with the research. Several events included are based on true events such as the Heisenberg and Diebner rivalry and it goes hand in hand with Hitler’s pursuit of the bomb. Petrović and several other characters bring up the ‘what if’ Hitler gets the bomb, which is a question a lot of people asked themselves at the time. Cooley kept me on the edge of my seat and afterwards all I could think of was, “thank god Hitler didn’t get there first.” It’s something you’ll be thinking as you read. A note on the spelling used: it is British and might throw off the reader and mistake it for spelling mistakes. Keep in mind Cooley is writing as Fleming and hence the reason for the use of British spelling.
Readers will easily recognize aspects of the Bond novels and films. In fact if you’ve read Casino Royale or seen the film version, the scene where Bond watches Le Chiffre at the card table is familiar in Shaken, Not Stirred. This time it’s with Ioan and Petrović and a set of cards with Skorzeny and a game of Baccarat. Prior to Iaon joining Petrović and Skorzeny, Petrović sends him a suit and Ioan asks why. Petrović says it’s to seduce Christine and here we can see the birth of the immaculate Bond in his tux. It works well enough for Ioan since Christine waits for him in his room and says, “ ‘Why Ioan. I thought spies were meant to be suave. Deboniar.’
‘I was ill that day at spy school.’ ”
Favorite quote: ‘If you fictionalized my character, I could live a bit longer.’
Aaron Cooley’s Shaken, Not Stirred is without a doubt a must read for any James Bond fan. If you’ve wanted to try a spy thriller, this is a good starting point. I eagerly anticipate the next installment.
Review originally posted at Literary, etc.
April 30, 2016
Some devilishly smart and daring male literature characters have become immortalized into our culture – Sherlock Holmes, Frodo Baggins, Jack Ryan, and Harry Potter, to name a few; but most memorably is the handsome spy, James Bond. In Aaron Cooley’s first novel, he takes Ian Fleming – the man behind James Bond – and gives him a story all his own.
‘If you fictionalized my character, I could live a bit longer.’
Cooley’s Ian Fleming is a wonderful juxtaposition of vintage James Bond, Tom Clancy’s inestimable Jack Ryan, and with a little whimsy thrown in for good measure and good fun. READ MORE
‘If you fictionalized my character, I could live a bit longer.’
Cooley’s Ian Fleming is a wonderful juxtaposition of vintage James Bond, Tom Clancy’s inestimable Jack Ryan, and with a little whimsy thrown in for good measure and good fun. READ MORE
January 14, 2013
Incredible! Fantastically executed. The development of character "17F" was excellently written. It opens up a whole new world to 007 fans and gives a very interesting prequel-esc story. I highly recommend this book to all of those everyday "spys" out there!
September 26, 2025
The Beginning of the James Bond Stories?
I loved the story. It combines both historical events from World War II and historical license to create an engaging story that leads the reader to recall all the James Bond novels. It was hard to put down.
I loved the story. It combines both historical events from World War II and historical license to create an engaging story that leads the reader to recall all the James Bond novels. It was hard to put down.
July 21, 2015
Throughout reading the book I thought it was really well written and extensively researched. Cooley manages to mix fiction with reality making you question; what if these events really did happen to Fleming! Cooley manages to wriggle in the Heisenberg and Diebner rivalry and a number of additional historic events including Hitler’s pursuit of ‘the nuclear bomb.’ It helps to really place the reader in the historic time period and make it feel all the more real which is what historical fiction is supposed to do. It’s supposed to immerse the reader and pull them to a wholly different time period all together. I haven’t seen very many James Bond films (*gasps*) but I think Bond fans will enjoy picking out the Easter Eggs which I am sure are laden throughout including the ones mentioned above and the introduction of the tux which even I noticed is a hint as to the books that were to come.
Technically the writing moves with a lot of pace and it needs to, to fit everything in. It doesn’t feel rushed or gabbled however and the writing moves with skill and dexterity. I also enjoyed that each chapter felt a little like an episode as it helped to contain the story and keep the reader on track but also on the edge of their seat. My only complaint is the writing seems to lack something. The word springing to mind is a sense of authority but that doesn’t quite sit right. I think it could have had more guts and swagger to bring it all to life but there’s so much going on that it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the book too much.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and the way that is managed to place me in this new world. It reminded me a little of Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zig Zag if any of you have read it (if you haven’t you definitely should,) so if you enjoyed that I can almost guarantee you will also adore this. I think the book is a must read for any James Bond fan; I’m not sure I got as much out of it as I feel I could have done but as a spy thriller it’s still a very good example and one I think is a winner.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Technically the writing moves with a lot of pace and it needs to, to fit everything in. It doesn’t feel rushed or gabbled however and the writing moves with skill and dexterity. I also enjoyed that each chapter felt a little like an episode as it helped to contain the story and keep the reader on track but also on the edge of their seat. My only complaint is the writing seems to lack something. The word springing to mind is a sense of authority but that doesn’t quite sit right. I think it could have had more guts and swagger to bring it all to life but there’s so much going on that it doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the book too much.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and the way that is managed to place me in this new world. It reminded me a little of Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zig Zag if any of you have read it (if you haven’t you definitely should,) so if you enjoyed that I can almost guarantee you will also adore this. I think the book is a must read for any James Bond fan; I’m not sure I got as much out of it as I feel I could have done but as a spy thriller it’s still a very good example and one I think is a winner.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
March 13, 2013
I really enjoyed this. Its not a genre I would normally pick-up, but it turned out to be a great story; a well written fun read. I particularly enjoyed the clever hints to the future Bond story lines and characters that we all know ... Very cool!
Mr. Cooley - write another one soon!
John
Mr. Cooley - write another one soon!
John
June 29, 2015
A must read for Bond fans.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews