The Hero: James Bond; The Villain: Konstantin Romanos; The Bond Girl: Niki Marakos; Supporting Characters: Vassilis, Hera Volopoulous, Ashley Anderson; Felix Leiter; Locations Covered: Turkey, Cyrpus, Greece; Austin, Texas; First Published: 1998
Raymond Benson`s second novel (not considering the Tomorrow Never Dies novelization) builds upon the promising start shown in Zero Minus Ten. Here, Benson juggles several complex, diametrically opposed, and seemingly contradictory events to form one large conspiracy plot with worldwide implications, all of which stems from a border dispute between Turkey and Greece over the small island of Cyprus.
As it begins, Bond is dispatched to Cyprus to investigate the deaths of twelve British military men via an unknown chemical agent. That it was murder was not in doubt; there was the number “3” painted in red on the wall, and a six inch tall alabaster statuette of the Greek God Poseidon placed near the bodies. Someone, later to be dubbed “The Number Killer”, was playing games, and human life was the ultimate prize.
It`s also here that Bond first encounters Niki Marakos, a Greek National Intelligence Service Agent who herself is investigating the deaths on Cyprus. She was brought in on the case by her government when an MI6 operative, Christopher Whitten, was killed and his body dumped in The Temple of Hephaisteion, a national park that is also a holy place for many Greeks.
With the case somewhat stalling out, Bond returns to England, and attends a party at the home of the old “M”, Sir Miles Messervy. Also in attendance is Ambassador Hutchinson, and his date, the latest “M”, Barbara Mawdsley. The couple turn heads and start tongues wagging at the party. Their relationship, which they have just now felt comfortable coming out with, is the talk of the party. It`s a departure from the normal for Benson to delve too deeply into the backgrounds of Bond`s superiors. None of the previous authors have done it. But here it works because what happens later, after the party, to Barbara and Alfred, propels the story along further, while adding a new, albeit awkward wrinkle and angle to Barbara and Bond`s already tenuous relationship.
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Barbara and Alfred`s relationship actually breathes fresh life into Bond`s investigation of The Number Killer, and with the new leads, Bond heads to Texas to investigate a militant faction called The Suppliers and their bizarre connection to a sperm clinic near Austin. Bond meets up with Felix Leiter, whom Benson has stayed faithful to. Just as in Fleming`s novels, Benson`s Felix is maimed for life. But this time around, he`s got prosthetics, a wheelchair, and a beautiful Latin girlfriend. The wheelchair actually provides one of the books few humorous moments. What Bond learns in Texas leads him to suspect Greek millionaire Konstantin Romanos as the head of The Decada, the group behind the killings. Bond returns to Greece, and this time partners with Niki to help solve the case together.
Most of the book is airtight. What stands out the most are Bond`s relationship with the new “M”, the new JaguarXK8 he drives, and Hera, a jealous, man hating psychopath. The Jaguar XK8 is a beautiful car. Sleek. Luxurious. Sporty. Just the type of car Bond should drive. Benson made the perfect choice with the Jag, and it`s British so he`s keeping it in the family. The modifications, courtesy of Q Branch, are inspired. Some are actually real, such as the GPS. The color chaning paint was way overdue to be used in a Bond novel.
The amount of research that went into scouting locations in Greece, researching fertility clinics, understanding the concepts of Pythagoream, etc…show. The book is at times very complex, thus challenging the reader to stay awake and alert. It`s based in historical fact which Benson seems to have meticulously researched and referenced. Overall, this is the most complex and challenging Bond novel ever. Both The Facts of Death and Zero Minus Ten are a departure in style away from Gardner, as Benson`s books seem more “current”, using real life political crisises such as the handing over of Hong Kong to the Chinese, or the border disputes between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus. Doing this causes Benson`s novels to become instantly more compelling.
The only things I didn`t care for were Niki Marakos and some of the vocabulary. Niki is probably one of the less memorable Bond girls to grace the pages of a novel, and Benson throws in a couple of words never used prior to his authorship, though in the context of the events they are not out of place. Other than that, the book moves along just fine, including several plot twists that I never saw coming, unlike Zero Minus Ten, in which I guessed a few. I believe most Bond fans can, will, and should embrace Benson`s efforts . The stories have brought back the recognizable, hard Bond from Fleming`s work, and besides that, the novels could work just as well as thrillers apart from the brand name recognition of James Bond 007. They are that good.