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No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987)
Author: |
John Gardner |
Published: |
May 1987 |
MI6 Rating: |
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Data Stream
Villains: |
General Konstantin (Kolya) Nikolaevich Chernov,
Mischa, Norman Murray |
Plot: |
Eliminating all participants in a defunct espionage
operation |
Bond Girls: |
Ebbie Heritage, Heather Dare |
Allies: |
Maxim Smolin, Swift |
Locations: |
Baltic, London, Ireland, Hong Kong, Cheung Chau
Island |
Highlights: |
Shootout in the castle, battle on Cheung Chau Island |
Capsule Synopsis
The newspapers tell of two young women being murdered and
mutilated. M reveals that they had both been part of a covert
operation against the Russians, which had ended five years
earlier. As someone operates a callous programme of revenge,
it's up to Bond to pull out the remaining operatives, and
track down the killers. |
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Above: British 1st edition Jonathan
Cape hardback. |
Official Blurb (First Edition USA Hardback)
James Bond is back—in his deadliest assignment ever!
Brutal murders are occurring with alarming similarities in the
English countryside: After two strangled bodies with severed
tongues are found near London, James Bond learns from a hasty
briefing with “M” that the victims were once members
of Operation Cream Cake—double agents against SMERSH,
whom he had helped smuggle out of East Germany five years before.
But something has gone badly wrong. To save the survivors, who
are clearly earmarked for ritual killings, Bond must smoke out
the traitor among them. As always here is a catch, but this
time M’s own head is on the line and bond must succeed
alone, with no help from anyone in the department.
This time, as the title suggests, there will be "No deals,
Mr. Bond."
With little to go on, Bond rescues the beautiful Heather Dare
from the same fate as her fellow operatives. Together, in a
race against the clock, Bond and Heather slip into Ireland to
save the next intended victim, only to realize that they face
an even more deadly opponent: Kolya Chernov (code name: Blackfriar),
who heads the newly reorganized, newly menacing SMERSH. Jetting
to Hong Kong to ferret Chernov out of his lair, a weaponless
Bond becomes the quarry of four armed and vicious assassins
in a hellish version of "the most dangerous" game.
From its slam-bang opening to its breathless climax, No Deals,
Mr. Bond is a roller coaster of a read packed with surprising
twists, in which people never are who or what the seem—except
for the ever infallible James Bond.
Official Blurb (First Edition US Paperback)
Two members of Operation cream cake - double agents against
the KGB - are brutally murdered: Bond has to protect the rest,
and expose the traitor amongst them. A race against the clock
has begun and, with the gorgeous Heather Dare, Bond flees to
Ireland, only to discover that his adversary is none other than
Kolya Chernov of the KGB. Jetting to Hong Kong to ferret Chernov
out of his lair, a weaponless Bond becomes the quarry of four
viscous assassins in the most dangerous game 007 has ever played...
- Seahawk
- Seahawk Plus Five
- Dare to be Chic
- Ducking and Diving
- Jacko B
- Basilisk
- Accident
- Cockerel or Weasel
- Schloss Gruesome
- Interrogation
- Dog eat Dog
- Strange Meeting
- Blackfriar
- Dinner in Paris
- The Mystic East
- Swift
- Letter from the Dead
- Tung Wan Bay
- Meet the Robinsons
- Zero Hour
- Emperor of the Dark Heaven
- Death of a Double
- Chinese Takeaway
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Top Left: American 1st edition Putnam hardback.
Top Right: American 1st edition Charter paperback. Bottom Left:
British 1st edition Coronet paperback. Bottom Right: Japanese
edition paperback.
Excerpt
"'I would advise you to keep running, James Bond; to run
as far as you can. We shall kill you tonight, I am certain of
that, but in the unlikely event that I am wrong, our time will
come again and I shall kill you myself. My Department will never
rest until you are dead. Do you understand?'
"Bond nodded curtly and left with as much dignity as his
churning stomach would allow."
Trivia
This was author John Gardner's sixth Bond adventure and is often
touted as one of his best. The traditional 007 formula, which
Gardner would later resent and rebuke with "The Man From
Barbarossa", is in full flow here. The UK first edition
hardback was the first jacket in the Gardner series not to be
designed by Richard Chopping. Gardner, who was living in Ireland
at the time and featured as one of the book's locations, dedicated
the novel to his dear friend Tony Adamus.
Timeline
1987 |
April - 1st edition Putnam hardback (USA)
May - 1st edition Jonathan Cape hardback (UK) |
1987 |
1st edition Coronet paperback (UK) |
1988 |
April - 1st edition Charter paperback (USA)
1st edition Guild Publishing book club hardback (UK) |
1989 |
1st edition Imago Editora paperback (Brazil)
1st edition Valby paperback (Denmark) |
1993 |
Reprint edition Coronet paperback (UK) |
Synopsis
Two members of a spy team Bond helped recover from Germany five
years ago have been killed in revenge, and M sends Bond to catch
up with the three remaining agents and ensure their safety. However,
Bond must act unofficially (because one agent is a suspected traitor,
and M is facing calls for his resignation over the affair). Bond
finds the first agent, Heather Dare, and barely stops her being
murdered. They fly to Ireland to find the second agent, Ebbie
Heritage, but they are captured by GRU colonel Maxim Smolin, who
has Ebbie and claims to be a double-agent working for M. He says
the KGB have been tipped off. General Konstantin Chernov (formerly
of SMERSH) captures everyone, but Bond and Ebbie escape (and fall
in love) and follow Chernov to Hong Kong where the remaining agent,
Jungle Baisley is captured along with Bond and Ebbie. Chernov
then makes Bond fight for his life in a bizarre gladiatorial contest,
but Bond wins through. Chernov is captured, and Heather Dare exposed
as the traitor.
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