Written by John Gardner
SUMMARY:
Originally published in 1986, this 301-page Pegasus Books paperback reprint was released in 2012. At MI-6, M grimly cautions James Bond to watch his back during a month-long vacation. Leisurely traveling across Western Europe, Bond intends to pick up his ailing housekeeper, May, from an Austrian recuperative clinic. Yet, a series of corpses ominously plague Bond’s journey.
His chilling dilemma is confirmed, as he learns that SPECTRE’s terminally ill leader, Tamil Rahani, has ordered a 10-million Swiss franc bounty for Bond’s severed head … literally, on a silver platter. Known as ‘The Head Hunt,’ seemingly every underworld lowlife, international terrorist, and freelance assassin in the world is pursuing Agent 007. Even worse is that SPECTRE abducts May and Miss Moneypenny as added incentive to force Bond’s surrender.
Sensing that he can’t trust anyone, Bond relies on his vast experience, along with the help of new female allies: British-Italian heiress Sukie Tempesta, and her sharp-shooting bodyguard, Nannie Norrich. Facing multiple double-crosses as the body count continues rising, Bond must rescue his beloved friends and evade assassination long enough to settle some old scores. Ultimately, a shadowy figure intends to dispatch the lethal competition and personally deliver Bond to SPECTRE’s private guillotine. All bets are off in a fiery showdown on Shark Island off Key West.
REVIEW:
Make no mistake: John Gardner’s expertise with penning suspenseful Bond novels is confirmed by the riveting Nobody Lives Forever. Unlike the film franchise, this no-nonsense Agent 007 delivers thrills without the high-octane stunt visuals.
Gardner, of course, requires readers to swallow contrived plot-driven elements. For instance, there is a sequence late in the game where a cheerful Sukie (a mere rookie with guns) doesn’t flinch at participating in a bloody shootout at sea. This twist doesn’t jive with her established persona, especially as her other seafaring skills are conveniently revealed. The same applies to Bond’s inexplicable failure to dump the far-too-cooperative Sukie and Nannie as passengers, despite repeatedly acknowledging he knows better. The late revelation of one culprit’s grotesque exploits isn’t necessarily plausible, either, but Gardner fairly drops a few hints. At least, an intriguing twist re: SPECTRE’s nefarious efforts to save itself a few bucks during ‘The Head Hunt’ proves darkly ironic.
Though slickly written, please beware that Gardner depicts sequences of grisly violence and/or homicide, including the ‘execution chamber’ finale. If readers can handle these lurid scenes, then Nobody Lives Forever is a taut reading experience.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
