Summary-This story starts out with the high-up officials of SMERSH deciding on what to do to give them a decisive victory after a run of losses. They decide that a strike against the British Secret Service would be good, and that it will be accomplished by the ignoble death of their leading man, James Bond. Rosa Klebb, head of the Assassin department of SMERSH trains Tatiana Romanova for a mission to make Bond fall in love with her. As bait, word is leaked to MI6 that she wants to defect and will give them a Spektor devise, used in Soviet decryption. The condition is that she will only hand it over if Bond gets her safely to London. Bond is sent to meet her, and they start on their way back to London, after having quite a bit of trouble In Istanbul. As they near safety, the Chief Assassin of SMERSH, a psychopath named Red Grant shows up to put the finish on the plan. He drugs Tatiana, and holds Bond in his small compartment of the train they are on. He explains to Bond that pictures were taken of him and Tatiana when they first met and made loved. Those pictures, along with a well written note would be slipped in Tatiana's bag that would make it seem like she threatened to release the pictures unless Bond married her. Finally, using Bond's own Beretta, Grant would kill Tatiana and Bond, but make it look like Bond had killed Tatiana and then himself. Bond would die in disgrace. As a bonus, when the Spektor fell into MI6's hands and they tried to inspect it, it would blow up. Bond escapes by cutting Grant with the knife hidden in his briefcase. Bond makes sure Tatiana is safe and then goes after Rosa Klebb. He finds her where Grant said he was going to rendezvous with her. Bond captures her, and his friend Mathis, head of the French secret service, comes to take her to England. However, Klebb kicks at Bond with a poisoned tipped boot. Bond falls to the floor. My Grade-A- This story is great. It starts out differently, by showing the SMERSH part of the plot. Bond isn't even in the book until page 72. The action is a little less than in some of the other books, but that is made up for by a truly suspenseful and extraordinarily well-written plot. Best Moment-The best moment of this book is the ending. At the end of the book, Bond falls to the floor after being poisoned. The reader is left wondering whether he dies. As I read the books, I already know he doesn't, but that really doesn't lessen the effect much. Usually at the end of the books, (and almost always at the end of the movies) Bond ends up healthy and happy. This is the first Bond novel that is a cliffhanger. Also Notable- The scene with four of the highest members of SMERSH is very interesting. Usually the novels are told very much from Bond's point of view. Here the reader sees the evil organization planning his death, and he is totally unaware of it. Although Bond is the hero, and the reader loves him, there is something exciting about the fact that one can see exactly where Bond makes his mistakes. This is an excellent use of dramatic irony by Fleming. It shows what a great writer he was, even if some people say his books are too formulaic.
