Summary-James Bond is no longer a member of the Double-O Section, since it has been dissolved during the "Realignment Purge". However, Bond is a member of the Special Section, and secretly keeps his 007 codename. Bond is sent on a mission to see why Anton Murik, is meeting with a known terrorist, Franco. Bond goes to the Murcaldy Castle, of whom Murik is the Laird. Murik had tried to convince the world that current nuclear power plants are unsafe, and that his design for a new type of reactor would be totally safe. When no one listens to him, he takes drastic measures. He hires Franco to run six groups of terrorists, who take over six nuclear reactors around the world. If the world governments don't pay Murik 50 billion dollars, he will cause meltdowns in all of the plants. This "Operation Meltdown" is designed to get Murik funding for his reactor. Bond discovers the plot and tries to get word out, but fails. He ends up on the plane that Murik plans to be safe on when the reactors blow. The governments are set to pay, but Bond escapes and stops the plot. My Grade- B This is a good first book for Gardner. It is entertaining, and brings Bond into the eighties. Best Moment-Bond fights Caber, a huge body guard of Murik's. Bond uses a small spray developed by Q-Branch to simulate a knockout. Bond may not be the strongest person in the world, but he always wins. Also Notable- Gardner chose to make the head of Q-Branch a woman, Ann Reilly. The men of the Secret Service nickname her Q'ute. Bond is the first of them to find out just how cute she is.
