Summary- The dates in this novel coincide with the actual handing over of Hong Kong to China by Britain. However, unlike in the real world, certain people might not be too happy about the hand-over. Several bombs have gone off ten days before the hand-over, and a nuclear blast also occurred in the Australian Outback. Bond is sent to Hong Kong to see if he can find out who is responsible for the bombings and stop them. Bond soon discovers a connection to EurAsia Enterprises. Bond meets up with the CEO of EurAsia Enterprises, Guy Thackeray, over a high stakes game of mahjong. Bond can't immediately discover if Thackeray is guilty. First, he ends up on the trail of Li, the leader of a wing of the Triads, who are organized criminals. It turns out that Li and Thackeray have legal issues over the ownership of EurAsia Enterprises. In order to save his own life, and the life of Sunni, a young girl Bond "rescues" from a life of prostitution and servitude to the triad, Bond has to retrieve the paper that proves Li as the owner. In the process of getting the document, Bond runs up against and kills General Wong, who stands to gain if Li doesn't get the paper. After Bond gives Li the paper, Li takes Bond to Hong Kong, where Bond discovers that the nuclear blast was a test performed by Thackeray, who wants to blow up Hong Kong. He is sort of crazy. He feels that if he can't have EurAsia Enterprises, no one can have it, and if Britain can't keep Hong Kong, then neither can China. Bond manages to determine that the bomb is on a sampan, which Thackeray will float into the harbor. Bond, with the triads help and that of the Royal Navy, disarms the bomb and the hand-over ceremony goes off without a hitch. My Grade- B+ If this novel is an indication of Benson's style, he is a very different writer than Gardner. Gardner seemed to prefer one, complex plotline. Benson has a very simple main story, but shoots Bond off into many side plotlines. Benson devotes entire chapters to various sidelines that technically have little to do with the story. This makes the novel seem more involved; as if Bond does more. Entire chapters are devoted to a "minor" mahjong game, Bond helping Sunni, who originally had nothing to do with the plot, and Bond trekking through the Australian outback. Best Moment- The best moment is the opening chapter, where it appears as though Bond is the target of two assassins. However, it turns out that it was a training mission between him and two Single-O agents, 03 and 05. Not only does this chapter introduce Benson's Bond in his first novel and open the novel with some action, but it also introduces the Single-O agents. These agents aren't mentioned in any previous book, and I wonder if Benson will tell the reader more about them in subsequent novels.
