Taking over for Fleming is a big job, this is the best Bond book Gardner wrote so far. Giving Bond a reason to get angry and personally involved works
Operation Bethlehem by Yariv Inbar is a fascinating glimpse into a world where the heroes are anonymous and want to stay that way
This new, PC world-building is done without nuance, taste, or elegance, shoving activism into the faces of people who just want an escapist fantasy
The author bumped up the rhetoric, but not by much. The leaders in the book no longer pretend the dog whistles they publish are a joke, or a misunderstanding
The story takes place in the late 1800s, it’s still relevant. Hatred & bigotry didn’t go away, and the liberal vs. conservative mindset is on prominent display
The cast of colorful and unique characters is part of a gritty, and multi-layered story. Mostly dark, but made palatable by the author’s excellent storytelling
This is an easy read; the plot moves fast and some of the parts are very good. Unfortunately, that’s when Gardner leaves tech alone and goes back to spy craft
The author views the world through the eyes of Nicholas Hel and Japanese philosophy. I have to admit some of it was a challenge to read, yet very interesting
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham was captivating and works as a standalone story, you don’t need to read the previous two books to enjoy this one
The narrative is compelling, and I certainly enjoyed the explanation of the financial crimes aspect of the book. Throw in some corruption, conspiracies as well