Casino deal or no deal

No Deals, casino deal or no deal Mr. John Gardner gives Ian Fleming a run for his money, bringing Bond into the modern-ish era in a style which probably fits Pierce Brosnan's 007 if anything. Fleming had the tendency to overindulge in unnecessary scenic detail which sometimes made getting from page to page seem a great effort. No such problems here; Gardner's novels seem more stripped down and he shows respect for the Bond in previous book by referring briefly to old missions and the death of his wife to SPECTRE. This link to his past is a nice touch. The setting of Ireland is intriguing, especially Bond rubbing shoulders with some of the underworld characters and gives this story a real freshness. The plot is packed with twists and turns throughout, and the story never becomes too far-fetched. Bond appears somewhat invincible as always and while Q unfortunately does not show up, the gadgets featured are novel. One criticism; the idea of MI6 recruiting spies aged in their teens is inconceivable and the main one, Bond's latest squeeze Ebbie, is rather annoying at times. Her and Heather seem far too weak and vulnerable to be taken seriously as field agents. We have heard the sentence before. Fuschia or Home.