Trigger Mortis

With Original Material by Ian Fleming

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: David Oyelowo

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Incorporating original, never-before-published material from 007 creator Ian Fleming, New York Times best-selling author Anthony Horowitz returns literary legend James Bond to his 1950s heyday in this exhilarating and dashing thriller.

The world's most famous spy, James Bond, has just returned victorious from his showdown with Auric Goldfinger in Fort Knox. By his side is the glamorous and streetwise Pussy Galore, who played no small part in his success. As they settle down in London, the odds of Galore taming the debonair bachelor seem slim - but she herself is a creature not so easily caught.

Meanwhile, the struggle for superiority between the Soviet Union and the West is escalating. In an attempt to demonstrate Soviet strength, SMERSH plans to sabotage an international Grand Prix in the hot zone of West Germany. At the Nürburgring Racing Circuit, Bond must play a high-speed game of cat and mouse to stop them. But when he observes a secretive meeting between SMERSH's driver and a notorious Korean millionaire, it becomes clear that this is just the infamous organization's opening move.

An orphan of the Korean War, he has a personal reason for wanting to bring America to its knees. He's helping SMERSH decisively end the white-hot space race - but how? With the help of an American female agent, Bond uncovers a plan that leads first to Florida and then to New York City, where a heart-stopping face-off will determine the fate of the West.

This thriller has all the hallmarks of an original Ian Fleming adventure and features welcome familiar faces, including M and Miss Moneypenny. Horowitz delivers a smooth and seductive narrative of fast cars and beautiful women, with ruthless villains and a breathtaking plot that will leave listeners hanging until the very end.

©2015 Anthony Horowitz (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Shaken and Stirred

This book brought me into the world that Mr. Fleming would have been proud of. I pictured every moment in my mind. The story was wonderfully read. Hats off to both the author and the narrator for such an awesome story.

A bit dated

While true to Ian Fleming I found the plot dated and somewhat contrived. Lots of action but no real suspense.

Can't have Bond without the Puns Now Can We?

Would you consider the audio edition of Trigger Mortis to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed this audio version. It really captured the style of the book. I don't know if I'd ever consider an audio book "better" or "worse" than a print edition- they are two different animals.

If you’ve listened to books by Anthony Horowitz before, how does this one compare?

This was my first book by him, and I thought he effectively captured the spirit of the Ian Fleming novels. Unlike many of the other writers who've tackled Bond I felt his was clearly based on the novels rather than the films.

Have you listened to any of David Oyelowo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first book with David, I thought he was quite good. I don't agree that his American accents were terrible, they were fine.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book kept my attention and I found it hard to "put it down".

Any additional comments?

I lean more towards non-fiction or classical literature but this foray into Fleming's Bond world was well worth it and a nice way to pass some time.

A politically correct Bond but a bad Bond book

Let me start out by saying that the majority of this book was fairly typical James Bond and had circumstances been different I would have certainly given it a much better review but for me it had two major problems.

I was aware for over 6 months that this book was scheduled for release and had been looking forward to it.

However.

If you are going to write a James Bond book and you are going to proudly state that you are also going to include some of Ian Fleming's original material, why would you write it in a way that almost definitely went against Ian Fleming's vision? Especially if you are going to deliberately situate Bond in his own time.

Part of the legend of James Bond (ignoring the films) is his lifestyle.

So why then would you attempt to impose a 21st century lifestyle?

If Anthony Horowitz has such strong feelings on smoking then why even take on a project where the main character is a known avowed smoker?

There were several anti smoking references in this book which jarred and immediately caused a "suspension of disbelief." Which to me is the biggest crime an author can commit.

That brings me to the second of the major problems I mentioned at the start of this review.

David Oyelowo.

I listened to this person narrate a book before and I thought then that it was one of the most awful things I had ever heard and I was immediately dismayed to learn that he had been chosen to read this book.

Aware that several years had passed since I last heard him I was prepared to give him a chance and to his credit he has improved.

Unfortunately not enough by quite a long shot!

There were several points where he was trying to perform female roles and quite frankly I was reminded of Donald Duck.

And that brings us back to "the suspension of disbelief."

The story (ignoring the above faults) is quite engaging, provided that one doesn't stop to think about it too much.

Because if you do you''ll notice that the route from "A" to "B" and so on is extremely tenuous. And that is where the crime of "suspension of disbelief" really hits home because it's in those moments I found myself thinking about how the plot was strung together.

To my mind Horowitz had a plot but didn't achieve tying that together with the Fleming material.

Like Flemming would write

excellent story beautifully crafted in the Flemming style.i recommend it to all feels like it was written by the creator has really captured the original flavor to.

Excellent Bond Story

Horrowitz delivers again. He's turning into my favorite contemporary author. Great story, pretty good characterizations. Only 2 gripes: synopsis makes it seem ms. galore features prominently, but she actually doesn't, additionally, narrator performance could be improved. Couple of British characters didn't have Brit accents and too many American characters sounded the same. But overall, it's a great addition to the Bond canon.

I was not a believer but now I am

this is my first 007 book and I purchased via a sale . glad I did. lots of action and also history that I enjoyed. as a woman I had not been a fan but I am now. look forward to many more.

A thrilling story that stays true to the Fleming classics!

If you like the old-school James Bond stories and movies like Dr. No and Goldfinger, you will love Trigger Mortis.

Davids voice acting is sublime and the story is both full of surprising twists as it is of classic Bond stuff.

Welcome Back, Mr Bond

I was first introduced to James Bond in my teens in the early '60s. Reading this book half a century later made me very nostalgic.

This book is split into two parts, each covering a different mission. In tone and content, it feels like it is set right after "Goldfinger," and even contains the same erroneous death sequence, In overall tone, it feels very much like the old Ian Fleming novels, right down to Bond's mysogeny and moral attitude. The first part even re-introduces Ms Pussy Galore, even though she feels like an add on. Also, reading the two parts I thought Mr Fleming had written the first part and Mr Horowitz the latter; although according to the notes section, Mr Fleming only wrote a very few pages. Overall, the second part held the scope that we have come to expect from the Bond movies, even though the first was much more engaging and suspenseful. And Ms Galore was a welcome addition.

I would love to see both parts of this book turned into Bond films.

James Bond is no longer what used to be....

For a fan of the old Ian Fleming books like me there an irresistible nostalgia and excitement that emerge when a writer of reputation engages in a new Bond story. The aftermath is usually always one of slight disappointment , no matter how well the book is writes, because Fleming's style was unique or , may be, because James Bond is now outdated as a character and trying to revamping him is mission impossible. Having said this, i sort of enjoyed the reading , but without the pleasure that the "real thing" was giving me back way when....