With a Mind to Kill

A James Bond Novel

By: Anthony Horowitz

Narrated by: Rory Kinnear

""It’s almost uncanny how well Mr. Horowitz summons Bond’s mindset . . . Yet this Bond also feels the winds of change: 'He had his licence to kill. But was it possible that in this new, more questioning age, that licence might have expired?' A drop of retro pleasures, a pinch of things to come; shaken, not stirred."" — Wall Street Journal

Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s third James Bond novel, after Forever and a Day.

It is M's funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder—James Bond.

Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den—but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives?

In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.

Best Bond Story Yet

I’m a fan of Bond books and movies, and this one struck me as the best story to-date! Suspense-packed from start to finish and tastefully narrated.

Best Horowitz Bond?

Enjoyed tremendously this latest version of Bond as envisioned by Anthony Horowitz. Not only a cracking good read but also a look into the mind of everyone’s secret agent. Highly recommended!

007 Rules

Forgive me for beginning with a little Bond history before digging into the review of "With A Mind To Kill". My time spent with James Bond 007 is predominantly with the film versions never having read the original Ian Fleming novels. So my Bond experience is somewhat limited to what I have viewed on the big screen. My first knowledge of 007 was hearing that JFK was a fan of the book series which led to the film versions. I did not really get interested until "Goldfinger" came out as the first smash hit on the big screen. I still remember the theater lines around the block as people waited to see this absolutely enjoyable film starring Sean Connery as 007. Shortly thereafter, the studio did a really smart thing re-releasing "Dr No" and "From Russia With Love" to the theaters as a double header as the first two entries had not performed as well as "Goldfinger". After seeing the three films, I was a James Bond fan for life. And suffice it to say, Sean Connery was and is in my mind the only true James Bond. While others followed with some degree of success, their portrayals just could not match the cold calculating killer and ladies man captured brilliantly by Connery. While Daniel Craig came close, he somehow missed the mark IMO.

So moving on to "With A Mind to Kill", Anthony Horowitz has created a James Bond that perfectly fits the Sean Connery version. First off, he takes us back to the same time period well captured by the Connery early films. He then introduces the supporting cast as we knew them in those films. As the novel opens, we are attending the funeral of "M' who has been assassinated by none other than 007 after being brainwashed by the Russians. We quickly learn that this is just a ruse as we find out the assassination plot was exposed early on and Bond was exercised of his brainwashing. Bond's next mission is to return to Russia after escaping from capture to unravel another Russian plot that supposedly was going to change the world as we knew it.

Rory Kinnear does an excellent job narrating the novel giving Bond just the right tone as a British agent reemerging in Russia. Parts of the story are somewhat reminiscent of "From Russia With Love" as Bond teams up with a Russian beauty. The story follows a logical path with a conclusion that works even as there is further tragedy before the close. As Bond exits, he is thinking seriously about finally retiring. We, dear reader, can only hope this does not happen and Mr. Horowitz will bring us another chapter. Well done, sir.

Not as good as Fleming

This is a generally okay addition to the Bond stories, and well read by Rory Kinnear. The story is reasonably compelling, and moves along nicely, although the shock denouement at the heart of the story can be seen coming from a really long way off: I’d guessed early on in the book what it would be and was quite disappointed that something so obvious proved to be correct. My chief reason for the three stars is not the story in itself, but the fact that Horowitz has Bond make stupid mistakes, that are vital to the progression of the plot, that are basically of a ‘Didn’t complete Spy 101’ level and therefore completely unconvincing: especially in the handling of firearms. These moments essentially ruin both the tension and the suspension of disbelief necessary to stay involved in the story, which is a shame in an otherwise competent piece of work, substantially better than most Bond books by author’s other than Fleming himself.

Fun listen

Great job bringing all the characters to life. The book didn’t disappoint. Enjoy as much as I did.