The James Bond Books by Ian Fleming: Live And Let Die

Live And Let Die is Ian Fleming's second James Bond book and concerns the selling of gold bullion to finance a Russian spy network in the USA by the mysterious Mr Big, who is renowned to possess voodoo powers. The gold is believed to be part of a haul of treasure buried on Jamaica by the pirate Bloody Morgan and James Bond is sent to investigate Mr Big's operation.007 is first sent to New York, where he meets his friend from the CIA, Felix Leiter. Leiter takes Bond on a tour of Harlem, where the reader is conducted on a tour of the jazz clubs of the era - it was first published in 1954. In one such club owned by Mr Big, James Bond is introduced captured and his finger broken by one of Mr Big's henchmen.Today's reader will probably flinch when reading the chapter entitled "Nigger Heaven", which although made it into the British edition of the book was changed to "Seventh Avenue" for the American Edition, although it should be noted that the original chapter title was restored
in recent US paperback editions.The chapter title and the way in which Fleming wrote about black people divides readers today as to whether Fleming was racist, or simply naïve. Certainly some of his descriptions overstep the mark and it is hard to imagine them being published today.From New York Bond travels by train down to St Petersburg in Florida, where he meets up again with Felix. There they investigate a lead; unfortunately for the hapless Leiter, he is thrown to the sharks so from that point on Bond must go it alone, and travels down to Jamaica to find out more about the Mr Big and the voodoo stories that surround him.Teaming up with Quarrel, a Cayman islander recommended by the local secret service man on the island, James Bond spends a week preparing for the encounter with Mr Big on his island lair - the Isle of Surprise.Under cover of darkness he makes his way there underwater but is captured and almost flayed alive by being dragged over a coral reef behind a boat
.The book is fast paced and provides a good view of 1950s America through the eyes of an upper class Englishman. Jamaica is also well described thanks to Fleming's annual winter holiday at his second home, Goldeneye, and his sharp, journalist's eye clearly describe the sights, sounds and smells to be found there.Written in Jamaica in the same way as Casino Royale, the book was published in April 1954, with the initial print run increased to 7,500 thanks to the success of Casino Royale.

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