The Book

‘If you’ve never read a Bond book before you’ve picked a good place to start. My favourite of the Bond books’ Charlie Higson

Bond Dossier

‘Name: Bond, James. Height: 183 cm, weight: 76kg; slim build; eyes: blue; hair: black; scar down right cheek & on left shoulder; all-round athlete; expert pistol shot, boxer, knife-thrower; does not use disguises. Languages: French and German. Smokes heavily (NB: special cigarettes with three gold bands); vices: drink, but not to excess, and women.’ SMERSH dossier on agent 007 of the British Secret Service.  

From Russia with Love is the fifth of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and takes Bond to Istanbul, where a beautiful girl – and a terrible fate – await him…

Every major foreign government has a file on James Bond, British secret agent. Now, Russia’s deadly SMERSH organisation has targeted him for elimination – they have the perfect bait in the irresistible Tatiana Romanova. Her mission is to lure Bond to Istanbul and seduce him while her superiors handle the rest. But when Bond walks willingly into the trap, a game of cross and double-cross ensues – with Bond both the stake and the prize…

Original 1957 Plot Summary
SMERSH is the Soviet organ of vengeance – of interrogation, torture and death – and James Bond is dedicated to the destruction of its agents wherever he finds them.

But, in its turn, the cold eye of SMERSH focuses on James Bond and far away in Moscow a trap is laid for him – a death trap with an enticing lure. Ian Fleming takes us into the headquarters of SMERSH. We watch Bond’s assassination being minutely devised. We meet the executioner. We sit in at the planning. We inspect the lure.

Then the lever is pulled in Moscow, and in London, Istanbul and Paris the wheels begin to turn. Ian Fleming’s other Secret Service thrillers – Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever – may have made your pulse race. Be careful of From Russia with Love. Weak nerves will be shredded by it…