Carte Blanche 007: The New James Bond Novel by Jeffery Deaver

Jan 25, 2013 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the new, updated Bond

Shelves: action-adventure-thriller

Whenever I read Ian Fleming Bond stories, I picture Daniel Craig as 007. I know I should be picturing Connery or Moore, or even Brosnan, and not the "Blonde Bond", but I can't help it -- Casino Royale was the first Bond film that engaged me. Previously, I had only seen a few minutes of a Brosnan Bond flick with an ice castle that only left me thinking how stupid the whole franchise must be. So after reading Quantum of Solace: The Complete James Bond Short Stories and Doctor No, I'm excited to se...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Christopher Gordon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to love this book, to slap 5 stars up and tell the world to go and enjoy this while the 3rd Daniel Craig movie takes yet another long year to film. Especially when you consider that Jeffrey Deaver is a world class thriller writer and the Daniel Craig Bond movies have demonstrated it is possible to achieve the seemingly impossbile task of modernising Bond and still maintain his essential anti-hero arrogance, unpleasantness, and cruelty all wrapped up in a redemptive package of bra...more I really wanted to love this book, to slap 5 stars up and tell the world to go and enjoy this while the 3rd Daniel Craig movie takes yet another long year to film. Especially when you consider that Jeffrey Deaver is a world class thriller writer and the Daniel Craig Bond movies have demonstrated it is possible to achieve the seemingly impossbile task of modernising Bond and still maintain his essential anti-hero arrogance, unpleasantness, and cruelty all wrapped up in a redemptive package of bravery in the face of insurmmountable odds... then big things are expected of Carte Blanche.

Alas, as much as I enjoyed the book there are several fatal flaws:

1. Strangely the book seems overly long. Never a good sign that over the 2 days it took to read the hundred thousand or so words, I put down the book at least a dozen times. Judge that againnst the page turning tension of the longer Suzanne Collins Hunger Games when I read that from cover to cover in one session. But I did manage to pick it up again.

2. The old writer's trick of limiting the Third person intimate Point-of-View of the protagonist so you are tricked into believing you are enjoying the ride inside Bond's shoes but no; it turns out you are not actualy privvy to his inner thoughts as the apparent dangerous situation, or life threatening peril that Bond finds himself in, turns out to be nothing of the sort: Bond had it under control all along with hurried post-mortem explanations of previously hidden vital information of Bond's actions. The first time this writer device was used I felt annoyed. The fifth time I was spitting blood. Its such a cheap literary device to con the reader with fake excitement. So for that I deducted one star.

3. Finally, the Bond character himself: Ian Flemming created a character of subtle satirical dry wit that seems unrecognisable in Carte Blanche. I might as well be reading a Lee Child Jack Reacher novel because this new Bond is so pleasant, so likable that he berates himself for being annoyed by irritating minor characters.

The whole point of Bond is that he is supposed to be an unpleasant, intensely snobbish bore who manipulates and exploits any weakness in people for his selfish ends. Especially other people who lack his all consuming passion for life at the edge and all its finest rewards and pleasures. But Flemming cleverly tempered this personalty with the background of a tragic childhood and the product of an English boarding school upbringing resulting in a longing to look up to authority father figures such as 'M'.

Ian Flemming brilliantly held up the closeted and biggotted attitudes held by society and demonstrated its hypocrisy when Bond thunders and crashes into any situation requiring his ruthless efficiency.

But do we get the modern equivalent with the Carte Blanche Bond? Will you be shaken, and stirred? Will Carte Blanche's licence to kill have you in Bond's gun sights? No, no, and NO! What we get is Bond the bleeding heart liberal who wakes with night sweats and troubled conscience for sleeping with a woman when he may be falling for a work colleague. WE get the errant Knight Sir Galahad who puts the beautiful and vulnerable date in a taxi and waves goodbye lest he be tempted to take advantage....OMG. WHy oh Why is Bond so wet?

When you consider that Daniel Craig's Bond is just as nasty and selfish and unlikeable as the Ian Flemming original; yet brilliantly portrayed as a complicated and flawed and vulnerable adrenalin junkie; why do we get such a feeble and bland Bond in this book?

So for that I took off another star.
This would have made a fine novel in the mould of Lee Child's Jack Reacher if the author had not adopted the baggage of James Bond 007 and decided to call his character something different like JAMES BLAND.
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Oct 14, 2012 Alex Gherzo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Carte Blanche, Jeffery Deaver's contribution to the literary James Bond franchise, is mostly enjoyable, although there are some problems that keep it from being as great as it could have been. 007 is on the trail of a waste management baron who is planning a deadly attack that will claim thousands of lives. Along the way there is the requisite danger, intrigue and gorgeous women with suggestive names.

Carte Blanche is the first time the book universe has been rebooted (at least going all the way...more Carte Blanche, Jeffery Deaver's contribution to the literary James Bond franchise, is mostly enjoyable, although there are some problems that keep it from being as great as it could have been. 007 is on the trail of a waste management baron who is planning a deadly attack that will claim thousands of lives. Along the way there is the requisite danger, intrigue and gorgeous women with suggestive names.

Carte Blanche is the first time the book universe has been rebooted (at least going all the way back to Fleming), and, although it's unnecessary, it mostly works. Bond now works for a fictional agency called the Overseas Development Group, or ODG, a secret intelligence organization whose job is to "protect the Realm... by any means necessary." Translation: Bond's license to kill is intact. Bond himself is now a veteran of Afghanistan, where he performed many covert missions that brought him to M's attention. His gadgets mostly come in the form of apps for his Iphone (which, because it comes from good old Q-branch, is referred to as an IQ-phone). It's a neat take on updating Bond's gadgets for the modern world. Some of the changes, however, are unwelcome. I don't understand why Deaver didn't use Major Boothroyd (Q in the movies, though I believe the book writers, for some reason, aren't allowed to call him Q, which seems incredibly silly and shortsightedly territorial, but whatever) as the head of Q branch. Instead, the chief gadget maker is an English Indian named Sanu Hirani. Hirani is a complete non-character. No personality at all. It seems Deaver wanted to comment on the fact that there is a large Indian population in England, but thought making him Indian would be enough to create a character. It isn't; it's tokenism and political correctness masquerading as ethnic sensitivity. He'd have been better off keeping Boothroyd and writing some fun repartee between him and 007. Otherwise, the ODG is almost exactly the same as Bond's traditional MI6 surroundings, making one wonder why the change happened at all. M (who is Miles Messervy again) is still in charge with Moneypenny as his secretary; Mary Goodnight is still Bond's assistant (replete with a not-so-subtle casting recommendation from Deaver should Carte Blanche ever become a film); Bill Tanner is still the Chief of Staff. The only difference is the presence of Opehlia Maidenstone, a liaison between the ODG and MI6, but she could easily have been just another MI6 officer. It's not a problem, it just seems unnecessary.

The characters are uniformly good, with the villains being standouts. Severan Hydt is a fascinating specimen, a man obsessed with waste and decay to such an extent that he even secures a romantic partner that reflects his infatuation with degradation. He gets sexually excited at the thought of dead bodies. He becomes as giddy as a schoolboy when talking about recycling mass graves. At first it just seems strange, but Deaver does a great job of using this sick preoccupation to shape a true monster. It's even reflected in his appearance: mangy hair, gruff beard, long, dirty fingernails. Hydt is a villain in the grand Fleming tradition, ugly inside and out. Also fascinating is Hydt's henchman, Niall Dunne, an Irish mercenary who functions like a machine and is able to coldly assess any situation and plan perfectly for the desired outcome. Again, in lesser hands this could have been silly, but Deaver makes the character work. Dunne is a dangerous henchman and always feels like a true threat to Bond. The two main women this time out are Felicity Willing, the head of a hunger relief organization based in South Africa, and Bheka Jordaan, an officer of SAPS, the South African Police Service. The women contrast each other very well; while Felicity Willing lives up to her last name in terms of Bond's advances, Bheka Jordaan is a much tougher nut to crack (which, of course, makes her all the more fascinating to Bond). Ophelia Maidenstone is less in the Bond tradition and more the representative of an office romance, with all its potential pleasures and pitfalls. New allies like Percy Osborne-Smith and Gregory Lamb get in the way more than they assist, while Felix Leiter and Rene Mathis return (albeit on the phone, in Mathis' case) to lend a hand.

There will be big spoilers from here on out...

The plot is interesting, for the most part. It was fun slowly unraveling Hydt's plan with Bond. Hydt's new business venture, finding discarded memorandums from intelligence agencies and selling them to the highest bidders, fit perfectly with his refuse obsession. My initial disappointment with the scope of his impending attack (and his rather unceremonious send-off) was dashed when it was revealed that Hydt was merely a pawn (or, more accurately, a side venture) for the real mastermind behind the operation. I had a suspicion that Felicity Willing may have been working for Hydt (I had her pegged as either a traitor or a sacrificial lamb), but I never thought she would turn out to be the puppet master. I loved her scheme too; using famine to prop up dictators is decidedly evil. However, I was disappointed again when it came to her and Niall Dunne's fates. In fact, the entire climax was a whimper instead of a Bondian bang. Felicity is just arrested by Bheka. She's never much of a threat. Dunne is outwitted by Bond, which is appropriate, but the whole showdown had more of a sense of the end of a Law And Order episode (or at least the first half of an episode) than a James Bond adventure. The rendition aspect was a nice, satisfying touch, but again, not very Bondian (that actually felt more like something that should happen in 24).

I think the biggest mixed bag is how Deaver writes James Bond as a character. He gets a lot right. I was very happy that he didn't go the route of the new movies in the rebooted series (the bane of my Bond fandom) and make him an SAS special forces brute. He retains his status as a Commander in the Royal Navy. It shows much more respect for Bond's origins, as well as his overall character. I also loved the fact that he kept Bond's particularity about every aspect of his life, from his food and drink to the utensils he uses to groom himself (I laughed out loud when Deaver described the handle of Bond's razor as being made out of Buffalo horn; that's exactly the kind of thing Bond would use). Furthermore, Bond's refinement and sophistication are part of why M wants to recruit him into the ODG. And Deaver conveyed this much more successfully than Sebastian Faulks did in Devil May Care, where he just tried to ape Fleming's writing style (always a mistake). It would've been nice if Bond was smoking again, but in this P.C. "won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!" era that was hoping for a little too much. His weakness for women is intact as well. As the book went on, though, I had some problems with Bond's characterization. First, Bond isn't as ruthless as he should be. The idea that he's cold-blooded and will kill without compunction is put out there (he still has the cold, cruel eyes that Fleming described so long ago), but he never actually does anything to suggest this. He never kills in cold blood; he always uses non-lethal force on anyone who isn't shooting at him, and even in self-defense he almost always shoots to wound. Bond is supposed to be, at his heart, a cold-blooded killer. He doesn't enjoy it, but he does it without remorse. Deaver seemed to really lighten him up in that regard. His newfound good sportsmanship is also reflected in how he deals with women. Bond is attracted to three women in this book, but he only sleeps with one of them. He has the opportunity with Ophelia Maidenstone, but holds back because he's afraid she might not be ready. Huh? That seems decidedly un-Bond. Well, okay, he seems to actually want a relationship with her. But why does he decide not to sleep with Bheka Jordaan? From the moment they meet, you're waiting for Bond to break through the barriers she's set up and get her to sleep with him, but when he finally does, he won't go through with it because they could never have a real relationship. So what? I wasn't holding out for a wedding. Is Bond only gonna sleep with girls after they exchange promise rings? It all feels very watered down. It's almost like Deaver is trying to appeal to potential female readers by giving them what he thinks (probably incorrectly) they want. It's a shame, because what he gets right is wonderful.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Carte Blanche enough to recommend it. Deaver isn't the best of the continuation authors (my favorite is Raymond Benson), but he certainly isn't the worst (that would be the thankfully one-off Sebastian Faulks).(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Andrew Jacobson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel by Jeffery Deaver (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. 432 pp) originally posted at wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com

Born outside Chicago, Jeffery Deaver earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University. Prior to becoming a bestselling author, Deaver was a journalist, folksinger and attorney. Having written thirty books, Deaver has won numerous awards. For The Bodies Left Behind, he won Novel...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, espionage, 2011

When I think of a reboot of James Bond, I think about Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies and all the newer Bond movies. Carte Blanche is the first novel in the Bond series to get a reboot; a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and former smoker. These are the only real big differences I can see in this novel. Everything you would expect in a Bond novel/movie is still here; the cars (a Bentley Continental GT and even a Subaru Impreza WRX) the girls (so many of them), the gadgets (including a custom ip...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jeffery Deaver doing James Bond is like having Robert Downey, Jr. play... Sherlock Holmes. Well done, but with serious disconnects on multiple levels. One needs to just enjoy the story as a story, and suspend complaints about deviations from Fleming's ideal. Though I am enjoying the story, I think Deaver needs to get back to Lincoln Rhyme.

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May 15, 2013 Anton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rebooting James Bond in the post 9/11 world, “Carte Blanche” feels very much like a classic Ian Fleming book. Deaver does a good job of matching his writing style, and the villain he has created would fit in well with Fleming heavies like Goldfinger and Blofeld. Toss in some truly outlandish Bond girl names (Felicity Willing, Ophelia Maidenstone) and you have the ingredients for an old school 007 adventure.

Most of the modernization seen in the book is in the technology Bond uses (there are lots...more

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Apr 12, 2013 James Atkinson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an improvement on the dire Devil May Cry. Rather than a lame update, Deaver takes the approach of BBC's "Sherlock" and puts the characters in the present day (avioding the Benson et al problem of keeping past books in cannon).
I have not read any other Deaver books but this one had both positives and minors:

Positives:
*An interesting, jet setting plot
*Conflicts with MI5 which I can't recall being in other bond novels to this extent so it was something new
* Severan Hydt and his girlfriend...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Nicholas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers Ahead. Both shaken and stirred, Deaver offers the most potent reinterpretation of 007 since Gardner’s License Renewed. With Carte Blanche, Deaver starts from scratch with a Bond barely three years into his 00 career in a story that manages to bring Bond into the modern day. Traditional characters like ‘M’, Mary Goodnight, and Felix Leiter are all on display, as well as some new additions; a new Q and a new potential romantic interest in Philly Maidenstone. The plot is kept tense with a...more Spoilers Ahead. Both shaken and stirred, Deaver offers the most potent reinterpretation of 007 since Gardner’s License Renewed. With Carte Blanche, Deaver starts from scratch with a Bond barely three years into his 00 career in a story that manages to bring Bond into the modern day. Traditional characters like ‘M’, Mary Goodnight, and Felix Leiter are all on display, as well as some new additions; a new Q and a new potential romantic interest in Philly Maidenstone. The plot is kept tense with a ticking clock of only a few days before disaster strikes, but Deaver doesn’t lose the investigative part of the character, as Bond uses his wits to crack open the mystery of creepy Severan Hyd. The plot has a quite a few twists, as Deaver teases us throughout the story with a chapter cliffhangers that play with our expectations of what Bond would do, followed fast with unexpected reversals. One in particular, Bond shooting an unarmed man in cold blood as a test from the villains stands out in particular, although I think the Fleming Bond would likely have done things differently. Deaver’s Bond is a different character in many ways to the original, lacking the brooding and introspection of the Fleming creation. But the book is written I believe to drag in the fans of the films, especially the current ones with Daniel Craig and I think Deaver does a good job of it. One of the most important elements of any Bond story is the main villain and Hydt fills the oddity quotient well, recalling Drax from Moonraker with his strange rags to riches tale and fetish for age and dying. Having said that, its a shame he’s not the sole master villain here. Not wishing to ruin too much, but the book does offer a final twist that steals some of the thunder from Hydt, and it just doesn’t work that well for me. Its here where Deaver shows his mystery writer pedigree to give his audience one last twist, but really for the Bond faithful, one is not necessary. The final complication of a whole other plot that explodes in the last 80 pages or so the novel was one that didn’t hold my attention as strongly as the rest of the read. Most intriguing is the subplot involving Bond's parents and a possible spying past. The thread established here is certainly worth exploring and once the book is done, is probably the bit that makes the most impression for long time fans. The ending notwithstanding, the book offers plenty for 007 fans to enjoy. The decision to return Bond to the present day makes all the difference and puts it far superior to the last Bond book. What the chances are that someone will return to this reboot of Bond, I am not sure, but I would love to see more 007 adventures spinning off from this book.(less)

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Dec 25, 2012 Val rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not having read the Ian Fleming novels I cannot compare it to them. Although, compared to the movies, James Bond shows a lot more human traits, emotions and character, instead of being just a suit with a gun and good looks. The book focuses heavily on the detective and infiltrator skillset, instead of action, which is not to say that it is not suspenseful. I found myself at the edge of my seat in some of the more captivating moments, when the only actions being performed were talking. As the act...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Doug Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To finish up on my late book reviews, in late August I finished Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver. Deaver has been designated by the Ian Fleming estate to carry on the World of James Bond in literature. Bond, the preeminent sophisticated spy was created by Ian Fleming, a member of the British Secret Service during WWII. Bond was a fictional outgrowth of Fleming's own experiences. Fleming's novels started with Casino Royale in 1953 and ended with The Man with the Golden Gun upon his death in 1964 (...more To finish up on my late book reviews, in late August I finished Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver. Deaver has been designated by the Ian Fleming estate to carry on the World of James Bond in literature. Bond, the preeminent sophisticated spy was created by Ian Fleming, a member of the British Secret Service during WWII. Bond was a fictional outgrowth of Fleming's own experiences. Fleming's novels started with Casino Royale in 1953 and ended with The Man with the Golden Gun upon his death in 1964 (14 novels and story collections). John Gardner picked up Bond in 1981 with License Renewed and continued the series through Cold Fall in 1996 (15 novels). He was followed by Raymond Benson with Zero Minus Ten in 1997 through The Man with the Red Tattoo in 2002 (9 novels-3 of which are novelizations of the movies).

Jeffery Deaver picked up the pen to write his first Bond novel in 2011. Deaver is an award-winning suspense/thriller novelist in his own right. He has two best-selling series of his own. First, there is the Lincoln Rhyme series about a quadriplegic New York criminalist, who with the aid of a group of close police associates, solves the most difficult, brutal and psychologically twisted crimes. This series stared with The Bone Collector (made into a film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie) in 1997. The second series involves Kathryn Dance, an interrogator and kinesics expert for the California Bureau of Investigation This started with the novel, The Sleeping Doll, in 2007. Besides these two series, Deaver has written many other stand-alone thrillers. And now, he's added James Bond to the mix.

The title, Carte Blanche, comes from the fact that Bond as a member of the 00 Branch is generally allowed to do whatever is necessary to accomplish his mission for God and country. However, in this mission, that is not the case. The novel actually concerns two different types of crimes/villains. The first one, Severan Hydt, is a gloried trash collector. He has a penchant for viewing dead bodies which his career has allowed him the opportunity to indulge in. He runs one of the world's largest garbage collection and recycling corporations. Due to some relatively serious actions, and a whisper of a much-larger crime that would cripple Britain, Bond sets off on the chase which leads him to South Africa. Although Severan is definitely up to no good, he ultimately is only the face of the greater evil, a plot dealing with warlords and war in Africa.

Since I was already a fan of the Lincoln Rhyme and the earlier Bond novels, I was predisposed to like this book. And I did. The writing was crisp and I found it a pleasure to read. Deaver has updated Bond so that he is now in his thirties during our time instead of an older, most likely retired, Cold War spy. However, I must confess, the notion of a garbage collector, no matter how large the company, didn't really grab me. When I think of James Bond, I think of evil masterminds planning world domination, and although Hydt is somewhat pursuing those goals, I had trouble buying into the plot. Still, I enjoyed it and will certainly read any future Bond novels that Deaver writes.
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Dec 04, 2012 Bücherplanet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ian Flemings Doppel-Null-Agent James Bond wird zu neuem Leben erweckt! Ich muss zugeben, dass ich etwas skeptisch war, da ich mir kaum vorstellen konnte, dass meine Erwartungen an einen James Bond Roman, der nicht vom Erfinder Ian Flemming stammte, wirklich an die Originale herankommen könnte. Gleich vorweg: Er hat meine Erwartungen weit übertroffen. Was Deaver hier abgeliefert hat ist ein wirklich klasse Spionage-Krimi der von der ersten Seite an die Spannung kontinuierlich steigert und mit ein...more Ian Flemings Doppel-Null-Agent James Bond wird zu neuem Leben erweckt! Ich muss zugeben, dass ich etwas skeptisch war, da ich mir kaum vorstellen konnte, dass meine Erwartungen an einen James Bond Roman, der nicht vom Erfinder Ian Flemming stammte, wirklich an die Originale herankommen könnte. Gleich vorweg: Er hat meine Erwartungen weit übertroffen. Was Deaver hier abgeliefert hat ist ein wirklich klasse Spionage-Krimi der von der ersten Seite an die Spannung kontinuierlich steigert und mit einem völlig überraschenden Ende aufwartet. Zu keinem Zeitpunkt kam beim Lesen Langeweile auf. Auch bekannten Figuren wie "M", "Q", "Moneypenny" und "Felix Leitner", Bonds CIA-Freund, erscheinen in diesem Krimi und ließen mich völlig vergessen, dass es sich hier nicht um einen Flemming, oder vielmehr um eine Verfilmung seiner Romane handelt.
Zur Story:
Nach dem von den Engländern eine verschlüsselte Botschaft abgefangen wurde, die einen Anschlag gegen das britische Königreich - mit tausenden Opfern - vermuten lässt, wird Bond, der mittlerweile im Geheimdienst einer neu gegründeten Einheit arbeit, mit der Erkenntnisgewinnung und natürlich der Verhinderung beauftragt. Hiefür erhält 007 eine symbolische Carte Blanche, die ihm völlige Handlungsfreiheit - bis hin zum Ausschalten von potenziellen Gegnern - einräumt.
Schnell kommt Bond auf die Spur von "Severan Hydt", einem skrupellosen global agierenden Abfallverwertungsunternehmer, den er hinter dem Anschlag vermutet. Hydt ist mit seiner Faszination für den Tod - die das Schlimmste vermuten lässt - der klassische Bösewicht, wie man ihn auch aus allen anderen Bond-Romanen und Verfilmungen gewohnt ist. Der Roman, dessen Handlung in der Zeit nach dem 11. September spielt, ist von der Story aktuell und glaubwürdig.

Ein richtig cooler James Bond Krimi aus der Feder von Jeffery Deaver, welchen ich mir durchaus auch als Verfilmung mit Daniel Craig wünschen würde. Von mir gibt's dafür "007", bzw. die möglichen 5 Sterne! (less)

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Dec 02, 2012 Anthony Schultz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, fiction

Since Ian Fleming’s death in 1964 numerous writers have taken up the task of penning James Bond novels in an effort to keep the Fleming and Bond legacy alive and well. Some of these authors have had lengthy runs that have allowed them to frame out their version of the titular character with years of careful growth, however, others have had only a mere moment to make their mark on the famous character. Suffice it to say, some of these authors have been more successful than others, because of thei...more Since Ian Fleming’s death in 1964 numerous writers have taken up the task of penning James Bond novels in an effort to keep the Fleming and Bond legacy alive and well. Some of these authors have had lengthy runs that have allowed them to frame out their version of the titular character with years of careful growth, however, others have had only a mere moment to make their mark on the famous character. Suffice it to say, some of these authors have been more successful than others, because of their respective opportunities.

In particular, I enjoyed John Gardner’s James Bond series, which primarily spanned the 1980’s, as well as Raymond Benson’s more-American take on the most-British of spies.
Recently, the popular fiction author, Jeffrey Deaver, was plucked from the ranks to write the latest 007 novel and on the whole I think he does the series justice. He does not take any chances, but he does hold true to the character and the universe which I think will appease fans but in the end deny them poignancy and relevance.

Deaver begins by taking Bond and bumping him into the twenty-first Century. By doing this, Deaver effectively alters the rules and the environment to create a new stomping ground for Bond to partake in, and because of this drastic change small facets of Bond’s backstory were changed but nothing that compromises the character. Besides these few details Deaver doesn’t really change anything else about the James Bond universe. He stays fairly grounded in the lore, and merely uses the revised setting to make a contemporary tale. As far as research is concerned it probably relieved some potential stress for Deaver as well. All things considering, it is an intelligent decision.

Interestingly enough the plot takes places over the course of a single week. It is quick and seamless. Each scene transitions smoothly to the next and it rarely has slow points because of its rapidity. Also, like most (if not all) James Bond plots, it trots the globe. The introduction takes place in Serbia and finally ends in Sudan with stops in Dubai and of course the United Kingdom.

The first several chapters follow James Bond as he thwarts an Irish hit man from derailing a train and polluting the Danube. This seemingly secluded incident then traces back to the villainous Severan Hydt and a much deeper plot that Bond must unravel before the death toll mounts. Hydt has an affinity for death. He enjoys it so much that he photographs it in order to get off on it privately. Severan is truly a villainous character that fits in to Bond’s wheelhouse of world dominators to a ‘T.’

The plot takes countless twists and turns and introduces various faces; some are familiar, while others are fresh takes on espionage archetypes. In the end and in traditional Jeffrey Deaver fashion, the conclusion is not so neatly sewn up as it may seem. There are numerous twists in the last fifty pages or so, but all-in-all, the good guys win the day and Bond has something left to ponder.

“Carte Blanche” is not the best James Bond book ever written, nor is it the worst. It fires on all necessary cylinders to function accordingly, but it does not go above and beyond. It doesn’t push the boundaries, and unfortunately I think it will be easily forgettable a couple years down the line. With this in mind “Carte Blanche” receives three-and-a-half stars out of five.

“Carte Blanche” is not as in depth as a John le Carré or Joseph Kanon’s novels, but it gets the job done. It is a quick read, and the characters (whether new or not) seem familiar to the reader. Deaver pays homage to Fleming, while simultaneously holding true to his own form.

(SOURCE: Review: Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver)(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 R. Douglas rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The last new Bond book I read was Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming with Devil May Care. I enjoyed that book, and the idea of writing about Bond still in the 1960s but found the storyline to ultimately be lacking. So I was curious what Deaver, an American, would do with this very British character set in contemporary times. His take on Bond is interesting and updates a lot of his history, including the obligatory service in Afghanistan that's required of all current action heroes. I was go...more

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Nov 15, 2012 David Agranoff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, thriller, spy-novel

I have to admit my only prior Deaver experience was seeing the movie based on his novel the Bone Collector. I have always heard good things and it was on my list, but for one reason or another I just failed to get to it.

So when I saw this on the shelf at the library I was interested, mostly because Ian Fleming’s estate had asked Deaver to keep Bond alive in prose, just as they had in film with Casino Royale. This novel recasts Bond as a vet of Nato mission in Afghanistan.

Deaver has done a wonde...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Roger rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was hoping that the combination of one of my favorite authors (Jeffery Deaver) and my favorite fictional characters would be a slam dunk good read. We're bringing Bond into the modern era. I expected more of an influence of the new movie style on Bond: gritty, hard, deeply flawed, emotionally damaged but still likable. Sadly, I was disappointed.

Where the true James Bond (misogynist, elitist, specialist, connoisseur, womanizer) should be is a broken ex-military man with an intense love for his...more I was hoping that the combination of one of my favorite authors (Jeffery Deaver) and my favorite fictional characters would be a slam dunk good read. We're bringing Bond into the modern era. I expected more of an influence of the new movie style on Bond: gritty, hard, deeply flawed, emotionally damaged but still likable. Sadly, I was disappointed.

Where the true James Bond (misogynist, elitist, specialist, connoisseur, womanizer) should be is a broken ex-military man with an intense love for his car, gun and high-expense living. Brought into the 21st Century, this bond is lacking in the characteristics that make the Bond persona enjoyable. It is a sad caricature of the man we know rather than a reboot of the man we wanted.

Should the character be renamed to John Smith, the book could instantly become elevated to better than average, but as a Bond book it is lacking in the subtleties of the Bond persona. Gone is the wit and subtlety of his personality. Absent is the callous disregard and the stiff upper lip. He's a cold fish playing at rich boy games.

The book itself seems to be suffering from editors heavy hand and an apparent commercialism. Every time the automobile is mentioned, it sounds like someone had copied the dialogue from an advertising campaign. Even in the immense bromance with the Bently, there's no passion.

The base story was interesting, but after having read the entire novel, I wondered why I felt as though I had read more of a fluffed short story. Too many pages of irrelevant exposition, not enough internal dialogue. The character does not even share the most interesting points of fact until after they are past. We are not even privvy to the inner working of Bond's mind. He passes the amazing and interesting tricks on after the action has passed as though he's trying to explain the story to a child and the child wouldn't really understand the whys and hows, so he just reveals how brilliant he is afterwards rather than as it happens.

Disappointing in all facets. As a Bond fan, I can't recommend this book except as a sadly canon story that will lead to more novels.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Peter rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What did I think? I just finished reading Jeffery Deaver's book: Garden of Beasts, and that was one hell of a book. Imaginative, smartly done, and a really cool narrative arc. The exposition was terrific, and I sensed the author's passion for the work. It was really well done, an excellent, well written book. However, I cannot say the same for Carte Blanche. It seemed like Deaver was just going through the motions, packing a "new" story about a previously created character into another installme...more What did I think? I just finished reading Jeffery Deaver's book: Garden of Beasts, and that was one hell of a book. Imaginative, smartly done, and a really cool narrative arc. The exposition was terrific, and I sensed the author's passion for the work. It was really well done, an excellent, well written book. However, I cannot say the same for Carte Blanche. It seemed like Deaver was just going through the motions, packing a "new" story about a previously created character into another installment for another movie, and all the product placement that goes with it.

Here's the deal: We're introduced to James Bond, super spy with gadgets and all, he's supposed to be cool, lethal, and match the reader's expectations of all the James Bond's they've known. I'd have to reckon that Deaver got a nice piece of coin to write this, permissions and all, and being "chosen" to pick up the franchise, but it didn't ring true as a stand-alone yarn. The bad guy was a cookie gutter evil sort that most readers have seen some version of before.

The narrative, well written, was peppered with acronyms about all sorts of spy agencies, in fact so frequently I had to go to the glossary in the book to look up sometimes a half dozen set of letters describing one secret agency or another on a page-THAT was distracting, and the action, although nicely brought to life wasn't anything fresh. Like I said, the entertainment industry NEEDED a new Bond movie, Deaver's a good writer, and someone had to put together something to give the Bond series something to hang all the nifty items on-The cars, wristwatches, phones, and other gadgets sometimes overwhelmed the predictable plot: Introduce Bond and all his coolness, his suave way with the ladies, rough and toughness, and contrast it with the bad guy and all his quirky badness, a few henchman, sprinkle in a few fight seems, and there you have it. Just add the theme music, and you have another 007 tale. Like I said, this read like someone had a paycheck over the author's head, attached to a set of products to introduce, and a viable addition to Ian Flemming's original and timely character-It did not ring true in the way Ian Flemming's James Bond did, and after reading the pages felt like I was watching a crummy remake of a decent movie with too many commercials. A rerun at best with nothing really new or original. If you want to read a truly original story with new, truly imaginative unforgettable characters, and great plotting, check out Field of Corns, or Back to Hades: Eustice Seeeney Returns to Hell by DD Cross, or pick up ANY of Lee Child's thrillers. I just wish I could have liked this 007 book, but it was just 50 shades of boring. (less)

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Jul 26, 2012 David added it · review of another edition

Well-all I can say is-it must have seemed a good idea to the publishers at the time! I'm not really a Jeffery Deaver fan-apparently he is some kind of internationally famous author--but there's bits of this that don't ring any where true-e g-

(1)Bond acting as "body guard" to a millionaire's son who is being bullied by a gang of Chavs-he sorts them out-then gets there names and addresses from their driving licences-which they are carrying with them!!Chav bullies with driving licences??? and what...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Jerome rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well paced.
But, while Deaver is intent on reiterating Bond’s tastes in fast cars, sharp attire, and quality booze, he misses what originally made 007 such an iconic figure. Ian Fleming’s James Bond, arising from the conformism of the 1950s, carried the appeal of being an outsider within the system, someone who exercised the freedom of his “licensed-to-kill” status to create his own rules, bucking convention. Fleming’s Bond worked on very long tether from HQ as he pursued his quarries, as in his...more Well paced.
But, while Deaver is intent on reiterating Bond’s tastes in fast cars, sharp attire, and quality booze, he misses what originally made 007 such an iconic figure. Ian Fleming’s James Bond, arising from the conformism of the 1950s, carried the appeal of being an outsider within the system, someone who exercised the freedom of his “licensed-to-kill” status to create his own rules, bucking convention. Fleming’s Bond worked on very long tether from HQ as he pursued his quarries, as in his search for his nemeses from SPECTRE. He could be cold and arrogant, definitely not a team player. While a reader certainly roots for him, there are occasions that same reader might not be sure whether he likes him. Critics even came to characterize him an “anti-hero.” (In contrast to Deaver, the cinematic reboot casting Daniel Craig as 007 actually captures these character traits quite well.)

Deaver, on the other hand, wants to have a likeable James Bond, who loves his parents, cares about world hunger, only wounds his attackers if he doesn’t absolutely have to kill them, and is always “phoning home.” His relationships with all his colleagues at HQ are warm and chummy. His apartment decorations reflect sentimentality. Even in pursuit of a bad guy, Bond takes time to “smell the flowers,” noticing the beauty of his surroundings. At one point, Deaver has Bond asked himself, “What would M do in this situation?”—something Fleming’s Bond would never be caught doing. This is a sanitized Boy’s Life version of James Bond (an appropriate metaphor in more ways than one, since the book feels like it was written at a sixth-grade level).
this new Bond is so pleasant, so likable that he berates himself for being annoyed by irritating minor characters.

Also, the whole point of Bond is that he is supposed to be an unpleasant, intensely snobbish bore who manipulates and exploits any weakness in people for his selfish ends. Especially other people who lack his all consuming passion for life at the edge and all its finest rewards and pleasures. But Flemming cleverly tempered this personalty with the background of a tragic childhood and the product of an English boarding school upbringing resulting in a longing to look up to authority father figures such as 'M'.

Ian Flemming brilliantly held up the closeted and biggotted attitudes held by society and demonstrated its hypocrisy when Bond thunders and crashes into any situation requiring his ruthless efficiency.

But do we get the modern equivalent with the Carte Blanche Bond? Will you be shaken, and stirred? Will Carte Blanche's licence to kill have you in Bond's gun sights? No, no, and NO! What we get is Bond the bleeding heart liberal who wakes with night sweats and troubled conscience for sleeping with a woman when he may be falling for a work colleague. WE get the errant Knight Sir Galahad who puts the beautiful and vulnerable date in a taxi and waves goodbye lest he be tempted to take advantage....OMG. WHy oh Why is Bond so wet?

The villain is a childish cardboard cut-out, and there's LOTS of detail on the food people order.(less)

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Apr 16, 2012 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Ian Fleming created James Bond he made him dispassionate, cruel, lethal; a smoking and drinking womaniser who would quite literally stop at nothing to reach his objective.
Jeffrey Deaver has created a Bond for the 21st Century, and makes me yearn for a different era.

Here we have a Bond who shoots to wound (in the elbow for God's sake) because he does not like killing. He gets very upset with a colleague in South Africa who uses the term 'coloured', so upset that it is still playing on his mi...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Bryan Higgs rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, suspense

It's been a very long time since I read a James Bond novel -- and I've only ever read 'authentic' ones, really written by Ian Fleming. So, when I came across this one in the new books display in our local library, I decided to give it a go.

I gather that there have been a number of James Bond novels commissioned (if that's the right word) by the Ian Fleming estate, after Ian Fleming's death. This one really doesn't capture the James Bond 'mystique' that I knew, at all. His repartee doesn't pass m...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Mark Schnell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yes, this novel is most definitely a "reboot" of the Bond franchise. Wait....let me amend that. It's more than a reboot -- it's a wipe and load, with a thorough de-gaussing of the hard-drive in between.

So although I found this to be a good story, I don't accept the author's new backstory to Bond. But since I as a reader am permitted to bring to and take from a book almost anything I want (since there won't be a test on it!), I am free to reject the author's placement of the modern Bond in time...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Darrell Reimer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hadn't read Jeffrey Deaver prior to picking up Carte Blanche , the latest James Bond thriller commissioned by the Ian Fleming Estate. If this book is indicative of Deaver's craft, my ignorance was bliss.

Deaver takes a “Roadrunner” approach to Ian Fleming's hero: the wily villain paints an elaborate and seemingly foolproof scheme to corner our hero, only to discover at the moment of execution that the tables have been utterly reversed. The appeal of this uniquely American variety of thriller de...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was excited to read the latest James Bond, especially since it was going to be a modern Bond, much like Daniel Craig portrays in the new movies. For me he has revitalized the series, moving away from the over the top cartoonish aspects of the previous few Bonds, and going more towards the hard hitting thriller agent a la Jason Bourne and the like. This really hit home when I read Devil May Care awhile back featuring a period Bond; a very boring book.

Jeffrey Deaver, an outstanding thrill write...more I was excited to read the latest James Bond, especially since it was going to be a modern Bond, much like Daniel Craig portrays in the new movies. For me he has revitalized the series, moving away from the over the top cartoonish aspects of the previous few Bonds, and going more towards the hard hitting thriller agent a la Jason Bourne and the like. This really hit home when I read Devil May Care awhile back featuring a period Bond; a very boring book.

Jeffrey Deaver, an outstanding thrill writer, was commissioned to write the new books after he praised Ian Fleming in an award acceptance speech as a great influence. He has managed to bring the written Bond up to date with a believable plot, and realistic bad guys. The villains are a businessman willing to do some horrific things for money, and an idealist who has lost sight of what is right. The latter forgets the ends do not justify the means. Bond is outfitted with nifty gadgets and can actually communicate and travel with equipment more sophisticated then what we the general public gets. So no more pay phones for our hero.

The downside of the book, and thus the 3.5 star rating, is two fold. One I blame on circumstance and the other on the author. First, Deaver’s respect for Fleming and his writing style bleeds through every page, and that is not necessarily a good thing. Every conversation is laced with exhaustive product name dropping and over the top descriptive elements of every finer thing Bond enjoys. The food descriptions alone outnumber all other dining experiences in the last 100 books I have read and they all read like the menu romance copy found at a mid level restaurant chain. Not having read the original Fleming before I assume it was all there as an homage to his style; because I have read several of Deaver’s previous books and that was not to be found.

The second problem I had was the extremely stilted dialogue between Bond and every attractive female character in the book. For someone who is supposed to be the smooth ladies man Deaver totally missed the mark here. The conversations just seemed awkward and were all dependent on extremely obscure personal preferences they would both have in common. MS. Two Boobs Johnson (points for that reference) would make an whacky statement like she preferred Penguin cutlets that were prepared in Boolooroog New Zealand, but only if the penguin was left handed. And the Bond would smile knowingly, thinking this woman was amazing because everybody knows the right handed ones were total shyte. Once, maybe; but the book was full of this sort of thing.

At the end of the day it was a good book and the thriller portion was brought up to date. A must read for all Bond fans, especially the modern Bond. But for me to stick with the eventual series Deaver is going to need to move away from the Fleming style and more into his own ballpark, plus learn how to write a smooth ladies man in conversation.
(less)

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Oct 03, 2011 Bill Garrison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bestselling author Jeffrey Deaver has taken over Ian Fleming's James Bond franchise in the novel CARTE BLANCHE. Deaver has a lot to live up to and I think he more than lives up to the expectations of the Bond fandom. Bond and Deaver fans should both enjoy this novel, although it might fall short of expectations on both counts. I've read a few Deaver novels, and almost all Bond novels (except the ones by Fleming). I knew what to expect in a Bond novel, and Deaver delivers it.

Deaver sort of reboot...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Stephen Embry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deaver's take on Bond, not quite as satisfying as Fleming, but adequate. Deaver tries to update Bond and turn him into a modern, more sensitive man, but the essence of Bond is bound to a 1950's perceptive, but insensitive cold warrior sure of his moorings. Fleming's novels appeal because Bond is revealed through his actions, rather than his musings, and his actions rather than action. More than half of Moonraker is filled with the delights of dinner and driving as enjoyed by Bond, action and adv...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Mo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

From ReadingWithMo: http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/07/...

Probably the most popular fictional spy, James Bond, was created by British author Ian Fleming. He authored twelve novels and two collections of short stories featuring agent 007. After his death, James Bond lived on in new novels from authors Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastion Faulks, and now Jeffery Deaver.

I was pretty excited when I found out Deaver was writing the next Bond novel. I have been a huge fan of his wo...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Daniel Cann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The problem facing every author tackling James Bond is they will always be compared to creator Ian Fleming’s version. The other issue for them will be the public’s own expectations and understanding of the character. Everyone has their own interpretation and with millions having read the books and an estimated one fifth of the world’s population having seen at least one of the films then best-selling crime author Jeffery Deaver had a thankless task on his hands.

In a bold move Deaver has opted to...more

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Aug 20, 2011 False Millennium rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oddly enough, last summer I re-read all of Ian Fleming. I felt that over time (and it had been quite a while in first reading) the movies had distorted what Fleming meant James Bond to be. It was eye opening. Bond doesn't obsess over drinking martinis. He has the occasional cocktail. He drinks whiskey, wine and champagne--a lot of champagne.

More often than not he orders fish or shellfish for dinner. He loves crab and lobster. He loves "avocado pear" salads. He changes his guns. He drives differe...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Bjoern rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, thriller, james-bond

I've been intrigued after reading that a new James Bond adventure not related to the (not quite my liking anymore) Craig-Movies will be published, so i preordered this volume and was rather anxious for it to be delivered.

What's to say about the book? Well, it had a fascinating premise in that it not only avoids too many similarities to the movie-Bond but all around seems to try a reboot of the franchise as it is. Bond has arrived in the 2010s and his secret organization has moved with him... the...more I've been intrigued after reading that a new James Bond adventure not related to the (not quite my liking anymore) Craig-Movies will be published, so i preordered this volume and was rather anxious for it to be delivered.

What's to say about the book? Well, it had a fascinating premise in that it not only avoids too many similarities to the movie-Bond but all around seems to try a reboot of the franchise as it is. Bond has arrived in the 2010s and his secret organization has moved with him... the 00 department is no longer part of the officiel MI6 foreign intelligence service but was outsourced to its own service, the "Overseas development group" or ODG. Somewhat reminiscencing of his classic cover-persona of an employee for "global export", but still well inside the world of TLA letter soup to sound authentic. Bond is a famous agent that was casted from the ranks of defense intelligence just a few years ago and his parents still died in the swiss alpes. but now in 1990 not in the forties...

Does this antiageing cure go well with the man who has the license to kill? I can't really decide. Sometimes i've catched myself wishing that he would be back in the sixties in the classical Fleming novels where black and white were clearly recognizable and the stuff he was fighting against was no less and no more than total world domination by the russkis or some sinister international crime syndicate. Like the movies this book tends to downscale it a little bit too much to feel really bond-y, even if this world is the truly globalized world out of our windows... offices in singapore or Haiti are nothing uncommon and his cases send Bond once around the globe. It's just the glimmer, the glory of truly world changing deeds that seems to be missing here. Just give him a couple of Martinis, several young women with tongue-in-cheek-names to "court" or rather post-modernistic to seduce and use (as they try to do to him vice-versa), a fast car or two and some shiny gimmicks that sound just at the edge of being possible without being boring every day stuff anybody could posess does not make a story a Bond novel. It's the villain who truly makes the deal and even if we've got a true shock of them in this book, no one really excels so that for more than a third his closest "ally" gets the role of the most fascinating antagonist because nobody else was willing to fulfil this role...

So it's a mixed experience. The book is not without suspense, not without wit or creative plot elements, it's not absolutely non-bond-y but still there is something missing to make the experience a full Bond-adventure. Just like the movies... those with silly entrepreneurial adversaries just didn't catch. Bond needs at least a whole country to oppose for him to show his best sides. Hopefully the next volume will be able to give him that back. Till then he'll stay a shadow of his former self and a weak echo of his once shattering roar of a reputation.(less)

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title link	preview: Carte Blanche 007: The New James Bond Novel
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11726609-carte-blanche-007?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348774618l/11726609.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11726609-carte-blanche-007?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Carte Blanche 007: The New James Bond Novel by Jeffery Deaver[/url]

Carte Blanche 007: The New James Bond Novel (James Bond (Extended Series) #37)

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