From Russia With Love
James Bond series, book five
Ian Fleming

SMERSH wants James Bond dead and they've got just the bait to lure agent 007 into their trap: Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose "defection" could tip the balance of power between East and West. She's asked for passage to Paris with Bond as her chaperone in exchange for a top secret decoding machine. Bond knows he can't trust her, but even he can't see the double cross that's coming on their journey aboard the legendary Orient Express.
To survive the train ride from Istanbul, 007 will need to keep his wits about him and his Beretta close at hand - not easy to do with the seductive Romanova sharing his cabin. And before he can close the book on this Cold War cat and mouse game, he'll have to deal with Red Grant, SMERSH's deadliest assassin, and sinister operations chief Rosa Klebb, five feet four inches of pure killing power.

So far, this is my favorite of the Bond novels and I have a feeling it might stay this way. This is everything a James Bond novel should be and Fleming has come a very long way in his writing skills since the first novel in this series.

The first half or so of this book doesn't even involve Bond - it involves the Russians, SMERSH, and Tatiana Romanova and their plans for Bond. It's interesting to really get into the head of the other side for once. When Bond does enter the picture, he's not the perfect spy that he usually is. Not only does he end up getting a friend killed, but, even though he knows not to trust Tatiana, he still begins to fall for her.

Also, the ending is amazingly impressive and is very surprising. It's not what is expected, shows Bond to be human and able to make mistakes, and makes you want to start the next novel immediately to see what happens to him.

This is all very well put together. From addressing what happened to Case from the last novel, to Bond finally showing a softer side, to the unexpected ending, this book has it all. It's also a perfect mixture of action, suspense, and plot.

I am thoroughly impressed with this installation in the Bond series and would highly recommend it. While it's best to read the series from the start, it would be possible to read this one without being too confused.

My rating: Five out of five snails.