‘James Bond Is Missing And Time Is Running Out…’- cover tag line.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Double or Nothing’ by Kim Sherwood.

This is the first in a new official trilogy that expands on the Bond universe. The premise is that James Bond, Agent 007, is missing. His current whereabouts are unknown and there is concern that he may have been killed by a sinister private military company.

We are introduced to a new generation of spies representing MI6’s best and brightest. They are Johanna Harwood (003), Joseph Dryden (004), and Sid Bashir (009). The familiar figure of Miss Moneypenny is now Chief of the Double 0 Section and the narrative is peppered with familiar characters as well as references from the original books.

The main plot focuses on Tech billionaire Sir Bertram Paradise, who claims that he can reverse the climate crisis and save the planet. The new spies are tasked with finding out if there is any truth to this. At the same time, M and Moneypenny are searching for a mole in MI6.

The narrative perspective moves between the various characters and there was plenty of action and the kind of twists common to spy thrillers.

Kim Sherwood is a life long fan of James Bond and in her Acknowledgements expressed her delight to have been chosen by the Fleming family to write this new addition to the extended Bond series.

While I tend prefer my spy fiction a little more cerebral, I found ‘Double or Nothing’ an engaging and entertaining spy thriller and am looking forward to Book 2.

This is an interesting take on the Bond stories, however, I found it difficult to follow the authors descriptions of action scenes in particular. The story moved along nicely but had periods of distraction which made made the flow difficult.

Kim Sherwood is given the world of Bond but this is not a standard Bond tale. Other double 0 agents take centre stage and there are all the ingredients of a classic Bond story - gadgets, multiple countries, danger, shadowy orgainsations hellbent on chaos etc.

The story is, apparently, the first one of three and I look forward to future instalments. Given that Bond is so well known Sherwood does an impressive job of givin the other double 0 agents personalities and backstories while pushing the plot along at a cracking pace.

If you love Bond or spy stories then you will probably love this, I did 5/5.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Spies, double agents, a couple of dangerous criminals who want to destroy the world for their own profit, and the most famous 00 agent missing. This novel has it all!

Even though the plot is intriguing and full of twists, it took me a while to get going and sometimes I had trouble following the narrative, but as the story progresses and the characters become more familiar, I found myself finally getting into the story. The characters are very complex and multi-layered, and, even though he is only present through the memories of the other characters, 007 remains one of the protagonists of the story.

The agents in Her Majesty’s secret service need to uncover the truth about a billionaire’s claim that he can reverse climate change and also try to figure out the truth about James Bond’s disappearance. Loyalties are tested and truths are revealed with a cliffhanger at the end that I didn’t really expect.

Violent and entertaining with the 00's gimmick from Bond thrillers loads of fun. The graphic horrors foisted on people are awfully numerous (repetitive?) And each time meant to heighten and be worse .. from torture to derring do. Very professionally written .. but apart from unrelenting violence and untrustworthy Characters (is Moneypenny truly a baddie?) ...so we don't always know where we (or they) stand .. there are re so many contributing agents etc I never knew if Bashir and Harwood were on or off as lovers/ friends nor could I keep enemies straight ..who was who ... but very slick, promising writing ...

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the opportunity to read and review the first in the series of the exciting new James Bond trilogy trilogy. It seems to pick up from the end of the last movie with James Bond missing and follows new MI6 agents Johanna Harwood - 003, Joseph Dryden - 004 and Sid Bashir - 009.

An interesting plot and a lot of new characters added to the mix. For me it is an interesting twist on the Bond series, and I like the idea. I did get a bit confused as there seems to be a lot of characters and names and found myself wondering who was who at times.

I've not read any previous Bond books, but do love the film s and not read anything by Kim Sherwood before so was able to go in with a fresh mind. Great plot and twists, but confused by characters a little,

All said, a solid read and look forward to seeing where this goes next.

This is an interesting book as it brings the concept of the 00's into this century. Instead of the old concept that they are all white only males , we are given a diverse group covering all ethnicities, backgrounds and sexes. Although the main man 007, still features in the book, he has been missing for some time now and nobody knows if he is dead or alive. There is plenty going on in the story to the point that if you put the book down for any length of time, you may find yourself, quite literally, losing the plot !! The story flits back and forth from the 00's time in previous situations to their current ones and there is plenty of double if not triple crossing going on throughout it. Once everything falls into place , it is an enjoyable read even if I wasn't too keen on some of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

007 is missing presumed dead ...but the double 00s have to carry on with their jobs even whilst following up on all the leads with their hunt to find him

a tech billionaire has found a way to help with climate control or will it turn him into an enemy of the state...

its a good job they made the james bond films because after reading ian flemings books which put me off i did wonder how i was going to get on with this book and though i struggled with the descriptions of technology the action and pace wasnt to bad....

and i felt for the double 00's and i began to like them....they are each different characters which added to the appeal...so yes i would carry on reading this series when it comes out, its an interesting shake on this theme

A dream for every bond fan. 007 is missing so in come all the other 00's. Is everyone who they appear to be? An eventful and fast paced read.

Not sure whether this was supposed to be serious or tongue in cheek! What it wasn’t was Ian Fleming!! I won’t be reading the next 2 in the trilogy

Author and life-long 007 fan Kim Sherwood's mission begins with a hunt for a missing James Bond and introduces a host of new Double Os – pulling the agency kicking and screaming into the 2020s with a, perhaps, box ticking exercise. But the author does also tick the appropriate boxes you’d expect from a Bond-related adventure.

Top tech gadgetry? Tick.
Car chases (including electric)? Tick.
Explosions, gunfire and fist fights? Tick.
Characters intent on saving the world but actually world domination on their agenda? Tick.
Possible Double Agents? Tick.

As a complete Bond literary novice (I’ve not read any of the original books) it’s difficult to say whether nobody does it better than Ian Fleming himself – but fair play to the author for accepting this seemingly mission impossible. Kim does a diamond job with a licence to thrill a whole new generation of readers of the spy genre. And she completes the assignment admirably after a slow burn of a start and perhaps too many characters to keep track of, even with a Q tracking device employed.

That being said, if you’re a Bond fan then – despite his absence – there’s enough thrills and action here to keep you fully satisfied until the next book or movie, whichever comes first.

Of course it wouldn’t be Bond without its cast of infamous characters like M, Q and Moneypenny – and the author has a golden eye when it comes to what readers may want and need from this novel. There’s easter eggs, wisecracks worthy of the man himself and clever nods to the franchise throughout – all in all, it’s a 004 read.

This is billed as the first of a planned trilogy so James Bond may well yet return. Never say never again.

My thanks to publisher Harper Collins UK and Net Galley for this ARC.

A spy thriller following on from Ian Fleming's James Bond books, where double o agents are not as they first seem. A complex plot which is fast paced right to the end.

I read the original Bond books as a teenager in the 1960s and was blown away by a totally different type of storytelling. A peek inside the secret service, glamour and exotic locations, a host of characters that one would never meet in real life and lots of whizzy gadgetry that fitted with the optimism of the space age. I’ve read and enjoyed all the original Bond books and I haven’t followed up with any of the ‘sequels’ by other authors.

When I read the blurb for this, I wasn’t convinced I’d enjoy the story, but to my surprise, I found it absorbing. Packed with characters and technical wizardry, it’s totally implausible in many ways, but also thoroughly engaging. It’s in the spirit of the original books with manic world dominating baddies, fast paced with ‘will they, won’t they ‘ be able to save the world action and if you go with that flow, I found it well written totally escapist fiction. Considering the themes, some 60 years on, are potentially a little hackneyed, this story breathes life into the genre and brings it bang up to date. I’m really pleased I gave it a try and Kim Sherwood deserves acclaim for a refreshing take on 007.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I very much enjoyed this. I wasn't sure what to expect despite reading the blurb., I've read a number of Fleming's books and thought writing a book about other 00s was a sizeable task. Kim Sherwood does this well. Each of the 00s we meet are complex and well fleshed out characters. They're flawed and brave and exactly what you'd hope a 00 agent would be.
The plot races along at a steady pace. I got a little confused during some of the action scenes as to who was doing what and needed to read and reread those parts but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book and feel it's a great addition to the 00 library of books.
With thanks to Netgalley for an ARC. I can confirm this is an honest and unbiased review.

I loved this. I'm a fan of the later James Bond, not having seen many of the older ones. I've never read any of the original books either, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
It's a real rollercoaster of a thriller. Bond is missing, three new spies have to find him. There's lots of characters and a fast-paced storyline so it does take some concentration, but I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable adaptation.

Not nearly as good as the William Boyd novel. The book's main problem is that it can't make up it's mind whether it is a follow on from the books or a follow on from the films. Given the timelines it can't realistically be a follow on from the books so it should have nailed its colours to the mast and gone with the films. Not a bad book but missed its mark. It also suffers from multiple characters who are all 00 rather than the original idea which was just focused on Bond. The book feels much more like fan fiction than a book and for this reason it scores low. Had it not been Bond related it would have been an OK read but the Bond element brings it down.

If you love the world of James Bond you will love this. A few familiar names and some new 00 secret agents. This is a fast paced thrilling ride. Very entertaining

James Bond is missing and a few 00 agents have been KIA. Three members of the 00 section are tasked with a mission to investigate a billionaire industrialist and work out if there are links to Bond’s disappearance. Lots of familiar faces, M, Monneypenny, Tanner etc and, of course, some new 00 agents.
Not part of the official Bond series (evidenced brilliantly by Anthony Horowitz’s recent With A Mind To Kill), this is more of a companion piece. Very different to a Fleming novels which tend to get straight into the action with throw away women and a cruel and dangerous Bond. Here there is more by way of relationships and interaction alongside the action. One of the 00s is female and has a relationship with another 00 who is Asian. Our other featuring 00 is gay, so a very slight sense that boxes are being ticked to bring the intelligence services into 2022. Lots of fun cameos and nods to Bond history in there too.
Ms Author writes well, occasionally trying a tad too hard (lots of mentioning of the watches people wear) but she gets a lot right too. Once you get your head out of the “it’s a Bond novel” headspace, it’s quite good fun. I suspect that the next one will be even better now that characters are established and, no real spoiler, Bond is still missing.

Double crossing, intrigue and thrills-this book has everything you want from a bond novel.

The new kids on the block add another angle to the typical bond story and getting to know these characters and whether they can be trusted is great.

The unknown whereabouts of bond gives this a good thriller edge and if you like bond you’ll love this.

I enjoyed this twenty-first-century take on the classic Bond series with its complex characters, twisty plot and vivid locations. The story's central theme of Climate Change is relatable and thought-provoking. The 00 characters are diverse and immersive, drawing the reader into a dangerous world of espionage. Iconic Bond characters also feature which define the story. There is a good balance of action and reflective detail, and the characterisation of the 00 players invests the reader in them. The glamorous settings also define the Bond series and those featured here too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.