A rather updated Bond-type novel, incorporating many well-known characters including, off-stage, 007 himself. Some good action, technology and suspense but I found it a bit hard to keep track of so many sub-plots and changes of scene.

This is a good story for bond lovers, as you see the return of some much loved characters, and the whole premise is around several 00 characters. The main issue I had with the story is that you’re following several 00s at the same time and it can change with each chapter, so not only are you reading from a different character’s perspective, it’s also a completely different story, so you really need to have your brain in gear to keep up with it all. Personally I prefer having just 1 storyline at any one time, like the original bond series, but it’s worth a punt for any bond fans

Double or Nothing retains the best of the characteristics from the Bond books and films: a classic adversary in a suitably egregious billionaire with a plan to change the world, a variety of glamorous (and less glamorous) locations, and just-beyond-probable gadgets and escapes. It’s also firmly rooted in Fleming’s style with its descriptions of clothes, brands and cars. Beyond that, though, it takes flight with differences. Moneypenny is now in charge of the 00 section and we get to know more of the agents, a properly diverse bunch defined by their differences and similarities to James.
In the best Bond tradition, locations are key. We take in Syria, Siberia and Macau, among others; I particularly enjoyed the scene set in the Barbican – it has seemingly endless possibilities for chase scenes. We’re presented with scenarios that verge on the improbable but are rooted in reality. The advantage of having multiple agent protagonists is the opportunity to have more than one life-or-death scene playing out at once. This is particularly effective towards the end of the book, with chapters alternating between locations and each having a cliffhanger ending.
Kim Sherwood’s take on 007 has a healthy relationship of nods to the Bond world (a very specific martini recipe) and gentle mocking of it. I think she’s done a top-notch job in this first in a trilogy ‘expanding the James Bond universe’.

Well Double or Nothing is a great insight into the 00 universe.
With our beloved James Bond 007 missing assumed dead it's up to three other 00's to help keep the world at peace.
This book gives you more insight into the 00 status and good on Kim the author to go out of the Bond box with a female 00,who has a relationship with an Asian 00 also a gay 00.
There is of course everyone's favourite characters along the way including Miss Moneypenny, Q and M are all in the book aswell. So some familiar faces as well as new ones.
This has everything you want in a Bond book,action,adventure, chases and of course the bad guy!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and eagerly anticipating the next one.

Interesting story if you like James Bond stories fast paced and good characters. 007 is missing and three other 00s are looking for him whilst dealing with a wealthy philanthropist and an evil cartel. The characters are likeable and have their own characteristics.
The story is set around climate change which is modern and up to date.
Would recommend if you like James Bond or spy stories.
Thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK for a advanced copy.

007 is missing and three other 00s are looking for him whilst dealing with a wealthy philanthropist and an evil cartel.

I had high hopes for this book but post-Bond it was a little too woke for my tastes with electric cars and a gay Black 004.

Three main protagonists are two too many for me as it complicates the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishing for the chance to review this book

It takes a lot to take on the Bond title and carry on a legacy well known to us, and I think Kim Sherwood has done such a good job! Thrilling turns and a paced storyline, this plot is everything you want it to be and more! Huge well done, and I couldn’t recommend more!!

I found this hard to get into at first, but kept reading and quite enjoyed it. I feel there is too much description, which slows the pace down. Great idea for a story involving climate change which makes the book very current. I was invested in the characters and would definitely read the next instalment.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins, HarperFiction for an advance copy of Double or Nothing, the first novel set in a post James Bond MI6 and featuring three younger agents, Johanna Harwood aka 003, Joseph Dryden aka 004 and Sid Bashir aka 009.

Entrepreneur Sir Bertram Paradise claims to be able to reverse climate change with his technology, a claim that interests not just governments but more nefarious groups. MI6 sends its best and brightest, 003, 004 and 009 to test that claim and save the world.

I was invited to read Double or Nothing and despite my belief that James Bond books are very boring in their writing style, an idea formed in my teens when I first read them forty odd years ago, I decided to accept the invitation. I’m not sure that it was one of my better decisions as the novel is very much a mixed bag.

The basic premise of the novel is current and existential - a fight for control of a computer that can possibly reverse climate change. It has a nod to Ian Fleming’s work with James Bond, who disappeared 17 months earlier, hovering as an unseen role model for these modern agents over the entire narrative. I think that it is a very visual novel with plenty of action scenes and exotic locations and I imagine it was written with one eye on a film or television deal, because I don’t believe it works particularly well as a novel.

The first problem with the novel is the three protagonists. It’s a good idea in theory, or even in a script, but three characters with three different areas of engagement means a lot of keeping up and an ever changing point of view. It makes the read choppy and not particularly compulsive. The next problem for me was the writing. It is overblown and as a result the novel is too long. It might be billed as a spy novel, but at heart it is an action thriller and the action loses something as it gets bogged down in the language. It lacks the sharpness of a really good thriller. I don’t even know where to start with the spy aspect of the novel. There is cross, double cross and even triple cross with all the characters lying to each other and obscuring things from their bosses. I gave up trying to understand who was doing what. Again, a bit more sharpness would have made things much clearer and easier to understand, but I suppose opacity is a feature of their murky world.

I didn’t particularly like the characters, but then I didn’t really get to know them, too busy trying to keep up with their antics. Joseph Dryden is the most human and likeable of them, maybe because his role is the most straightforward.

Needless to say computers and their power play a large role in this novel. I found some of it believable, but mostly I found their limits baffling. They don’t pick up simple things that should be their bread and butter, like cyber security, and, yet, can rewire a man’s brain.

Double or Nothing is not for me. It’s slow and implausible in parts and I think parts 2 & 3 of the trilogy will follow much of the same thread.. Put simply there is no exhilaration in the read and there should be.

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I love the James Bond stories and I’m pleased to say that a few of the main characters stay present (M, Q & Moneypenny). While going on this new Double O adventure James Bond shadow is continuously present. Making this a new spin while remaining the major 007 feeling. It’s quick paced, with multiple POVs and continuous action. Loved the climate control element as it is a current issue. Quite impressed overal as Flemming’s shoes are tough to follow.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
James Bond
Short chapters
Climate crisis
Mole/traitor

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘐6’𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯!
007 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴…
𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥, 003. 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩 𝘋𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯, 004. 𝘚𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳, 009. 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘐6. 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴…
𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

Excellent. Very fast paced, exciting characters, intricate storyline not knowing who was on which side. Really great read - would also make an excellent film. Loved it.

As a long time fan of James Bond, I was delighted to be invited to read this book, which extends the franchise courtesy of a new (to me) writer.

I really enjoyed reading this - we are introduced to several new "00" agents in the absence of James Bond 007 himself (he is missing!), and the plot features a cast of new and familiar supporting characters. The characters are well written, and there are red herrings to keep you guessing.

The plot is set in several different places, and there is plenty of action and suspense.

A great start to what I hope will be a series of new "00" novels. I look forward to reading more by this author (who is writing with the blessing of Ian Fleming's family).

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

An ambitious step into the world of MI6 and its 00 agents building on and adding to the well established James Bond series by Ian Fleming. Bond is missing in action but step up 003, 004 and 009 who embark on a thrilling if somewhat far fetched at times adventures

Not my normal choice but thought I'd give it a go! Certainly action packed and exciting but loads to keep track of...and for me this detracted from my enjoyment. Think I prefer Bond movies....but great that the author has continued with 007 where Ian Fleming left off.
Not for me..but am sure Bond fans will love it

The return of James Bond, although he’s actually missing, is likely to be warmly welcomed. This book uses old and new characters and that works well. It is a complicated read with a large caste and venues across many countries. The question for the reader is to guess who are the goodies and who is the leak. Readers should also be prepared for multiple shootings and betrayals. There were times when reading it that it seemed too complicated but the latter part sorts it albeit with more shooting and, at the end, sadness. This is a story which would be good on film. If you like spy stories, this will satisfy you hugely.

This book is set in the 007 universe. In it we meet 3 new spies after 007 has gone missing, presumed dead. This definitely isn’t my usual kind of book but I really enjoyed it and absolutely speed through it! It starts slow but definitely picks up to become a good thriller.

James Bond is missing - presumed dead - but the 00 programme continues without him, introducing this audience to three new spies. There are plenty of nods to the original books (although as only a casual reader I'm sure there were loads that I missed) which help to give the book a familiar feel despite the new characters.

The plot was good, with all of the action and pacing that you would expect. However, that did mean there was a lot to follow, and at times a bit too much action.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a fast moving spy thriller as expected but it felt a bit disjointed and I found it difficult to engage with the characters. The main issue was the possibility of a mole in the service and really dreadful injuries being sustained while solving the mystery. Fascinating technology was very interesting!
Recommended for spy enthusiasts.

I must confess to not having read any of Ian Fleming's James Bond thrillers, lazily immersing myself in the Bond films instead. So, Fleming's writing style is an unknown. Having finished Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood it has piqued my interest. It's a very good thriller with a cleverly contrived plot and it would have got a five star review had it not been for the writing style. For me, Laurie Lee is a wordsmith par excellence, he can evoke so much using a perfectly fitting adjective. In contradistinction Kim Sharwood sentences can evoke fingernails scraping a chalkboard by using ill-fitting combinations, this sadly changed the reading experience from fluid to stilted. In this novel, 007 has yet to be found but the novel concludes with being one step nearer, so I hazard a guess Kim will be writing more in the Bond theme.

Double or Nothing in the first novel in a new series by Kim Sherwood that expands the James Bond universe and includes many of the well-known characters from that same world, including M, Ms Moneypenny, Tanner etc.
This time around, Bond is not the main character but rather a shadowy figure whose influence plays a continuous role on the new Double Os, 003, 004 and 009. In short: Johanna Harwood, 003. Joseph Dryden, 004 and Sid Bashir, 009. Bond is in fact missing and has been been for 17 months now. It is unknown if he is dead or has defected (apparently the notion of Bond just taking retirement is inconceivable).
I've always has mixed feelings about the Bond movies - yes, the effects are incredible, the storylines fantastic but the level of misogyny are difficult to ignore. It is to Sherwood's credit that she has addressed this aspect in your work and re-created a familiar universe but one where the female in undoubtedly as deadly as the male if not deadlier. And the plot is an fantastic as any of Fleming's with plenty of fight scenes to satisfy even the most ardent Bond fan.