Review: "Codename 17F Is On A Mission"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 24, 2013
Step back in time ... Jan 1, 1945, the setting is London, wartorn and weary from the bombings and destruction of World War II.  Everyone is suffering, rich or poor, from the deprivation.  This book opens with Ian Fleming living with Ann Charteris O'Neill, who was recently widowed and retained her husband's lavish suite at the Dorchester.  He's not comfortable living in her suite, but the war must come to an end before he can move on.  Ian Fleming, in reality, was deeply involved in the war as a Lieutenant Commander, Codename 17F. He was the personal assistant to Rear Admiral John Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence of the Royal Navy.  Ian is called to a special meeting of the major war strategists, referred to as "The Boys," comprising John Godfrey, Lewis Blake, Gilbert Hargreaves, Hugh Drake, and Dilly Knox. The topic is Parsifal, where an underground society (comprised of bankers, big business officials) lead by Wolfgang Krupp, Colonel Martin Zeiss, and Captain Franz Stransky, who are seeking to bring down Adolph Hitler and replace him with Zeiss or Stransky.  Ian's mission is to travel to Cairo and bring back Peter Ugarte, who is Krupp's right-hand man.  Ugarte has fled to Cairo with Maria Lustbaden, who is Krupp's fiancee.  There are many historical facts enhanced by fictional accounts as Ian Fleming pursues his mission to completeness.  Author Damian Stevenson has started a series of historical fiction stories where James Bond creator, Ian Fleming, is the true hero based on his real service in Naval British Intelligence during the 1940's.  Stevenson craftily combines fact with exciting, high-action fiction and has done intensive research to reveal Ian Fleming's true involvement in Naval Intelligence where he developed some most imaginative operations during the war.  I personally believe the ultimate achievement in Stevenson's writing of this series about Ian Fleming will result in major motion pictures depicting him as the true hero behind James Bond.