Scorpius (Ian Fleming's James Bond)
The "rule of law and every Englishman's way of life" may depend, as M says, on James Bond's thwarting the villain Scorpius, but the shakiness of the plot and the pat finale will disappoint fans of 007. The start is promising: a young heiress, an ex-heroine addict, drowns in the Thames and her address book contains only Bond's phone number. She was a member of the Meek Ones, a strict religious sect ruled by charismatic Father Valentine. Bond quickly learns that Valentine is Vladimir Scorpius, reclusive former international arms dealer. When a series of public assassinations threatens to wreck the British general election, it becomes clear that the bomb-wearing assassins are members of the Meek Ones. Bond's odyssey takes him to Valentine/Scorpius's plush estate on Hilton Head, S.C., where Bond is held prisoner, and eventually to a bloody climax at the White House. Gardner (No Deals, Mr. Bond) uses some early sly humor but the ensuing silliness does the book in. And though Bond calls Scorpius "evil personified," we have met more memorable and more worrisome Bondian villains. Literary Guild, Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.