Anthony Horowitz takes over the 007 mantle with his novel Trigger Mortis. Using some material written by Ian Fleming, Horowitz sets his novel two weeks after the events of Goldfinger, the book not the film, in 1957.

James Bond has returned to the UK, accompanied by Pussy Galore, though that’s not going to turn out well, especially when he is given a new assignment. It seems the Russian agency, SMERSH, is planning on assassinating a race car driver during a race, Bond’s assignment take out the would-be assassin in the same race.

That means he’ll need some training up, but even as he digs in, he begins to realize that there is something more going on here. Something involving a Korean national christened Jason Sin by the West, the Russians, and the burgeoning American space program.

Around 007 the Cold War definitely heats up, Horowitz’s tale takes us from the race tracks of the Continent to the subways of New York in a rapidly-paced adventure that fits nicely into the timeline and writing style that Ian Fleming established with his iconic character.

Joining Bond is Jeopardy Lane, but even together, will 007 be able to stop Sin’s plan, as the psychotic mastermind reveals his plan, and his way of orchestrating the deaths of those who disappoint him.

Horowitz’s tale is well-crafted, pays attention to details in that Fleming style, and his 007 benefits greatly be being set in late 50s. It forces the writer and the character to deal with things without all the technology we have today, and the most basic of gadgets, like a lockpicking kit, and some nice little additions to 007’s Bentley.

Everything works in this book. It fits very smoothly into the literary 007, delivering a lean, engaging spy thriller that has the hallmarks of Fleming’s novels. I like the fact that it’s tied in with the previous adventure, and gives us a look at how things fall apart with his romances after you take away the tense situations.

It also adds into the continuity of the character, which is something Fleming did from book to book, tying them together with callbacks, and in some cases leading right into the next adventure.

Of all the Bond novels delivered post-Fleming, this one, to date, is my favorite, though I still have a few more to go before I’ve completed my file on the literary adventures of James Bond. But, knowing Horowitze has two more titles lined up for me to read makes me every excited to dig into the next one.

And James Bond will return… in Forever and a Day.