Charlie Higson delivers another exciting Young James Bond story. But I have to say, his youth seemed pretty adventure-filled. So much so that you have to wonder if he was bored being 007.

This one is a bit different, with more clues and intellect involved. The past two adventures saw young Bond going after baddies, and mainly relying on instinct and wits to get through his travails. In this one, there is more to puzzle out.

When a professor goes missing, one of Bond’s fellow students at Eton receives a riddle-filled letter that sends James off on his next adventure. This time, there’s a ticking clock. He has forty-eight hours to track down the missing professor before he’s gone forever.

There are devious henchmen, familiar allies, and Bond’s interest in girls is beginning to blossom.

He goes up against Lord Charnage, there are Russians, chases, escapes, and an encounter with a famed mathematician.

Higson tells a fast-paced tale, one that keeps the plot and the adventure going. There are little nods and homages to titles and moments and Higson makes everything really enjoyable.

There’s no globetrotting this time out. Bond stays in England, travelling around London, from famed universities to dangerous dockyards.

Higson is able to blend Ian Fleming’s storytelling style, filled with fun details, with a fun sense of adventure, and all of it set against the end of 1933. He’s in his second year at Eton, and he’s had a busy couple of years. All three adventures so far have taken place in the first year and a half at Eton. That’s pretty hectic, even for 007.

Bond is growing into the character we know, and I really like how Higson is tying so many things into what we know about the literary character. That being said, it does feel like, every now and then, he throws in a little nod to the films as well.

One shouldn’t get distracted by the idea that these are Young Adult novels, these are official stories from the Ian Fleming Foundation and are therefore arguable as literary canon for the character.

Take it or leave it.

But I am enjoying Higson’s take on Bond. I love that because it ties in with the literary version of the character they have to be period pieces, and that makes for a fun spy story. There are two more Higson novels to come, and…

James Bond will return in Hurricane Gold.