John E. Gardner (1926–2007)

The fictional conceit of this book works well. John Gardner creates himself as a character in the preface and explains that he was approached by Albert George Spear, the grandson of a lieutenant of Moriarty’s crime family. Spear brings several volumes that he has recently determined are Professor James Moriarty’s journals written in code. Gardner works to decode them and then uses them and other contemporary texts to write the novel. Living within his own fiction, Gardner peppers the show more writing with footnote references to Doyle’s works and other writers of Holmes pastiches, including Sabine Baring-Gould and Vincent Starrett. Gardner also uses a lot of 19th-century criminal argot, which some readers could find annoying. He provides a glossary, but it is not really necessary to look up every word because context is often enough.

The story begins in 1894. Both Sherlock Holmes and Prof. Moriarty return to London at almost the same time. Doyle’s “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House” provide some of the plot beats but not in a derivative or uninventive way. After a three-year absence, Moriarty is faced with multiple problems in rebuilding and maintaining his criminal empire. The book does a very good job in showing how the CEO of a crime family would need to operate. Moriarty must juggle a lot of ongoing issues, and Gardner keeps them all moving with pace and clarity. There are some flashbacks that inform the reader about Moriarty’s involvement with Jack the Ripper and his version of Reichenbach Falls.

What I liked most is the way that Gardner portrays Moriarty’s leadership. Except for all the killings and the crime, Moriarty is one of the best fictional leaders I have come across in a while. His leadership techniques develop and change situationally.

This novel provides closure to its story. However, there are two sequels that continue the narrative. I will probably be reading them in the future. show less

Quality writing from a master of the art.
The second book of the trilogy but works as a standalone story.
Brilliant characters throughout especially the introduction of a teenage 'Herbie Kruger' later to star in his own series of stories.
Clever descriptive imaginative intelligent totally engaging from first to last page. A spy story but with plenty of mystery and suspense totally absorbing. The only slight downside is due to this readers ageing memory which occasionally struggled to remember show more who's who with the amount of characters involved.
Completely recommended. show less

A variably paste but good technothriller. This puts bond in an unusual place and time. The interactions with the other characters or typically for Gardner, complex and morally ambiguous. The final third is particularly good, quite gripping and indeed keep you on the edge of your seat. this is probably the biggest deviation from bonds normal habitats so far but it is still entertaining.

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Hold onto your britches, folks, for I’ve just had a peculiar tussle with a tome by the name of Win, Lose or Die by John Gardner, a yarn featuring that fellow, Ian Fleming‘s Agent 007.

A Most Unconventional Assignment for Mr. Bond
Now, this particular escapade is as odd as a three-legged dog. Our man Bond, usually found hobnobbing with dames and driving conveyances faster than a greased weasel, is stuck aboard a British show more carrier, ferrying around some highfalutin’ VIPs for a secret pow-wow. The premise, mind you, stretches out for a whole year! And what does our dashing spy have to do? Why, master the art of flying a Harrier jet, of all things! One can only surmise the author, Mr. Gardner, simply shrugged and said, “Why not?”

And if that ain’t peculiar enough, Bond, a lone wolf by nature, is suddenly saddled with a veritable army of security chaps from three different nations. No fancy duds, no lightning-fast automobiles, no high living for our hero this time around. Instead, he’s relegated to the humble abode of a mass hall, a noisy jet, and the unglamorous life of a Navy man. It’s enough to make a gentleman sigh into his gin and tonic.

A Curious Brew of Thrills and Tedium
Win, Lose or Die is a strange concoction, a bit of this, a bit of that. Part technothriller, part murder-mystery, and a hefty dose of military action, but bless my soul, there’s hardly a whiff of actual espionage. The kindest word I can muster for this book is “competent.” Mr. Gardner, it’s plain to see, knows his onions. He handles the gizmos and gadgets and the bangs and booms with a masterful hand.

Yet, for a tale that spans a whole year, it moves along at a breathless clip, like a runaway stagecoach. We’re granted glimpses into the minds of sundry characters, but only after they’ve stumbled upon some crucial nugget for the plot. This hopping about makes for a dizzying ride, and frankly, it strains the credulity something fierce. And as for the plot twists, well, they’re as subtle as a bull in a china shop, bordering on the preposterous.

A Villain for the Ages… of Incompetence
Then there’s the villain, a fellow named Bassam Baradj. Now, I’ve seen my share of scoundrels in my day, but this Baradjchap is so spectacularly inept that even James Bond himself points it out! How a blithering idiot like him managed to orchestrate a scheme to snatch three of the world’s most powerful leaders is a mystery worthy of Sherlock Holmes himself – a mystery to Baradj, to Bond, and certainly to this humble reader. One might charitably think it a bit of Mr. Gardner’s famous tongue-in-cheek humor, but I’m inclined to believe it’s simply a regrettable lapse into parody.

Bond, A Fish Out of Water
And our dear Bond? He seems as out of place as a tuxedo at a hog roast, visibly uncomfortable with this whole “teamwork” notion, and casting a rather disdainful eye upon the young sailors. Truth be told, this book might have fared better had it not been shackled to the Bond franchise, which, let’s face it, comes with certain expectations of derring-do and gentlemanly fantasy. Nevertheless, it’s an honest effort, but it’s about as “Bond-like” as a temperance meeting.

The Gist of It (for Those Who Insist)
So, the long and short of it is this: During a grand military exercise dubbed “Landsea 89,” a clandestine confab is arranged, bringing together the bigwigs of England, the United States, and Russia – none other than Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President George H. W. Bush, and Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.

Naturally, some obscure band of ne’er-do-wells, styling themselves the Brotherhood of Anarchy and Secret Terrorism (BAST), aim to spoil the party. And so, M, in his infinite wisdom, dispatches James Bond to personally safeguard this secret shindig, all under the rather flimsy guise of him returning to serve in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. A grand premise, indeed, but one that takes a rather winding and peculiar path. show less