Doubleshot, first published in 2000, was the sixth novel by Raymond Benson featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond (including film novelizations). Carrying the Ian Fleming Publications copyright, it was first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton and in the United States by Putnam.
Synopsis[]
Doubleshot, the second novel in Raymond Benson's Union trilogy, again sets James Bond, 007 against the evil terrorist organization called the Union.
The Union is contacted Domingo Espada, a former matador turned a major figure in Spanish politics, who needs support for his plan for the retrocession of Gibraltar. Although aware of the extreme risks, the leader of the union, Le Gérant, and his commanders agree to take up the challenge. As if it succeeds, they will recover face from the Skin 17 incident and get revenge on United Kingdom, from where the figure responsible of the humiliation comes from.
Thusly, Nadir Yassasin, the organization's strategist, will use James Bond - weakened and yet determined to bring down the Union - to take on the flagship role of the scheme: Bond will be turned a traitor to his country and a murderer to Espada's pay. Bond begins experiencing terrible headaches, hallucinations, and black-outs -- during which inexplicable crimes occur, of which he is charged of committing. But did James Bond really commit these crimes during his blackouts? Bond sets out to solve the mystery and sets sights to Spain.
Plot summary[]
Union's scheme[]
In Casablanca, members of a criminal organization "the Union" are having a meeting. Their leader, Le Gérant, tells them that he has been contacted by Domingo Espada, an ex-matador, who is the head of a notable mafia outfit and is now a major figure in the political landscape of Spain.
Espada contacted the organization for a daring deal involving Great Britain, which Le Gérant sees as an opportunity to take revenge on the British and 007 foiling their plans to get Skin 17 during High Time to Kill.
Bond's troubles[]
Since his return from the Himalayas and the death of Helena Marksbury, approximately two months earlier, James Bond has been physically and mentally in very bad shape. He has, among other things, headaches, memory lapses, fainting spells and hallucinations. He feels very tired, has a temporal lobe lesion and suffers from depression.
Leaving a restaurant where he read on the paper of his fortune cookie: “Meeting your double means certain death”, Bond thinks he sees his double in the street and faints; he wakes up in his apartment without knowing how he got there.
Bond decides to return to SIS to continue his investigation into the Union, as well as Helena's death, although M wants him to stay away. He finds in his office a strange pornographic book “Helena’s House of Pain” with a receipt from a Soho store called "Adult News". After Bill Tanner informs him that supporters of Domingo Espada have caused trouble on the border between Spain and Gibraltar, Bond goes to the "New Scotland Yard".
There he meets Detective Inspector Stuart Howard to obtain further information on the investigation into Helena's death. He learns that the owner of the building where she lived, Michael Clayton, has a Dutch partner, Walter van Breeschooten, and that he owns pornographic stores in Soho. Shortly before she died, Helena had told him that the two Union men she had dealt with were one English and the other Dutch.
Marbella[]
On his vast property near Marbella, Domingo Espada is with his collaborator Margareta Piel (nicknamed the “praying mantis”). Shortly before meeting a guest, he learns that one of his daughters, Maria, his favorite, has run away from the property.
Espada receives his guest, Nadir Yassasin, known as “the strategist” of the Union. He presents his plan to him and assures that, once the operation is completed, Gibraltar will be the property of Spain and that Espada will be its new governor. Also that the current British Prime Minister and the current governor of Gibraltar will die in the process.
Subsequently, Domingo engages in a fight in an arena with a man who helped Maria escape; they fight as if Espada were a bullfighter and man a bull. The duel ends with Espada killing his opponent.
Soho and Kimberley Feare[]
Bond goes to Soho and gets to Adult News the address of Walter van Breeschooten's office. There, he learns that the latter is going to Tangier with Clayton. Bond also overhears a conversation between the two men, whose comments confirm that they are part of the Union. 007 is surprised by another man and flees. However, Clayton and Breeschooten want Bond to escape unharmed.
Bond informs M of his discovery but she still does not want him to return to service, because he is in too bad shape and too personally involved. 007 then decides to act on his own initiative; he steals a new Walther P99 - which is chambered in .40 S&W - from the Q branch and reserves a place on a flight to Tangier.
Before leaving, he decides to visit Dr. Kimberley Feare, the assistant of neurologist Sir James Molony. After making love to Kimberley, he loses consciousness again. When he regains consciousness, he is covered in blood and finds that Kimberley Feare has been slit from ear to ear - the mark of the Union - and stabbed several times.
Morocco[]
The situation on the border between Spain and Gibraltar worsens, Spanish demonstrators demand the return of Gilbratar and two bombs explode, causing several victims. Nadir Yassasin informs Le Gérant that James Bond has gone to Morocco and that he will surely find traces of Breeschooten and Clayton; everything is going as they planned. Furthermore, the Union is planning to double cross Espada and kill him shortly after he becomes the governor of Gibraltar.
Arriving in Tangier, Bond visits Latif Reggab, friend and head of the SIS premises in Tangier. Latif Reggab tells Bond that he thinks he knows the real identity of Le Gérant - that he is a person called Olivier Cesari. Reggab also spotted a strange camp in the mountains, between the villages of Chefchaouen and Ketama. Bond recognizes Breeschooten and Clayton in recently taken photos of this camp.
Back in London, Bill Tanner and M learn of the death of Dr. Feare and the disappearance of a P99 pistol from the Q branch. They know that 007 was on the scene in both cases. Meanwhile in Ronda, Margareta Piel goes to a hotel kills Maria and Robert Rojo, a man that Maria had run away with.
Bond and Reggab go to camp under cover of night. By infiltrating there, 007 surprises Breeschooten and Clayton who are having a long-distance conversation at the Union HQ in Casablanca. He manages to be alone with Clayton and obtain the address of the HQ before killing Clayton. However, Bond is spotted and flees with Reggab. Under the bullets of the pursuers, their vehicle is damaged -- leading to Bond being captured and Reggab killed.
Streets of Tangier[]
When Bond regains his consciousness, he finds himself in a street in Tangier without his P99 and remembers that he was given an injection.
He learns from a newspaper that terrorists took control of a ferry overnight before killing all the British tourists on board; these terrorists would have said that they were doing it for Domingo Espada and Gibraltar. There is a sketch of one of the terrorists, which looks lot like Bond.
A policeman spots Bond and chases him. However, the former is shot by a unknown assailant, when he is about to corner Bond. Bond is unable to discover the shooter and takes the train for Casablanca.
Back at SIS, M and Tanner view footage from a camera that was on the ferry. They identify the terrorists as James Bond and men from the Union, with a P99 pistol being found at the scene. M requests that his agent be apprehended.
Casablanca[]
The Taunt Twins.
On the train, Bond meets two twin sisters, Heidi and Hedy Taunt, and has dinner with them when he arrives at his hotel in Casablanca.
Bond goes to the address he obtained and sees Walter van Breeschooten in a nearby alley and kills him. In Breeschooten's pockets he finds a map of the province of Malaga, Spain, with a location marked with a cross. There is also a ticket for a bullfight where Domingo Espada will give a speech; the headlining matador is Javier Rojo, a friend of Bond and brother of Roberto Rojo.
While he is still in the alley, the Union HQ explodes, the police arrive on the scene and chase Bond; he manages to escape them with the help of Hedy.
Hedy and Bond join Heidi. The two sisters explain to him that they work for the CIA and that they have orders to escort him to London to hand him over to the SIS. 007 explains the situation to M over the phone and learns that a summit meeting about Gibraltar is planned between the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Espada and the Prime Minister of Spain. M authorizes Bond to continue his investigation, however he must be accompanied at all times by the Taunt sisters.
Arrival to Spain[]
Domingo Espada receives Nadir Yassasin on his yacht. The latter announces to Espada the name of the assassin he has chosen, James Bond, and specifies that he is now part of the Union. The assassin will accompany Espada to the summit meeting as a bodyguard. The ex-matador will also be accompanied by Margareta and one of her henchmen, Agustin. Yassasin will also be present at the meeting as well as a high-ranking Union member named Jimmy Powers.
Arriving in Spain, Bond visits his old friend Javier Rojo. Its brought up that Espada, who is Javier's manager, is responsible for his brother's death. 007 and Heidi ask Javier to investigate to find evidence that Espada is linked to the Union. Jimmy Powers, the man who has been shadowing Bond for several weeks, informs his organization of this meeting.
Javier Rojo goes to Espada's property and meets Peredur Glyn, James Bond's double. The real Bond attends the bullfight, Margareta sits next to him. Rojo is killed by the bull after being distracted by a banderillero. Margareta lures Bond to the banderillero, who turns out to be Peredur Glyn, and knocks him unconscious before loading him into a vehicle. The Taunt sisters, having seen part of the scene, decide to follow them.
Espada's property[]
The vehicle stops at Espada's property, Margareta brings Bond to a room where there is a television showing a live dinner whose participants are Espada, Yassasin, Agustin, Peredur (always introduced to Espada as "James Bond") and Margareta herself. During the meal, Peredur explains to Espada the motivations which made him leave the SIS to join the Union. The real Bond thus learns that Peredur has the task of killing someone important.
He also learns that all these people will be present the next day at The Convent, the official residence of the governor of Gibraltar. Hedy, who was captured while infiltrating the estate while her sister stayed behind, is brought into the room. Espada offers her to Peredur so that he can sexually abuse her before getting rid of her.
After dinner, Margareta returns to see Bond with Yassasin. They explain to him that Peredur underwent surgery to look like him, as well as brainwashing him. They also explain to him that the "fake James Bond" will have two main targets during the summit meeting: the governor of Gibraltar and the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The other members will be held hostage, including the men of the Union, and Espada will request the return of Gibraltar with, for himself, the function of governor. If the Spanish Prime Minister did not sign the pact with Espada, he would die too. Peredur Glyn's death is also planned.
Final conflict[]
Margareta and Yassasin leave, with Bond left with his double and other men who are on a mission to kill him. These men push 007 into the arena and bring in the bull. Bond manages to struggle until Heidi intervenes and throws pepper spray at him which he uses against the bull. She is chased by the men while Peredur enters the arena to kill Bond. Heidi manages to kill her pursuers and Bond kills Glyn.
007 goes to Margareta pretending to be Peredur and tells her that he left Bond with men who have orders to kill him. He also makes her believe that he killed Hedy before making love to the "praying mantis". Hedy informs M of the situation.
Yassasin, Powers, Margareta, Bond, Espada, Agustin meet at The Convent for the summit meeting. Margareta begins to have doubts about the identity of the man she thought was Glyn. The Governor of Gibraltar and the Prime Minister of Great Britain appear, they are accompanied by Hedy and 001; Heidi is also present in the room. A shootout breaks out, Powers, Margareta, Espada, Agustin die and Yassasin is captured alive.
Epilogue[]
In London, James Molony finds Tanner and M and tells them that the surgery on Bond's temporal lobe lesion was a success. Bad medication was partly responsible for Bond's ailments; they were provided by Molony's nurse who was arrested for her ties to the Union. In Marrakech, Le Gérant is determined to take revenge on Bond and the MI6.
Characters[]
- James Bond
- M (Barbara Mawdsley)
- Taunt Twins; Heidi and Hedy
- Domingo Espada
- Margareta Piel
- Le Gérant
- Nadir Yassasin
- Peredur Glyn
- Jimmy Powers
- Latif Reggab
- Felix Leiter
- Michael Clayton
- Walter van Breeschooten
References[]
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