Trigger Mortis is the thirty-ninth official James Bond novel written by Anthony Horowitz. Commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications, it was released in September 2015. The title of the novel was revealed on 28 May 2015 which coincided with Ian Fleming's 107th birthday.[1][2]
After a positive reaction to the novel, Horowitz has been announced as writing a second Bond novel (also with material from Fleming) which will be released in October 2018.[3]
Background
In the 1950s, Ian Fleming wrote several episode treatments for an ultimately unmade James Bond television series. The material, was an episode treatment for it. "It's a huge challenge... but having original, unpublished material by Fleming has been an inspiration." said Horowitz. Horowitz said Fleming's hero had had "a profound influence" on his life adding: "This is a book I had to write." "When the estate approached me to write a new James Bond novel how could I possibly refuse?" said the 59-year-old, who was made an OBE in the New Year Honours.[4]
Several of the plots turned into the short stories that are now in the collections For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy and The Living Daylights. There are still several plot outlines which Fleming never adapted and which, until now, have not been published. "Given that Anthony is as brilliant a screenwriter as he is a novelist, we thought it would be exciting to see what he would do with one of them." said Jessie Grimond, Fleming's great-niece.[5]
Plot
The book is set in the 1950s and contains previously unseen Fleming material. The material chosen takes 007 into the world of motor racing. Originally entitled "Murder on Wheels", the story serves as the starting point for Horowitz's novel. Fleming's original story was set at the Nurburgring in West Germany and would have seen Bond thwart a Russian plot to cause racing legend Stirling Moss to die in a crash. The treatment saw Moss himself appear as a character, with Bond's superior M and his secretary Miss Moneypenny also appearing.[6]
Pussy Galore who last appeared in the novel Goldfinger appears. Details of the plot includes two weeks after the events of Goldfinger in 1957 at a time where the Soviet Union and United States are in a space race with the US setting up for a important rocket launch.
Characters
- James Bond
- M
- Miss Moneypenny
- Jai Seong Sin
- Jeopardy Lane
- Logan Fairfax
- Pussy Galore
- Bill Tanner
- Q
- Henry Fraser
- Harry Johnson
- Mr. Luther
- Mr. Artmann
- Colonel Vladimir Gaspanov
- Ivan Dimitrov
- Lacey Smith
- Costello
- Abbott
- Ronnie Vallance
- Thomas Keller
- Gloria Keller
- Charles Henry Duggan
- Johnny Calhourn
- Captain Eugene T.Lawrence
- Hospital Nurse
- Danny Slater
- Agent 279
- Hotel Bell Boy
Covers
References
- ↑ "James Bond: Pussy Galore returns in new novel", BBC News, BBC, 28 May 2015. Retrieved on 28 May 2015.
- ↑ Flood, Alison. "New James Bond novel Trigger Mortis resurrects Pussy Galore", Guardian Media Group, 28 May 2015. Retrieved on 28 May 2015.
- ↑ "Anthony Horowitz to Write the New James Bond Novel", Ian Fleming Publications, 4 October 2016. Retrieved on 5 January 2017.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
