Rating: 
Summary: Straight Up and On the Rock - Doubleshot Delivers
Review: Reminiscent of Ian Fleming's mini trilogy -- consisting of the novels THUNDERBALL, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE -- Raymond Benson's DOUBLESHOT serves as the second-act follow-up to last year's HIGH TIME TO KILL. Whereas Bond once sought out the destruction of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. and it's chief Ernst Stavro Blofeld, in DOUBLESHOT a psychologically tortured Bond as errant knight takes up his own personal quest to track down the criminal cartel known as the "Union." Benson's latest portrays 007 as a man questioning his own sanity as he goes renegade to hunt down the Union, little realizing he is being drawn into a complex trap to set him up as a pawn in a potentially deadly international crisis centered about Gibraltar, Spain, and North Africa. Harking back to Fleming's FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, or Kingsley Amis's COLONEL SUN, DOUBLESHOT's 007 becomes a marked man set up for death as part of an larger, more terrifying scheme. No megalomaniac or robotic minions this time. Bond's adversaries are represented by a well financed corporation of professional criminals and terrorists, orchestrated by the elusive and mysterious LeGerant, heir apparent to Blofeld's throne of arch-villainy. Benson continues to hone his craft, allowing the reader to experience exotic locations replete with heady luxury, gritty detail, and violent action. This Bond relies far more on his wits and toughness than upon the conveniently available gadget. Danger and sex mix like never before, too, as 007 meets perhaps the most bloodthirsty femme fatale to date. Building in three acts -- from the intricate set up, through the frantic and deadly stalking ground, and finally to the violent and suspenseful denouement -- DOUBLESHOT is all business from start to finish. Having devoured this, the second in your "Union Trilogy," this reviewer can hardly wait for the final chapter, Raymond. Bring it on!
Rating: 
Summary: For 007 fans
Review: James 007 Bond still mourns the recent loss of his lover while he personally suffers from a brain lesion. His physician Dr. Feare prescribes medicine and a little side action that are supposed to help Bond recover. His employer has placed Bond on medical leave during his recuperation period. While 007 convalesces, the Union decides it is time to take the secret agent out before he destroys any other of their plans. They find a look-alike and turn him into a Bond that could fool even James. His mission is to assassinate the British Prime Minister during a heads of state conference. Unable to sit on the sidelines while his reputation, loyalty, and sanity are being shredded, 007 goes after his doppelganger and the Union leadership with an abandon that only he can bring to the scenario. The latest Bond adventure is only for those readers who must read every written word on the adventures of 007. For the casual fan, this novel is a no-no. The story line is filled with the usual Bondian mix of women and action, and action and women. Although the plot is unique and fast-paced except for the expected sexual asides, the cast, including 007, seems stiff, as they never break out of the central casting role assigned to each one of them. Still Raymond Benson, author of several Bond tales, writes a tale that series fans will fully enjoy while the rest of us will choose a DOUBLE SHOT of Sean Connery. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Benson's Reign of Terror Continues
Review: This is Raymond Benson's fourth stab at a blond novel and it's bad. It's bad like the three before. And it's probably as bad as the countless that will come after it. Given the massive success of the recent Bond films with Pierce Brosnan, I'm puzzled why Glidrose chose to dumb the franchise down and ignore any chance of a bigger market? 007 is a brand name icon, so why didn't they try and get bigger and hire a more high-profile writer? Maybe Bond has become too cinematic. Nevertheless, for some reason that I may understand one day, Glidrose asked Raymond Benson to write. Not a writer, Benson was more like the biggest James Bond super-nerd fan club president. Doubleshot suffers the same wounds of all Benson efforts. The man can't write--he can't put together different elements of a story in any kind of enjoyable order. We know he does extensive research because he basically describes the vacation he took to research the place. He's incapable of weaving suspense, character development (Bond behaves very, very stupidly in this entry, I'm beginning to worry) or action into all of the settings he describes. Doubleshot gives Benson a chance to blab on about all he knows about bullfighting. Wonderful, I feel enlightened now. No opinion has Benson, whereas Fleming made known what Bond liked and did not like. Benson is so contrived that the new Bond books can't be considered on any sort of serious level, even as comic books. They're just...there. There is no doubt that John Gardner was a better writer. Sure, Gardner didn't really like Bond nor have a particular reverence for the character, but at least his writing was smooth and professional. Benson couldn't fill Fleming's shorts. Fleming was a guy who did what he wanted to do and enjoyed life, dropping dead in his fifties with a massive heart attach brought on by smoking, drinking, heavy food, and just being manly. Raymond Benson, in the many interviews he's done and the many articles about him, does not strike me as a very wild and crazy guy. He looks like he once drove his car 95 mph on the highway and that's about it. Fleming knew how to dress. Benson is a Haggar wrinkle-free guy. Fleming would be appalled by Rockports. Benson, well... Avoid this novel UNLESS you are a die-hard Bond fan (the reason I'm here trashing this thing). Benson throws in embarassingly bad descriptions of sex, trying to get more and more risque with his explicit description just for the heck of it. You go Benson!
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