Live and Let Die, by Ian Fleming

• Title:  Live and Let Die
• Author:  Ian Fleming
• Borrowed from Amazon.com Kindle Lending Library
• Started 5/4/2013
• Finished 5/9/2013

 
The most startling thing to me about Live and Let Die (2nd Bond book) was how closely the plot matched that of the movie version.  Startling, because the other bond books I had read years ago (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, etc.) had no connection to their movie version whatsoever, titled excepted.
 
But Live and Let Die was a great book (and a great movie, I am one of those who actually enjoys the Roger Moore Bond), lots of covert action, charismatic bad guy, beautiful women, lots of booze, fast cars.
 
Fleming doesn't treat the US very well (NYC and St Pete, FL), he doesn't have much good to say about either spot.  But I can look past that, perhaps b/c the Bond is the books is such a colossally selfish jackass (seriously, the cartoon Archer just about nailed the full of himself Bond caricature) that his opinion isn't always the last word.
 
Don't let the above make you think I'm not totally enamored of Bond (or hell, Archer for that matter).  The fit super-spy, decked out in a perfectly cut suit, booze, women, fast cars, action.  It's an amazing world that's been created in these books (and movies, cartoons).  But I still understand that if somehow, Bond existed, I'd find him insufferable in person.
 
Up next is the 3rd Bond book Moonraker.  I've already read it, but as I mentioned in an earlier post I'm reading all the Bond books in order, even those that will be a re-read.