No Deals, Mr. Bond: James Bond (Original Series), Book 6

No Deals, Mr Bond represents an overdue and immensely welcome departure from the formula used by Gardener in previous books (with the exception of 'Nobody Lives For Ever'). The story centres around an aborted ‘honey pot’ operation against the KGB called Operation Cream Cake. Bond is instrumental in pulling two of the girls involved in the operation out of Europe via the use of a nuclear submarine. Apart from this ‘set piece’ the book leaves the usual film-inspired plot lines (megalomaniac wanting to take over the world) and moves into murkier waters. The original ‘dangles’ are being hunted down and killed by the KGB with their tongues cut out to send a clear message to MI6 not to mess with them.M sends Bond to find and protect the remaining two women and one man who have taken on new identities. In his attempts to do this he unravels a knotty puzzle involving double agents, the GRU (the military arm of the KGB), the old head of SMERSH and of course a beautiful woman. His travels take him first to Ireland and then to Hong Kong.There is a dollop of sexism and some mild racial stereotypes to cope with along the way, but in this respect Gardner mirrors Ian Fleming very well (whether this is a concerted effort is arguable). The final scenes where Bond is being hunted by four assassins on a small island off the coast of Hong Kong are excellently paced and executed by Gardner. Exposition is scattered about the book where required rather than being lumped at the end and the plot for once is wholly believable. This is a great book.

Impressive stuff. John Gardner gives Ian Fleming a run for his money, bringing Bond into the modern-ish era in a style which probably fits Pierce Brosnan's 007 if anything. Fleming had the tendency to overindulge in unnecessary scenic detail which sometimes made getting from page to page seem a great effort. No such problems here; Gardner's novels seem more stripped down and he shows respect for the Bond in previous book by referring briefly to old missions and the death of his wife to SPECTRE. This link to his past is a nice touch.The setting of Ireland is intriguing, especially Bond rubbing shoulders with some of the underworld characters and gives this story a real freshness. The plot is packed with twists and turns throughout, and the story never becomes too far-fetched. Bond appears somewhat invincible as always and while Q unfortunately does not show up, the gadgets featured are novel. One criticism; the idea of MI6 recruiting spies aged in their teens is inconceivable and the main one, Bond's latest squeeze Ebbie, is rather annoying at times. Her and Heather seem far too weak and vulnerable to be taken seriously as field agents.Recommended.

I did not own a complete set of the John Gardner Bond books. All the titles are not available in the US, so a matched set from the UK was just what I needed.

The writing is flat, the chit-chat between Bond and the Irish characters reminded me of one of those awful John Wayne/John Ford cavalry westerns: 'Top o'the mornin' to ye, captain darlin''. The girlie shows off her bubs but Bond manfully resists hopping into bed with her. And how old must May be now? I suppose the overall decline in standards mirrors that of the films - which were all parodies of the novels anyway, with the possible exception of 'From Russia With Love'. God knows Fleming wasn't always on top form (try re-reading 'Diamonds Are Forever' for starters), but, at his best, in 'Casino Royale', he was a writer to match any in the post-war period. Only Kingsley Amis came close.

No Deals, Mr Bond has to rate as one of the worst titles in the series, which is a shame as it's one of Gardner's better novels. I've found the first five to be variable in quality, but by his sixth Bond story, Gardner seems to have got a plot that works and a grip in the character he wants Bond to be.Two former undercover agents have been killed and M asks Bond to protect the remaining three members of the team. It's a basic and believable story with little reliance on ultramodern (for the eighties) technology or gadgetry, skips over the aspects Gardner's vision of Bond dug into in the previous novels, and is much more like something Fleming would have penned.Bond still lacks some of the depth of character that Fleming gave him, but at least doesn't seem to contradict the original character. There are moments where Bond's apparent age flickers between his thirties and sixties, but it's hidden well and easy to suspend disbelief of this minor aspect.A good adventure, and if the rest of Gardner's novels follow the style of this one then I'll be very pleased.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. John Gardner really captures the style of Ian Fleming. A must for any 007 fan

We have heard the sentence before. Bond is back. Well, he is. John Gardner actually beat Ian Fleming in the end. He wrote more Bond stories than Fleming. Naturally he can never take credit for having invented the character, but nevertheless he wrote a series of great stories.

Another great book from John Gardner lots of twists , and lots of action , from start to finish ,

I’ve been reading the Gardner James Bond books in order, and while I was pretty critical of the first couple of outings, “No Deals Mr. Bond” was really enjoyable. The plot was very plausible, the characters well-drawn (mostly), and the globe-trotting action was very realistic. Bond relied on his training and experience far more than on Q-Branch magic, which made for a much better book.I can recommend this one to Bond aficionados!

Excellent story and adherence to the Ian Fleming Bond character.

excellent read

Any James bond book is a good read . Mr Gardner has picked up on the Bond theme very well . Fast moving enjoyable read

I have to say I enjoy the John Gardner 007 novels. Fast paced, action, great characters, nice thriller twists and centered in the 1980's (when most were written) before their was the technology boom (cell phones,GPS, etc...) which to me keeps it old school Bond the way I like it. Most of the Gardner novels are page turners and this one falls into that category. This one gets a 4.5 star rating (close to 5). Bond is not saving the world in this one, but is on 'solo' mission from M and has to use his deduction skills right till the end.