With a Mind to Kill

A James Bond Novel

De: Anthony Horowitz

Narrado por: Rory Kinnear

""It’s almost uncanny how well Mr. Horowitz summons Bond’s mindset . . . Yet this Bond also feels the winds of change: 'He had his licence to kill. But was it possible that in this new, more questioning age, that licence might have expired?' A drop of retro pleasures, a pinch of things to come; shaken, not stirred."" — Wall Street Journal

Internationally bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s third James Bond novel, after Forever and a Day.

It is M's funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder—James Bond.

Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den—but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives?

In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.

©2022 Anthony Horowitz (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

"If your audiobook production is from the James Bond library, make sure to get a narrator who understands the language. So it's no great surprise that Kinnear deftly handles the spy-speak present in author Horowitz's third Bond novel.... Naturally, the Olivier Award-winning Kinnear smoothly provides the many needed British accents. And he is equally adept at supplying the Russian and German accents heard during Bond's overseas imprisonment. What results is an enjoyable thriller with a cinematic flair." (AudioFile)

Best Bond Story Yet

I’m a fan of Bond books and movies, and this one struck me as the best story to-date! Suspense-packed from start to finish and tastefully narrated.

Bond lives

A great Cold War thriller set after The Man with the Golden Gun in Fleming’s timeline. Not a ton of story but a chilling premise behind the Iron Curtain that is a perfect tale for Bond fans. Perhaps the answer for Bond films - go back to the past, where Bond is more relevant. Terrific performance by Bond actor Rory Kinnear as well. Horowitz knows how to write Bond. I hope he has a few more stories in him.

Awesome Bond Tale

One of my top 5 including the Fleming originals. Great story. Very well developed characters supported by excellent narration. The author is as close to Fleming as anyone and I have read every bond story released by every author commissioned by the Fleming estate. Not a lot of tech or gadgets if that’s your thing, just a great fast moving story with detailed descriptions of Bond’s scuffles and relationships. Can’t wait for the authors next book. Cheers.

Pure James Bond

Good story, still over board as are all 007 stories! “Reads” like other Bond action novels and can see this one being made into a movie. It could be good!

Best Horowitz Bond?

Enjoyed tremendously this latest version of Bond as envisioned by Anthony Horowitz. Not only a cracking good read but also a look into the mind of everyone’s secret agent. Highly recommended!

007 Rules

Forgive me for beginning with a little Bond history before digging into the review of "With A Mind To Kill". My time spent with James Bond 007 is predominantly with the film versions never having read the original Ian Fleming novels. So my Bond experience is somewhat limited to what I have viewed on the big screen. My first knowledge of 007 was hearing that JFK was a fan of the book series which led to the film versions. I did not really get interested until "Goldfinger" came out as the first smash hit on the big screen. I still remember the theater lines around the block as people waited to see this absolutely enjoyable film starring Sean Connery as 007. Shortly thereafter, the studio did a really smart thing re-releasing "Dr No" and "From Russia With Love" to the theaters as a double header as the first two entries had not performed as well as "Goldfinger". After seeing the three films, I was a James Bond fan for life. And suffice it to say, Sean Connery was and is in my mind the only true James Bond. While others followed with some degree of success, their portrayals just could not match the cold calculating killer and ladies man captured brilliantly by Connery. While Daniel Craig came close, he somehow missed the mark IMO.

So moving on to "With A Mind to Kill", Anthony Horowitz has created a James Bond that perfectly fits the Sean Connery version. First off, he takes us back to the same time period well captured by the Connery early films. He then introduces the supporting cast as we knew them in those films. As the novel opens, we are attending the funeral of "M' who has been assassinated by none other than 007 after being brainwashed by the Russians. We quickly learn that this is just a ruse as we find out the assassination plot was exposed early on and Bond was exercised of his brainwashing. Bond's next mission is to return to Russia after escaping from capture to unravel another Russian plot that supposedly was going to change the world as we knew it.

Rory Kinnear does an excellent job narrating the novel giving Bond just the right tone as a British agent reemerging in Russia. Parts of the story are somewhat reminiscent of "From Russia With Love" as Bond teams up with a Russian beauty. The story follows a logical path with a conclusion that works even as there is further tragedy before the close. As Bond exits, he is thinking seriously about finally retiring. We, dear reader, can only hope this does not happen and Mr. Horowitz will bring us another chapter. Well done, sir.

Not as good as Fleming

This is a generally okay addition to the Bond stories, and well read by Rory Kinnear. The story is reasonably compelling, and moves along nicely, although the shock denouement at the heart of the story can be seen coming from a really long way off: I’d guessed early on in the book what it would be and was quite disappointed that something so obvious proved to be correct. My chief reason for the three stars is not the story in itself, but the fact that Horowitz has Bond make stupid mistakes, that are vital to the progression of the plot, that are basically of a ‘Didn’t complete Spy 101’ level and therefore completely unconvincing: especially in the handling of firearms. These moments essentially ruin both the tension and the suspension of disbelief necessary to stay involved in the story, which is a shame in an otherwise competent piece of work, substantially better than most Bond books by author’s other than Fleming himself.

Hits the bullseye!

Dead on, with a surprise ending, true to Bond! Keel them coming. Pitch perfect delivery.

Take a Risk

If you are a 007 fan, you will enjoy this story. It has all the classic Bond story elements. Unfortunately, that’s where some of the problems come in to play. I enjoy this author, however, he needs to veer from the basic elements of a Bond novel. It’s time to incorporate some new story components.

Fun, atmospheric, and suspenseful sequel to The Man With the Golden Gun

After the Man With the Golden Gun, Bond goes deep undercover behind the Iron Curtain. No joke, this reads like it was written by Ian Fleming himself. There are plot twists, reveals, and near misses as Bond navigates Leningrad, Moscow and East Berlin, a dystopian world where nothing is truly what it seems. The story is a suspenseful espionage thriller grounded in Cold War history — including a cameo by a very famous historical figure — with elements of The Manchurian Candidate and Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much. Anthony Horowitz does a great job of keeping up the mounting suspense as the story progresses at a rapid pace. His characters are plausible and there’s a lot of inner dialogue by Bond as he ruminates on his career and the meaning of it all even as he’s on yet another seemingly impossible assignment. Like Fleming, Horowitz uses his settings — like the bleak, oppressive Soviet-era Moscow — very effectively to build mood and atmosphere. A quick, fun read/listen for fans of the original Bond books, like me, and a satisfying coda to the Fleming series. Rory Kinnear, the actor who Bond movie fans (also me!) will recognize played Chief of Staff Bill Tanner during the Daniel Craig era, does a solid and engaging narration of the book. I can’t wait to read and listen to Horowitz’s other two Bond novels!