Carte Blanche: By Jeffery Deaver, Review by Uli Vuma

The name's Bond. James Bond.

I have mixed feelings about this latest James Bond installment. Probably because I didn't understand most of it.
Basically the story is set in the 9/11 era in Afghanistan. Bond is "on it" as always. This time, the mission at the offset of the story is to stop the derailment of a freight train impregnated with deadly chemicals. The usual.
Anyway, as all Bond missions go, it is carried out with success. No. In fact, it wasn't a success more than that the train was derailed in an underpopulated area and the man who orchestrated the entire mess escaped. So no, we don't get the feel of an actual Mi6 black-site in the first few chapters. The man who escaped (who's name escapes my memory. Wow, he's good) works for the Mother of Psycho-Villains. Forget Mr. Doofensmirtz, this guy is the real deal. I mean, this guy spends his 'zen-time' fantasizing about exhuming dead people(one of them including his mother, I'm sure) and using them in your everyday canned product. Pretty gruesome stuff. Not for the faint at heart. Not for people on full stomachs either.

While you're thinking about how grotesque the above must look, Bond is busy befriending this deranged person. He meets him in Cape Town, South Africa (Shout out), and that is where this sinister bromance begins.
Bond becomes incredibly "close" to this guy and for a moment, he also becomes his right hand man. And just when he is about to fulfill his mission and turn the Psycho in,
[Enter Current Lover]
his beautiful, South African lover sabotages the whole project. I know; the guy should ditch the mysterious ladies and stick to Moneypenny. This girl imparts everything Bond has told her in confidence and we discover that she works for the Psycho. Bummer for Bond. But being Bond, nothing will end if not brutal and vengeful. And bonus, all those steroids that he induces had come to great use. It turned out to be peachy in the end.
[Enter signature theme]
Thrilling at times and astonishing at others.

This one is only for the fearless of Bond Fans.