Devil May Care

July 28, 2008
With a delivery as cool and dry as a vodka martini, Tristan Layton brings numerous international locals and characters to life in Faulks' homage to Ian Fleming's greatest creation, James Bond. It's 1967 and agent 007 is on a forced rest leave, but it isn't long before a new threat to the British Empire and the world has M dragging him back into action. Evil genius Dr. Julius Gorner is out to destroy Britain by flooding England with heroin. He also has an even more diabolical plan waiting in the wings. Faulks follows Fleming's traditional framework, but it's Layton's performance that keeps the rather slow storyline moving. His reading nicely enhances Faulks's prose and his proper English intonation provides the perfect stage from which his rich, multi-accented characters can project. It is a smooth, easy performance that elevates the material. A Doubleday hardcover (reviewed online).

Faulks has written a new James Bond thriller to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth. It's the 1960s, and Bond is called in to investigate a poppy kingpin who is threatening to flood Britain with illegal drugs. Sebastian Faulks's Bond starts out moodier than listeners would expect, but this abridgment quickly transforms into a familiar Bond adventure. When it does, Tristan Layton's narration goes into full swing as well, his voice relishing the danger of Bond's encounters. He creates an impressive range of character voices, including that of a villain who exhibits a cruelty that could make listeners wince, but avoids over-the-top excess. The reading's not quite cinematic, even with music that echoes Bond scores. Nonetheless, the formula thrills make an exciting listen for Bond fans. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine