Author:William Boyd
*The Sunday Times Bestseller*
It is 1969 and James Bond is about to go solo, recklessly motivated by revenge.
A seasoned veteran of the service, 007 is sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the small West African nation of Zanzarim. Aided by a beautiful accomplice and hindered by the local militia, he undergoes a scarring experience which compels him to ignore M’s orders in pursuit of his own brand of justice. Bond’s renegade action leads him to Washington, D.C., where he discovers a web of intrigue and witnesses fresh horrors.
Even if Bond succeeds in exacting his revenge, a man with two faces will come to stalk his every waking moment.
This is well-plotted, exciting stuff and Boyd has a great sense of time and place. His boozy, maturer, more fallible Bond is totally believable. Mission accomplished, Mr Boyd.
—— Natasha Harding , SunBoyd was a smart choice for a Bond thriller. The action clips along. There are welcome literary flourishes and a dense plot.
—— Richard Fitzpatrick , Irish ExaminerWritten with aplomb, Boyd’s Bond novel is a terrific twisting thriller.
—— Sunday TimesAnyone wishing this autumn to enjoy the Cold War with the assurance of a happy ending should seek out William Boyd’s new James Bond novel, Solo, in which 007 is dispatched to West Africa and the fictitious country of Zanzarim, where he finds himself in the midst of a civil war.
—— Stephen McGinty , ScotsmanA fantastic read, which I ripped through in the time it would take to watch Skyfall, as it happens, and I found it significantly more enjoyable.
—— The TimesA terrific twisting thriller
—— Sunday TimesWilliam Boyd brings back the real Bond, triumphantly
—— Daily MailA triumph. Bond is back
—— ObserverWorks brilliantly well
—— Mail on SundaySuperb
—— ScotsmanThe late Ian Fleming would surely have approved
—— Daily MailBrilliant
—— SpectatorKeeps us on our toes until the closing pages
—— Financial TimesTerrific… A tremendous Bond story
—— Sunday TimesExciting stuff… Mission accomplished, Mr Boyd
—— SunManages to enrich and refresh a character we thought we knew too well. Solo is a terrific twisting thriller – just when you smugly think you have spotted a huge hole in the plot, Boyd turns it breathtakingly around.
—— David Mills , Sunday TimesSince the death of Ian Fleming, plenty of writers have tried their hand at perpetuating the career of James Bond, with mixed results. Boyd’s Solo is undoubtedly one of the best.
—— Mail on SundayA triumphant thriller worthy of Bond’s creator Ian Fleming.
—— Daily ExpressI found myself wondering if Boyd had outdone Fleming.
—— Nicholas Lezard , Guardian[Boyd is] an ideal writer of James Bond novels, and this one, his first, is very good
—— William Leith , Evening StandardPerfectly judged homage
—— Mail on SundayA brand new James Bond adventure combining all the glamour and excitement of Fleming’s original novels with the masterful storytelling of William Boyd
—— Western Morning NewsA very good piece of literary ventriloquism, with a great baddie
—— Heathrow ExpressFleming’s James Bond lives again in this perfectly judged homage
—— Mail on Sunday