Diamonds Are Forever

RATING: 3 out of 4

This is the fourth book by Ian Fleming to cover the adventures of James Bond. I've been reading the novels in the order in which they were published, which provides a good perspective on how Fleming intended the character to be portrayed. Diamonds Are Forever, like most of the Fleming novels, is very, very different from the movie version. For the better! If you count yourself as a James Bond fan, do yourself a favor and read the series. One of the great things about the books is that since they are so different from the movies that it's like a whole new adventure.

The novel follows Bond as he follows a diamond smuggling ring from Africa, through London to New York to Las Vegas. Along the way he runs into Tiffany Case, one of the more interesting female characters I've seen interact with Bond. She acts as a good foil to Bond, and actually has more depth than you would think. As in each of the previous novels Bond's US counterpart Felix Leiter joins in on the fun. Over the top bad guys make this a great ride.