Moonraker

The story, without spoilers

Sir Hugo Drax is a self-made millionaire and a public benefactor, paying for the Moonraker rocket that is meant to protect the country. So why would he cheat at bridge in a London club? M asks Bond to find out quietly.

The card game is only a way in. It leads to the heavily guarded launch site on the Kent coast, where Gala Brand, a police officer, is already close to the programme. Bond starts noticing details about Drax and his staff that the project's glossy public image does not explain.

The suspense comes from schedules, security passes and the gap between a celebrated patriot and the questions no one has asked him.

Can I start here?

Yes, if you like a home-soil mystery. It stands well alone, although Bond's backstory is fuller if you have read the first two.

What stands out

This is one of the most British of the novels: clubs, cliffs and postwar anxieties about rockets rather than exotic travel. Readers who know the 1979 film should expect a completely different, earthbound story.

• The story opens with cheating at cards in a London club.
• The 2025 Audible recording is read by Alex Kingston.

Content notes

Suggested age 16+. Lethal threats, violence, sexualised language and period prejudices.

Book and film

The 1979 Roger Moore film keeps the title, Drax and a few ideas, then heads into space. BBC Radio 4 also dramatised the novel, first broadcast on 31 March 2018, with Toby Stephens as Bond.

Where it is set

• England: London
• England: the Kent coast (the missile base is invented) Fictional

Real and fictional Bond places

Main characters

James Bond, M, Sir Hugo Drax, Gala Brand, Krebs.