Brokenclaw

The story, without spoilers

On a Canadian holiday, Bond notices a man whose public charm is accompanied by a disturbing sense of menace. The man is Brokenclaw Lee. When scientists working on a secret submarine-detection system disappear, Bond is called back into action and the encounter becomes part of a much larger investigation.

The mission joins a striking individual adversary to a technological secret. Bond works with Chi-Chi as the case develops, and the question is how the missing scientists connect to the man who first caught his attention away from work.

Can I start here?

It is accessible as a separate Gardner assignment. Start with Licence Renewed for the author's full sequence, or pick Brokenclaw if an imposing villain and a scientific kidnapping case are the main attractions.

What stands out

The contrast between Lee's public persona and the danger behind it drives the premise. The submarine research gives Bond a concrete secret to protect rather than an entirely abstract threat.

Who wrote it

Gardner had created the comic spy Boysie Oakes before the Fleming estate invited him to bring Bond into the 1980s; he later wrote Brokenclaw. His run contains fourteen original novels and two film adaptations.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Brokenclaw is Gardner’s original Bond novel 9 of fourteen. In Brokenclaw, Gardner’s updated Bond operates after the original Fleming era. No precise neighbouring Fleming mission is given.

Content notes

Adult readers. Kidnapping, threatened mass harm, violence and dated racial characterisation.

Setting

• Victoria, British Columbia
• San Francisco

Main characters

James Bond, Brokenclaw Lee, Chi-Chi, The missing scientists.