Double or Die

The story, without spoilers

A professor is kidnapped in a North London cemetery. A letter full of cryptic clues arrives at Eton, and James has to decode it before a rapidly approaching deadline. The puzzle leads to dangerous gambles whose consequences reach beyond the missing teacher.

This is the third Young Bond novel. Its central task is interpretation: finding the meaning hidden inside a message. That makes the clues a more prominent part of the adventure than the remote landscapes of the first two books.

Can I start here?

Read SilverFin and Blood Fever first. This is also a natural pick for an established Young Bond reader who most enjoys codes and puzzles, before continuing to Hurricane Gold.

What stands out

The coded letter and forty-eight-hour rescue deadline distinguish this story. Choose it for a mystery whose solution has to be worked out, rather than a journey towards one already identified adversary.

Who wrote it

Higson, a novelist and co-creator of The Fast Show, was commissioned for the Young Bond books before writing Double or Die. His official Bond work covers both childhood adventures and adult missions.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Double or Die is book 3 in Charlie Higson’s Young Bond run. These adventures take place during Bond’s youth, before his adult career and Casino Royale.

Content notes

Older children and teenagers. Kidnapping, guns, explosions, murder and danger to school-age characters.

Setting

• Eton
• North London

Main characters

James Bond, The kidnapped professor, James’s school friends.