Heads You Die

The story, without spoilers

A Cuban holiday turns into an attempt to save an old friend. The adversary's elaborate methods of killing, corrupt police and pursuing assassins force James through Havana and into Caribbean waters. A countdown gives the danger a wider scale than the rescue alone.

Cole's second Young Bond novel returns the young character to territory strongly associated with adult spy adventures. The holiday opening does not make it a gentle travel story: the premise is built around pursuit, threatened murder and decisions with immediate consequences.

Can I start here?

Read Shoot to Kill first for Cole's introduction to Young Bond. The Cuban mission has a separate immediate problem, but it is the second step of the author's four-book run.

What stands out

Havana and the Caribbean give the story its distinctive setting. The coin motif in the title points to the life-or-death choices around the pursuit, rather than a change to Young Bond's main reading order.

Who wrote it

Cole, a former children’s editor and the Astrosaurs author, took over Young Bond from Higson and wrote Heads You Die. He began his four-book run with Shoot to Kill in 2014.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Heads You Die is book 2 in Steve Cole’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. Threatened mass murder, assassins, corrupt police and peril involving a teenager.

Setting

• Cuba
• Havana
• Caribbean waters

Main characters

James Bond, His endangered old friend, The pursuing assassins.