Never Dream of Dying

The story, without spoilers

A film producer provides cover for the Union's criminal activity, and Bond's investigation connects the cinema world with organised crime in Corsica. A movie star is caught in the danger. The mission brings the continuing conflict with the Union towards its conclusion.

This is the third Union novel, after High Time to Kill and Doubleshot. A glamorous industry therefore sits beside an already established criminal network, giving readers both a new setting and the return of an enemy whose methods they have seen develop.

Can I start here?

Read High Time to Kill and Doubleshot first. The publisher explicitly links this mission to both earlier Union adventures, and the closing position makes their sequence more useful than a standalone approach.

What stands out

The film-industry front is the new angle, while the Union connection is the reason to read in order. It is the destination for the trilogy rather than the best introduction to Benson's Bond.

Who wrote it

Benson wrote The James Bond Bedside Companion before becoming the first American commissioned to write Bond; his official work includes Never Dream of Dying. He wrote six original Bond novels and three film novelisations.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Never Dream of Dying belongs to Benson’s six original 1990s–2000s missions, read in publication order. It is part of the Union sequence: High Time to Kill, Doubleshot, then Never Dream of Dying. The publisher gives no immediate Fleming-book placement for this adventure.

Content notes

Adult readers. Organised crime, violence, assassination and danger involving the film industry.

Setting

• France
• Cannes
• Corsica

Main characters

James Bond, Le Gérant, Tylyn Mignonne, The Union.