Never Send Flowers

The story, without spoilers

Several apparently unrelated assassinations acquire a disturbing link: a blood-tipped rose is sent to each funeral. After a British agent is killed in Switzerland, Bond is paired with Swiss intelligence officer Flicka von Grusse. The inquiry brings the actor David Dragonpol into view.

The mystery begins with a repeated gesture rather than an obvious military secret. It gives Bond and Flicka a trail to follow across Europe, and the partnership becomes an important feature of Gardner's later books.

Can I start here?

Yes, particularly if you want to meet Flicka before SeaFire and COLD. For the entire run, start with Licence Renewed; this later entry gives a useful starting point for Gardner's final group of adventures.

What stands out

The rose motif makes the investigation easy to distinguish from other Bond cases. Flicka's introduction is also a practical reason to read this before the remaining Gardner books.

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 Never Send Flowers. His run contains fourteen original novels and two film adaptations.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Never Send Flowers is Gardner’s original Bond novel 12 of fourteen. In Never Send Flowers, Gardner’s updated Bond operates after the original Fleming era. No precise neighbouring Fleming mission is given.

Content notes

Adult readers. Multiple assassinations, stalking, a murdered agent and threats to bystanders.

Setting

• Switzerland
• Athens
• Disneyland Paris

Main characters

James Bond, Flicka von Grusse, David Dragonpol, M.