Secret Servant

The story, without spoilers

Jane Moneypenny faces trouble at work and in her private life as the service is shaken by treason and defection. Bond has been brainwashed by the KGB, while a family secret adds another pressure. A dangerous Russian mission turns her diary into the record of an increasingly personal crisis.

The second Moneypenny book develops the viewpoint established in Guardian Angel. The office's problems cannot be kept separate from its narrator's emotional life, making the diary form more than a different way to describe a conventional Bond briefing.

Can I start here?

Read Guardian Angel first. Secret Servant is the middle novel of the trilogy, followed by Final Fling. Fleming readers will also recognise the significance of a Bond affected by Soviet brainwashing.

What stands out

The mixture of institutional turmoil and a private family mystery gives this instalment its emphasis. It is a continuation of Moneypenny's account, so the series order matters more than treating it as an isolated Bond mission.

Who wrote it

Weinberg, an award-winning non-fiction writer, became the first woman to write official Bond-world fiction with the diary sequence that includes Secret Servant. She uses Kate Westbrook as its fictional editor and pen name.

Where it fits in Bond’s life

Secret Servant follows Jane Moneypenny’s Cold War world alongside the familiar service. Read the diary trilogy in publication order; the changing viewpoint is more useful than forcing each volume between Fleming novels.

Content notes

Adult readers. Treason, defection, brainwashing, personal distress and dangerous Cold War operations.

Setting

• Britain
• Moscow and Russia

Main characters

Jane Moneypenny, James Bond, The service’s defectors and accused officer.