- MP3 CD
- Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; MP3 edition (Feb 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0786190639
- ISBN-13: 978-0786190638
- Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 16 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,448,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Bond is on leave in the Bahamas with the tall, beautiful and intelligent Helena Marksbury, his P.A. at the S.I.S. (as the MI6 is now known). Here, through the murder of his old friend, the ex-Governor of the Bahamas, he has his first taste of a growing World-wide criminal organisation known as "The Union". Back in England two weeks later and the Union is involved again, suspected of being behind the highjacking of Britain's vital military breakthrough "Skin17".
On the trail of the missing micro-dot, 007 travels to Brussels and onto Nepal where he embarks on an epic mission climbing the Kangchenjunga, the World's third highest mountain, in an attempt to rescue the micro-dot from a crashed plane. Needless to say, the British Secret Service isn't the only party interested in retrieving this top military secret and Bond encounters other challenges besides that of surviving this great mountaineering expedition.
In High Time to Kill, Benson has created a 90s' criminal organisation to rival Fleming's own "Smersh" or "Spectre", with a chilling method of disposing of those who cross them. There are some strong episodes--a golf match between Bond and his old Etonian rival, Roland Marquis, and the climax of the mountaineering adventure where Benson keeps you guessing right to the end. Indeed, the appearance of Marquis provides an interesting insight into Bond's schoolboy-like competitiveness.
Although wholesome enough, Bond's romantic adventures aren't as strong here as in many of Benson or John Gardner's previous novels--his efforts are spread too thinly between Marksbury, a toothpick-sucking Belgian agent and the rather dour New Zealand mountaineer, Dr Hope Rendell. Nevertheless, High Time to Kill is a refreshing Bond novel, with the emphasis firmly on espionage and suspense rather than over-stated action and Q-Branch gizmos. --Julian BrosterEND --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
The Union is a criminal organization with tentacles throughout the world, specializing in military espionage, theft, intimidation and murder. After one of its agents assassinates James Bond's friend, the Union becomes 007's priority target.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the novel, Bond, first encounters The Union, a terrorist organisation reminiscent of SPECTRE. Unlike most Bond novels in which you are aware of the villains and their intentions, the book keeps you guessing all the way through the expedition up Kangchenjunga, the third tallest mountain on earth. I thought the expedition was a most origianal setting far superior to the the work of John Gardner. It was also faster moving than any other Bond novel I have ever read, and also had a very contempory feel to it which I liked. There were three main women in the book and two bad guys- Harding and Marquis. I give the book top marks for plot, originality and over all being the best Raymond Benson effort to date.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Raymond Benson's fourth James Bond novel, "High Time to Kill" was released the same year as the EON's "The World Is Not Enough" starring Pierce Brosnan in his penultimate 007 film. Whereas that film had a convoluted plot and drifted into inanity, Raymond Benson was delivering what many Bond fans hail as one of the finest instalments in the 007 cannon.
The novel begins with a few nods to the past as James Bond relaxes on a Jamaican holiday with his secretary Helena Marksbury, with whom he is involved in a secret affair as colleagues aren't supposed to be romantically connected. They are invited to a party hosted by the Governor of the Bahamas (who appeared in the Fleming short story "Quantum of Solace" - unrelated to the Daniel Craig film) and all seems well until blackmail and murder raise their ominous heads. A chase ensues between Bond and the killer, and already we're off to a flying start.
This isn't really relevant - and after a Goldfinger-esque golf match, the main story begins when a secret formula named "Skin 17" is stolen by a traitor. M - the female chief of SIS (which M16 is now known) - sends Bond to follow the traitor to Belgium.
The formula is hidden in a pacemaker which is then implanted into a Chinese man, and during his journey via air, the plane is hijacked and crashes into Mount Kangchenjunga - the third highest mountain in the world. The organisation who stole the formula are naturally angry and plan to climb the mountain in a bid to retrieve the microdot which is worth billions. The Russian Mafia, the Chinese and also the Belgians are after it - and, under M's orders, so is James Bond. A mountaineering party is assembled, including his arch rival from Eton, Roland Marquis, and a pretty New Zealand doctor prophetically named Hope Kendall. The race is on to see who can reach the site of the plane crash and claim the priceless microdot, and storms lay await ahead.
Like Ian Fleming's classic novels, the action is downplayed in barter to suspense and espionage, but the books moves at a swift pace - even if the main plot doesn't really begin until page 130. Many fans and critics languidly compared it to the Sly Stallone flick "Cliffhanger", and maybe that's a worthy comparison, but whereas that 1993 film employed an over reliance on action scenes and set pieces, "High Time to Kill" delves heavier into suspense and mystery. There's an enemy sniper on Bond's team - but who is it? Such mystery is gripping, and the novel is a marvellous read throughout.
Its excellence is infinitely higher than Sebastian Faulk's ultimately mundane "Devil May Care", and Benson's novel is staggeringly more deserving of the former book's incredulously high marketing efforts. With "High Time to Kill", Raymond Benson shoots high - and lands right on target.
The novel begins with a few nods to the past as James Bond relaxes on a Jamaican holiday with his secretary Helena Marksbury, with whom he is involved in a secret affair as colleagues aren't supposed to be romantically connected. They are invited to a party hosted by the Governor of the Bahamas (who appeared in the Fleming short story "Quantum of Solace" - unrelated to the Daniel Craig film) and all seems well until blackmail and murder raise their ominous heads. A chase ensues between Bond and the killer, and already we're off to a flying start.
This isn't really relevant - and after a Goldfinger-esque golf match, the main story begins when a secret formula named "Skin 17" is stolen by a traitor. M - the female chief of SIS (which M16 is now known) - sends Bond to follow the traitor to Belgium.
The formula is hidden in a pacemaker which is then implanted into a Chinese man, and during his journey via air, the plane is hijacked and crashes into Mount Kangchenjunga - the third highest mountain in the world. The organisation who stole the formula are naturally angry and plan to climb the mountain in a bid to retrieve the microdot which is worth billions. The Russian Mafia, the Chinese and also the Belgians are after it - and, under M's orders, so is James Bond. A mountaineering party is assembled, including his arch rival from Eton, Roland Marquis, and a pretty New Zealand doctor prophetically named Hope Kendall. The race is on to see who can reach the site of the plane crash and claim the priceless microdot, and storms lay await ahead.
Like Ian Fleming's classic novels, the action is downplayed in barter to suspense and espionage, but the books moves at a swift pace - even if the main plot doesn't really begin until page 130. Many fans and critics languidly compared it to the Sly Stallone flick "Cliffhanger", and maybe that's a worthy comparison, but whereas that 1993 film employed an over reliance on action scenes and set pieces, "High Time to Kill" delves heavier into suspense and mystery. There's an enemy sniper on Bond's team - but who is it? Such mystery is gripping, and the novel is a marvellous read throughout.
Its excellence is infinitely higher than Sebastian Faulk's ultimately mundane "Devil May Care", and Benson's novel is staggeringly more deserving of the former book's incredulously high marketing efforts. With "High Time to Kill", Raymond Benson shoots high - and lands right on target.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read most of the Fleming Bonds and a few of the Gardner's I was prepared for a good solid spy story. What I found was a fantastic Mountain climbing adventure that I started at Ten at night and could not put down till Six in the morning when I had read it to the end!!!! I've always enjoyed 007's adventures and this one had me enthralled his illicit affair with yet another MI6 assistant, his long time rivalry with Roland Marquis, and his remarkable skill in yet a whole new field, mountain climbing!! i'd reccomend this book to any Bond fan instantly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
High Time to Sleep
This is Bond on the Eiger Sanction/Cliffhanger outing. He has absolutely nothing to do with how the plot develops but goes climbing in the Himalaya's to get back some McGuffin. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2008 by Mr. I. Stubbs
Not bad
I have always loved the Bond Films so one day i thought i'd give the books a shot. I read Zero Minus Ten and thought it was really good. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2006 by Bartholmew
Perfect fusion makes this one of the BEST Bond novels.
HIGH TIME TO KILL is a unique James Bond adventure. It's very experimental in its use of a single setting in the second half of the book, while still deftly adhering to the classic... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2003 by John Cox
Definatly the best of Benson's Bond
This was the seconds novel of Benson's I read, and I have to say, I was most impressed with it. After finishing the very good Zero Minus Ten, I chose this to read, basically,... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2003 by Simon Ball
For enthusiasts' eyes only
A book is almost always better than the filmed version because it allows your own imagination to envisage situations and characters. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2002 by strozzapreti
True Bond style with fast cars, fast women and gadgets galor
Benson once again puts the style and edge back into Bond, showing that he is not some sort of superhero but a man with flaws like the rest of us. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2001
Thankyou Mr. Bond, that will be all.
This was my first Bond novel. Perhaps I've been spoilt by the screen versions, but I thought this to be very poor. I did read it through, but I won't be buying any others. Read more
Published on 9 July 2001
Suspense, action, romance. HTTK has it all!
High time to kill succeds where other bond novels failed with the tension and suspense created throughout the novel. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2001
Benson's best yet!
A great book. Introducing the Union was a great idea and I especially liked the way they killed their victims by cutting their throats! Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2000
Benson has nearly made the character of Bond his own.
Quite a good novel for a man I didn't think could cut the grade as Bond's writer. In this this instalment of Bond's escapades, Benson has truely created a BRILLIANT criminal... Read more
Published on 25 July 2000
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