The sixth James Bond novel (the Novelization of the film The World Is Not Enough being the fifth) by Raymond Benson, published in 2000.
Thanks to the events of High Time to Kill, the Union has lost face and seeks revenge on Bond. When they are approached by a politically ambitious mobster who wants Gibraltar back to Spain, they set in motion a plan that will not only strike against Bond, but his country as well.
This novel has examples of:
- Alliterative Name: Roberto Rojo, the bullfighter who crosses Espada by rescuing one of his slaves out of love.
- Big Bad: Domingo Espada.
- Chase Scene: After witnessing the destruction of the Union's headquarters in Casablanca, Bond is framed for the deed and has to run from local police across the city.
- Continuity Nod:
- Bond's depression from the aftermath of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is brought up, as well as the following mission to Japan from You Only Live Twice.
- Bond consults about Markbury's murder with Inspector Howard, whose investigation of the Hutchinson case in The Facts of Death is mentioned.
- Destination Defenestration: Bond ends up in a fight against two mooks after eavesdropping on two Union members, and is thrown through a fire escape window at one point.
- Diplomatic Impunity: The gist of the bad guys' Evil Plan is having Glyn-as-Bond in the meeting about the Gibraltar under the Spanish diplomatic immunity, and shoot the local governor and the British prime minister.
- Disney Villain Death: Piel is shot in the climax, and she falls screaming through a window to the street below.
- The Dragon: Margareta Piel, the Dark Action Girl who is making a transition from working for Espada to the Union.
- Evil Genius: Nadir Yassasin, the chief strategist of the Union, who is sent to aid Espada in his plan.
- Evil Knockoff: Peredur Glyn, a Welsh mercenary in the Union's employ, is turned into exact replica of Bond through plastic surgery to frame him for various crimes.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling:
- Out of the Taunt twins, Hedy Taunt is the serious and responsible one, and Heidi Taunt is the bubbly and foolish one.
- Roberto Rojo is a womanizer who runs off with one of Espada's girls but then shows signs of being seduced away from her, and Javier is a more graceful and honorable, yet cautious man in a committed relationship.
- Glory Hound: Already a famous figure, Espada still wants to be remembered in history books by orchestrating the Gibraltar takeover.
- How We Got Here: The book opens on a scene where the villains are about to enact the critical phase of their plan, before turning back the clock to show the events which led there.
- Invoked Trope: The villains invoke the old trope of seeing one's doppelgänger as a portent of misfortune by having Peredur showing himself to Bond before launching their campaign to frame him for acts of terrorism.
- It's for a Book: The cover of Taunt Twins' travels is that they are writing travel books.
- Just Between You and Me: As he Bond captured and bound, Yassasin explains to him how they were able to lure him to that point, before leaving him to be killed.
- Misfortune Cookie: After dining in a Chinese restaurant which he frequents, Bond receives an ominous message in a fortune cookie which reads "Meeting you double means certain death". When he asks the establishment's owner about it, he learns that it's not part of their stock fortunes. It was in fact planted by the Union member Jimmy Powers as a first step on their revenge on Bond.
- Mythology Gag: Bill Tanner tells M that while FBI was unable to stick any charges on the doctor who performed the plastic surgery on Peredur Glyn, they "managed to scare the living daylights out of him".
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Espada, whose name is Spanish for "sword".
- Not Right in the Bed: Margareta Piel is able to see through the ruse of Bond replacing Glyn through the sex they had in the night before.
- Sex Slave: Espada has girls brought to his place from poverty stricken areas, and they are trained to become high-class call girls. Those who are deemed failures are killed and tossed in the sea.
- Shoot the Messenger: Bond does this to one Union member (albeit one he already had a vendetta against for murdering Helena).
- Sinister Surveillance: The Union's Scarily Competent Tracker Jimmy Powers spends large parts of the novel shadowing Bond through crowds in preparation for their plans to impersonate him, with Bond being none the wiser.
- Slashed Throat: Piel puts on a show for Roberto Rojo by undressing and when he least expects it, slashes his throat open.
- Slaughterhouse Fight: As Bond fights his mirror image in the bull ring, Heidi Taunt deals with the remaining mooks in a gunfight in a slaughterhouse next to it.
- Spear Carrier: 001 appears hovering around to provide security at the peace conference and plays a minor role in the climactic shootout (which he survives).
- Twin Switch: The Taunt twins share the identity of the CIA agent Hillary Taunt, going out one at the time to keep their status as twins a secret.
- Twin Threesome Fantasy: The novel ends with bedridden Bond being greeted by the Taunt twins, who are suggestively talking about "sharing" him.
