It’s crazy how the mind works. I haven’t read either book in years, but I remembered that Goldfinger was cheating at cards. The second I read your comment the whole thing came flooding back.
I’ll have to look it up, but I’m pretty sure that Drax was using a cigarette case.
Matt Helm books by Donald Hamilton. 1960s action / espionage stories. Helm is an assassin, pure and simple. A lot rougher and more realistic than Bond. Nothing like the Dean Martin movies of the same name.
The Helm books are straight up thrillers with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
If you want something more intellectual, try Alan Furst. His books are all set in the WW2 era. What I like about Furst is that his heroes aren’t clones. His French film producer has nothing in common with his Dutch sea captain or his Hungarian count.
For some reason, his publisher put numbers on the books, but they are all stand alones.
‘Night Soldiers’ is about a Bulgarian fisherman who gets recruited by the KGB after his kid brother is killed by a Fascist mob.
The other big life lesson from Moonraker was how to check Vodka for wood alcohol:
Drop some cracked black pepper in the glass, if it floats you may proceed with caution. If it sinks use it to clean engine components or something.
I was in a former SSR with my family shortly after '91. My father bought a bottle of vodka off the street. I told him about the Bond Test, applied it, and those grains sank like fishing weights.
I said “I’m not touching that shit”, my dad said “it’s just a book, whatever, it tastes ok”
He spent the night vomiting and saying that his eyes hurt.
Very useful book, Moonraker.
Oh, and Blades is a real place, it’s a club on Mayfair about 2km from Buckingham palace. I walked past it more than once after dark and it sure sounded like people were getting drunk and gambling in there.
We had this book at home when I was in grade school. I remember thumbing through it once or twice, but I was too young and knew I’d never get to those places on my milk money.
Probably incredibly dated, but sounds like you might enjoy it.
Used to be called a “shiner”.
Pretty sure I first read that term in “Moonraker.”
I read that book in 3rd Grade. Say what you want, Ian Fleming got a lot of people to read books.
edit = I changed it from ‘Goldfinger.’
It was in Moonraker as well. The book opens with M using Bond to catch Hugo Drax cheating at bridge in M’s club.
Thank you!
It’s crazy how the mind works. I haven’t read either book in years, but I remembered that Goldfinger was cheating at cards. The second I read your comment the whole thing came flooding back.
I’ll have to look it up, but I’m pretty sure that Drax was using a cigarette case.
I edited my comment.
I think the cigarette case is right. Because Drax never picked it up, but took smokes from his jacket.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/matt-helm-death-of-a-citizen-donald-hamilton/30ee760873254c64
Matt Helm books by Donald Hamilton. 1960s action / espionage stories. Helm is an assassin, pure and simple. A lot rougher and more realistic than Bond. Nothing like the Dean Martin movies of the same name.
I just watched The Wrecking Crew last night. 🙄
Look up ‘Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill!’
A porno with no nudity and a biker movie with no motorcycles.
Three crazy hot go-go dancers jump into sports cars and leave the locals stunned.
https://youtu.be/cNABS8_aNlE
The movie Dean Martin wished he could be in
Love me some Russ Meyer!
How do those compare to Le Carré’s George Smiley books?
The Helm books are straight up thrillers with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
If you want something more intellectual, try Alan Furst. His books are all set in the WW2 era. What I like about Furst is that his heroes aren’t clones. His French film producer has nothing in common with his Dutch sea captain or his Hungarian count.
For some reason, his publisher put numbers on the books, but they are all stand alones.
‘Night Soldiers’ is about a Bulgarian fisherman who gets recruited by the KGB after his kid brother is killed by a Fascist mob.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/night-soldiers-a-novel-alan-furst/950ca5867ee0f110
That sounds awesome. Thanks for the rec
The other big life lesson from Moonraker was how to check Vodka for wood alcohol:
Drop some cracked black pepper in the glass, if it floats you may proceed with caution. If it sinks use it to clean engine components or something.
I was in a former SSR with my family shortly after '91. My father bought a bottle of vodka off the street. I told him about the Bond Test, applied it, and those grains sank like fishing weights.
I said “I’m not touching that shit”, my dad said “it’s just a book, whatever, it tastes ok”
He spent the night vomiting and saying that his eyes hurt.
Very useful book, Moonraker.
Oh, and Blades is a real place, it’s a club on Mayfair about 2km from Buckingham palace. I walked past it more than once after dark and it sure sounded like people were getting drunk and gambling in there.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/thrilling-cities-fourteen-cities-seen-through-the-eyes-of-ian-fleming-the-creator-of-james-bond-ian-fleming/eb59f6f21c70b821
We had this book at home when I was in grade school. I remember thumbing through it once or twice, but I was too young and knew I’d never get to those places on my milk money.
Probably incredibly dated, but sounds like you might enjoy it.
Ooh cool thanks!
For future reference, the treatment for methanol poisoning is to drink ethanol.