Year - 1965

Tease - Scaramanga, who shoots silver-jacketed, gold-core bullets from a single-action, gold-plated Colt .45, is the most efficient one-man death-dealer in the world.  He's James Bond's last target.

Villain - Francisco (Paco) "Pistols" Scaramanga, is a freelance assassin mainly under KGB control and lives in Havana, Cuba.  Age 35, height 6' 3", slim and fit.  Eyes light brown, reddish hair in a crew cut.  Long sideburns.  Gaunt, sombre face with thin pencil moustache.  Distinguishing marks: a third nipple about two inches below his left breast.  In Voodoo cults it is considered a sign of invulnerability and great sexual prowess.  He prefers to make love to a woman before he kills because he believes it improves the eye.

Bond-Girl - Mary Goodnight, is Bond's secretary.  She made her appearances in the last two novels as a brunette and appears in this novel as a blonde.

Minor Characters - Felix Leiter,  M,  Hendricks,  Nick Nicholson 

Plot - Bond is sent to liquidate Scaramanga, the man with the golden gun.  Scaramanga and his assorted hoods are planning to damage Western interest in the sugar cane industry.

Highlights - Assassination attempt on M's life, Scaramanga's dossier, train battle, final confrontation with Scaramanga in swamp.

Opening Sentence - The Secret Service holds much that is kept secret even from very senior officers in the organization.

Trivia - The name Scaramanga was lifted from a man whom Fleming detested at Eton.

Personal Comment About This Novel - The novel is not up to the usual standard of Fleming.  This is due to the fact that Fleming died before it was finished.  The people at Glidrose were forced to finish it because they had a contract to publish the next novel.  Therefore, we have a mix of Fleming and other people's styles.  The results is an uneven, unpolished novel with a mediocre villain.  However, it still has it's exciting moments such as the train battle.

Jonathan Cape hardcover edition

Dr. Shatterhand's Scale from 1 - 10

"6"

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