Summary- A young girl named Emma Dupre is accidentally killed when she drowns trying to escape some muggers. The police recover her body and James Bond's number and an Avante Carte credit card is found on her body. Bond is called in since his number was found on her. Bond is sent to the headquarters of Avante Carte to investigate possible connections to a man called Vladimir Scorpius. Bond discovers that the Avante Carte cards are linked with a religious cult called The Society of the Meek Ones. With an IRS woman's, named Harriet's, help, Bond further discovers that a series of assassinations have been carried out by suicide bombers from The Society. Furthermore, Bond discovers that The Society is led by a man named Father Valentine, who is in reality Scorpius. Harriet is kidnapped and taken to Scorpius base in South Carolina. Bond ends up in South Carolina, after an SAS man named Pearlman takes him to Scorpius. Scorpius thinks that Pearlman is one of his followers, but Pearlman is really trying to free his daughter, who has become a member of The Society. Bond discovers that Scorpius is hypnotizing young members of his cult into thinking that the bombings they commit will both ensure their place in paradise and bring about world piece. Scorpius is just out to make money by renting out their services. Bond tries to escape through the marsh, where many water moccasins, very poisonous snakes, thrive. Bond makes it, but Harriet dies. Bond kills Scorpius and stops all further bombings except one. Pearlman's daughter, Ruth, is already on her way to bomb the Prime Minister and the President at a photo shoot that day. Bond and Pearlman arrive first, and Bond is forced to shoot Ruth. My Grade- A- The idea of a fanatical cult blowing themselves, and their targets away is hard for Bond to handle. How does one fight a group of people who look entirely ordinary, but can cause such devastation? Bond also has to face Vladimir Scorpius, a man who represents evil incarnate. It's the villain in this book that make it so good. Of course, Bond still saves the day. Best Moment-Bond and Harriet are forced to marry in a Society ceremony, with Scorpius presiding over it. (He's crazy.) Bond and Harriet both know that the marriage is not legal, and that they are doing it only to stall for time. However, Bond does like Harriet. Bond goes through personal hell again as his new "wife" dies in their attempt to escape. Bond is reminded of Tracy, and feels the pain all over again. Bond goes after Scorpius, and forces Scorpius to walk into the marsh with the snakes. This is after he shot him four times, in non-vital areas, to make him do so. Afterwards, Bond lies and says he tried to take Scorpius alive. This is Bond at his darkest in any novel I've read so far.
