I’m surprised no one has commented on this. Has anyone read it?
Well, I have, and I have to say that I greatly enjoyed The Hook And The Eye. Welcome back, Raymond Benson.
The novel is takes place in 1952 shortly after Felix Leiter’s recovery from his being maimed by a shark during the events of Live And Let Die that left him with a prosthesis on both his left leg and right arm. Leiter calls the incident “The Mishap” and after months of mental and physical rehab, he is in a relatively solid mental state. The novel is told from Leiter’s perspective and is done in the traditional hard-boiled detective style with a little bit of spy touches thrown in.
Leiter gets hired on by the Pinkerton Detective Agency and is assigned run-of-the-mill tasks as he is still getting used to his new prostheses. But soon he is hired by Dora Wysocki to drive her from New York City to Odessa, Texas. What follows is a road trip that features side turns involving mysterious characters, dynamite, Carlsbad Caverns, and cockfights, not to mention a little bit of espionage.
Benson does a great job with Felix. He’s not a superman. He’s a man who is recovering both physically and mentally and who is learning how to adapt to his new situation and its limitations–as well as overcoming them. But he’s still the Felix we all know and love. And we get to see and learn a little more about him here, and it’s a welcome return. I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing another Leiter story. (Of course, I would like another new Bond adventure too.) I don’t know if that will happen, but this was definitely a good start. Highly recommended. Thanks Raymond.