Vaseem Khan, already a vey successful author of some of my favourite crime series set in India has delivered an absolutely wonderfully crafted first book in a new James Bond spin off series featuring Major Boothroyd – or as we all know him, the inscrutable and no-nonsense Q.
After years of loyal service in British intelligence developing new technologies for the 00s, he is unceremoniously ousted from his job. He finds himself going back to his childhood home, the sleepy town of Wickstone – on – Water after he receives a letter from his childhood friend, who is subsequently found dead, in somewhat mysterious circumstances.
Q feels the police effort is not as it should be and, so he feels compelled to investigate. This brings with it complications in the form of an ex-girlfriend from years ago who is now one of the lead detectives on the investigation. And so it begins, with Q trying to unravel clues while at the same time negotiating a new world outside of his familiar old environment.
As the story moves forward, we also learn more about Q the man (always well dressed, likes red wine and has adopted a dog called Bastard – you can’t not like a man who’d do that!) and that even though he’s no longer in the service, James Bond is still a presence in his world – whether he thinks about how Bond would get out of a particular situation or when he calls him for some help. It was a lovely touch to have Mr Bond appear, as the support act and not the leading man.
This was such an enjoyable read; Vaseem Khan has created a wonderful cast of characters in a story that is a very worthy addition to the Bond canon. It has moments of tension as well as humour and a dry wit and it was an absolute pleasure to read. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series as Vaseem Khan has definitely got a licence to thrill and I can’t wait to find out what happens next for Q.
