Solo, Boyd - B

                                          Half a century after the death of Ian Fleming, the esteemed William Boyd sets out to pen a 007 novel and, for my money, he succeeds.  It's more of a thriller than a spy novel, and is set in Africa in 1969.  Bond is tasked with the assignment of stopping a civil war by eliminating the leader of the rebellious provinces.  As it turns out, the chief dies, the war is resolved in favor of the UK's preferred side and James is pretty seriously shot up.  After he recovers, he decides to go 'solo' for his revenge and trails the shooters to Washington, D.C.  With some help from his old friend Felix Leiter, he discovers that perhaps the ending of the African civil war was not as it seemed.  He uncovers a drug smuggling ring and helps restore the apparent good guy to his rightful position in Africa, where he can sign oil leases that benefit the US and the UK.  A bit of revenge, and fun was, of course, had along the way.