Casino Royale
by Ian Fleming
Summary
British secret agent James Bond is sent to a French casino to bankrupt a Soviet backed financier at the baccarat table, a mission that draws him into torture, betrayal, and a doomed romance with a fellow agent named Vesper Lynd. Fleming, drawing on his own wartime naval intelligence background, introduces the cool, ruthless spy who would become one of the most enduring characters in popular fiction. The novel launched a series that would eventually become one of the best selling and most adapted franchises in publishing history.
Historical Context & Significance
No major thriller or mystery prize of note existed for the book in Britain in 1953. Fleming's Bond novels found their greatest fame only after the character reached the screen, beginning nearly a decade later with the 1962 film Dr. No.