Nobody Lives Forever

Nobody Lives for Ever, first published in 1986, was the fifth novel by John Gardner.

The story isn't all that complex. En route to retrieve housekeeper, May, from a health clinic, Bond receives some news. British Secret Service tells him that Tamil Rahani, the leader of SPECTRE, is dying. Why? Because Bond wounded him in their last encounter. There is a price on Bond's head. Bond should "trust no one". Mysterious!Bond learns that May and Miss Moneypenny, who had been visiting his housekeeper, are missing. Bond finds himself dodging would-be assassins while searching for his friends. Assisting him is a young débutante and her capable, yet enigmatic, female bodyguard.The price on Bond's head is a competition organised by Rahani and SPECTRE. Its known as 'The Head Hunt'. An open contest to capture or kill Bond so he can be decapitated. While Bond tries to rescue Moneypenny and May he has to dodge betrayal, murder, kidnapping by any number of organisations and individuals.

In this twisting tale, Bond is both violent and vicious. The plot is straightforward enough. No plans for world domination here, sharks with lazers, or atomic space weapons. Its simply about henchmen, goons and assassins out to kill Bond, and get a bounty for doing so. Along the action-packed way we get a few surprises, and of course some sticky situations to test 007's skills. The ending is climatic and explosive. Not a perfect novel by any means, but a strong Bond continuation novel nonetheless. It mixes vintage Fleming with 80s culture pretty well. I for one would be more than happy to read another of Gardner's Bond novels. Recommended for anyone who wants to kill a couple of hours in an entertaining and undemanding way.