Kim Sherwood

Reviewed on 30th May 2026

The double-Os are back for the third entry in Kim Sherwood's trilogy, and there's so much going on it's hard to know where to start.

It's an intricate plot weaving together threads of many characters. There's a lot of reliance I found on remembering what happened in the first two books, and that is not always my strong suit, so in places I was stumbling a bit. Once that's past though it's a fast paced novel that feels very movie-like as well as being traditional Bond style.

There's so many references to pick up on, and as a long-time fan it is a bit weird in places seeing a Bond novel that's updated to be set now but still making references to things from the original novels and films, with everything having been time shifted in his backstory. And yet that still makes it a lot of fun.

I've really enjoyed this trilogy, and am a bit sad that we probably won't see most of these characters again. But James Bond, of course, will return.

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Reviewed on 11th May 2024

Kim Sherwood’s version of the Double O’s return for what does slightly have the feel of a middle book.

The characters are all remarkably broken people, and this really draws you in as a reader and turns them from superheroes into real people you can believe in and root for.

There were a few moments in the narrative where I lost track of the flow and had to pop back briefly, but most of the time the action and introspection unfolds smoothly.

There are tons of little references dropped in for Bond fans, and that’s amused me to see throughout. I didn’t count or tick them off but it felt like there might be one for each of Fleming’s original works.

I really like what Sherwood has done to revitalise the franchise - modernising it without taking away what makes it special.

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Reviewed on 6th May 2023

I really did not know what I was getting into when I picked up this novel after having read the author, Kim Sherwood, ‘s previous novel (Double or Nothing).

It’s a historical novel with a lot of history, ostensibly about smugglers who operate along the Devon coast, but really about a gender non-conforming child who is brought up by the smugglers.

I found it took a lot longer than usual to get my head into the narrative. The voice used for most of the story is intentionally styled after writing of the time, and so not in the form I’m used to. There are also chapters written in totally different voices and fonts, and one of these fonts I found challenging to focus on.

Very much not my usual type of novel, but once I got past halfway I was finally properly into it, and was able to flow much more though the second half.

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Reviewed on 1st October 2022

Kim Sherwood brings us the latest modern day take on the world of James Bond, with a bunch of interesting twists on the formula.

The novel focusses on three junior 00 agents, along with a cast of familiar side characters with a contemporary feel recasting their roles to make sense in the 21st Century.

The plot similarly feels very much of its time - reflecting the current fears of the world, in much the same way the original novels played off the fears of the west in their era.

I found it hard in the first half of the novel to get the focus to read much in one sitting. It took a while to get into the heads of the characters and remember which one was which. But it turned out that what I needed was a good old fashioned train journey to get my head into the right place and I absorbed the second half in one day of travel.

I really appreciated all the little touches that Sherwood litters through the book, referencing back to the Fleming canon and ignoring that it should be now have been over 60 years since those events. I also loved the Star Trek reference.

So, now my head’s had a chance to get into it, I’m definitely looking forward to the two more 00 novels she’s got coming in the future.

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