The Hook and the Eye
Reviewed on 21st February 2026
It's 1952 and shortly after Felix's famous incident with the shark (the one from the books, not the much later version of the same event from the films). We get to follow some of his physical and mental recovery, and his job switch from CIA to private detective, alongside a classic espionage thriller.
It feels a clever balance of three things - modern novel, homage to the Bond novels, and period piece. Particularly at the start there's a few references that feel familiar to Fleming's original style, and similarly later on some of the big set pieces feel very Fleming in scope. Then the adventure proper begins and seems a well done exploration of the time from a 2020s point of view.
The plot is complicated, with a lot of characters and a lot going on. It was tricky in places to keep my head around this, but it felt recognised by the character and author as well, and that helped with recaps and ensuring we could follow along at the right pace.
A good exploration of the character, and an interesting adventure too.
