John Edmund Gardner wrote 14 James Bond novels between 1981 and 1996. To date, he is the most prolific author for the literary Bond.
He was the first Bond author I read, and when I was first getting into Bond, I devoured every Gardner book I could find. While I enjoyed them at the time, recent re-reads have left me cold.
There is something lacking from Gardner’s Bond that I could never put my finger on. It was not until I read one of his own works, that I was able to figure out why his Bond books felt so cold.
The Liquidator was Gardner’s second novel, published in 1964.
Boysie Oakes goes on holiday to France and finds himself in the middle of a Russian plot. What his paymaster and enemies do not realize is that the infamous ‘Liquidator’ is a fraud: he was enlisted as an assassin because of an error of judgment, and he has no desire to kill anyone. He is also afraid of flying - which might play into the finale...
This book is such a surprise.
Gardner's Bond novels are so leaden, it was a shock to read a book so laced with irony and genuine wit.
I will not say that Gardner is a genius or a super stylist - but when left to his own devices, Gardner is great.
Reading this book, I came up with a theory:
I do not think Gardner can write Bond straight - if he had been given a freer hand, I think the books would be better and I think the literary character would benefit from reinvention.
Call it a ‘Roger Moore’ moment - maybe Gardner could have been that for the literary Bond?
Take the M analogue: Boysie’s boss Moyston is terrifying - in any other book he would be the villain.
Unlike Bond’s desk bound relationship with M, Moyston gets his hands dirty - tackling Boysie in the forest; driving a car after the Vulture (even when he gets shot).
He’s also a dirty old man, always going on about women’s boobs - he is positioned as the real obstacle for Boysie.
The key difference between Gardner and Fleming is that while Fleming’s Bond is based in grit and doubts his job, Fleming romanticizes it. He romanticises the darkness - Gardner’s Oakes is a normal person who hates death and danger. Gardner emphasises the fact that all these people are dangerous because they do not care about other human beings - and are also incompetent.
The first half of the book is very subtle in terms of tipping its hand about Boysie - at first it looks like he is your typical Bondian secret agent who has a capacity for murder and sex.
But there are hints - he refers to hating flying, and he also shows discomfort at a spider in his room.
I found the slow reveal of Oakes’ true character is genuinely hilarious. And it still works on the re-read - the first half is filled with subtle foreshadowing, like his fear of flying, and one little moment where he is unnerved by a spider in his room.
The moment I caught on to the book’s true nature was Sheriek’s phone call with his unseen boss, when he has to let Boysie escape.
When Boysie returns to the hotel, we learn the truth - Boysie is the product of incredibly bad luck, and his own selfishness. Despite his hatred for death, he cannot give up the trappings of the lifestyle.
The book is peppered with great comic moments and characters.
After Boysie hires Mr Griffin to do his dirty work, Griffin offers his matter-of-fact approach to death:
'Don't you fret about that, guv'nor – I never ask any questions so long as the lolly's right: and I can promise you, sir, that everything'll be in the best of taste. I mean, undertaking taught me that. A bit religious, I am, guv'nor, on the quiet like.'
The big laugh of the book is the flammable maps in the meeting between Boysie and Quadrant - it turns farcical when the hotel staff and guests get involved to put the fire out.
The ending is hilariously bleak - mission accomplished, Boysie finds himself in his boss’s good graces and back on the job. His escape will have to be delayed for another day…
John Gardner was a writer with one hand tied behind his back. If you only know him from his Bond books, check out the Boys Oakes series to get a sense of his original ideas.
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