Casino Royale

The first James Bond novel involves 007 in espionage at a glamourous Continental casino. Britisher Robert Whitfield takes a suitably urbane approach, sounding as if he is attired in white tails and sipping a very dry martini between takes. He tends to drone during descriptive passages but otherwise gives a thoroughly satisfying reading, taking particular pleasure with his characterizations. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Released in 1953, this is the first Ian Fleming novel featuring secret agent James Bond. Narrator Dan Stevens, of "Downton Abbey" fame, perfectly captures the joie de vivre of Bond and, even more important, his humanity. While images of Sean Connery are inescapable, Stevens creates his own version of the secret agent as a young Bond is ordered to bankrupt a high-ranking Russian spy called "Le Chiffre" at the baccarat table of the famed European casino. The frequent use of French is sometimes annoying but can be ignored for the sake of the story. And what Bond book would be complete without a woman? The femme fatale in this work is one of the more fully realized women in the Bond series and has surprises of her own. M.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine