Live and Let Die

The story, without spoilers

Seventeenth-century gold coins are turning up in America, and British intelligence suspects the money is paying for Soviet work. The trail points to Mr Big, a crime boss whose reach runs from Harlem into the Caribbean.

Bond teams up again with Felix Leiter. Their inquiries move from New York's clubs to the Florida coast and then to Jamaica, where the islander Quarrel becomes a trusted guide on the water. Solitaire, who is bound to Mr Big's organisation, may help, if she is free to.

Mr Big trades on a reputation for supernatural power. Part of Bond's task is to separate belief and theatre from the practical business of moving treasure, much of it underwater.

Can I start here?

You can, but you will meet Leiter and Bond's working habits without their introduction. Reading Casino Royale first costs little: it is short.

What stands out

It is the first Bond book to range across America and the Caribbean, and it introduces Quarrel, who returns in Dr. No.

• It is the first Bond novel set largely in the United States.
• The 2025 Audible recording is read by Adjoa Andoh.

Content notes

Suggested age 16+. Killings and threats, and offensive period depictions of Black people and Caribbean culture, including racist language. Also sexualised portrayals and occult imagery.

Book and film

The 1973 film, Roger Moore's first as Bond, borrows the main characters and several set pieces but tells its own story.

Where it is set

• USA: New York City and Harlem
• USA: Florida
• Jamaica

Real and fictional Bond places

Main characters

James Bond, M, Felix Leiter, Mr Big, Solitaire, Quarrel.