On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The story, without spoilers

Bond has spent a long time failing to find Ernst Stavro Blofeld, a man who changes his identity as easily as his address. Then he meets Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, whose father, Marc-Ange Draco, runs a Corsican crime syndicate and has information to trade.

The lead points to an exclusive institute high in the Alps. Bond goes in under a cover identity and tries to work out what the secluded clinic is doing with its guests, while snow, distance and silence cut him off from London. Meanwhile, what began with Tracy as useful becomes personal.

Can I start here?

Read Thunderball first. This book continues the Blofeld story, and its ending matters more if you know Bond well.

What stands out

It mixes a winter adventure with a love story that matters to the rest of the series.

• Bond uses an elaborate cover identity to reach the Alpine clinic.
• The 2025 Audible recording is read by Daniel Weyman.

Content notes

Suggested age 16+. Violence, sexual content, manipulation and period stereotyping.

Book and film

The 1969 film, George Lazenby's only outing as Bond, follows the novel more closely than most of the films.

Where it is set

• France
• Switzerland: the Alps
• England

Real and fictional Bond places

Main characters

James Bond, Tracy di Vicenzo, Marc-Ange Draco, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Irma Bunt, M.