Casino Royale, Ian Flemings first ever James Bond novel promised to be a joy to read, being the precursor to the James Bond phenomenon and all that, but sadly, I’m afraid to say it was not. The book didn’t live up to these high expectations and I wanted to put it down after reading the first page. Fleming within the first few paragraphs commits reader homicide by gambling jargon and there is very little motivation to read on.

Casino Royale documents the adventures of Bond, James Bond, 007 Her Majesty's Secret Service's Master Spy (with interesting views on women) and his attempt to thwart Russian Le Chiffre’s attempt at winning 50 million francs, KGB funds he lost purchasing brothels.

Alas, what Casino Royale needs is more mystery, suspense and a lead character we can care about. What Casino Royale needs less of is long winded descriptions of things that add nothing to the story and slow the pace, there is plenty of that.