Hurricane Room: A Double O Novel

James Bond reemerges to stamp out chaos at MI6 in the scattershot conclusion to Sherwood’s trilogy about the next generation of Double O agents (after A Spy Like Me). Conrad Harthrop-Vane, Agent 000, has turned traitor, kidnapped Moneypenny, and begun murdering his fellow agents. With Moneypenny gone, Joseph Dryden, Agent 004, struggles to restore order at London HQ. Meanwhile, Colonel Mora, the sadistic head of private military company Rattenfänger, is plotting an attack on Great Britain that will leave the West helpless. The Double Os’ only hope is that Johanna Harwood, Agent 003, can break Bond out of a prison near Moscow and get him back into action. This finale has all the Bond hallmarks, including suggestive banter, shaken martinis, and a campy death trap (in this instance, a snake pit). The plot momentum, however, is choppy, lurching from set piece to set piece as the proceedings grow increasingly convoluted. Though 007 diehards will appreciate the Easter eggs Sherwood scatters throughout, more casual readers are likely to get lost. It’s a mixed bag. Agents: Viola Hayden and Jonny Geller, Curtis Brown U.K. (May)