Blanche, Carte Blanche - Arrives in UK

We gave Peter Guttridge one of his most toughest assignments to date. Our man in London filed this report before running away from a shady-looking man with an umbrella on a very sunny day....

"The launch of the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise - Carte Blanche by Jeff Deaver - took place in the exotic but totally appropriate surroundings of the champagne bar beside the Eurostar platforms at St Pancras. He arrived in a Bentley sports car; the book arrived courtesy of half a dozen marine commandos abseiling off the roof of the Victorian railway station. Eurostar passengers on the platform opposite watched bemused but intrigued. Jeff gave a gracious and witty speech, as did the publishers and Lucy Fleming, actress descendant of Ian Fleming. As I write this the commandos are making contact with the local population. Aside from the the fun of this, I'm hoping a proof copy of the book will come out of this but I have my doubts.

Great launch - the only worry was that I spotted the man known only as the Professor (so named by Mike Ripley) in the audience. What dastardly deeds did he have in mind?"
 
And we have the photographical evidence to prove it (sadly no negatives).

Royal Marine at the ready

Getting closer

Gotcha!

Bring the car around, James

Jeffrey Deaver

"The Professor"

Lucy Fleming, Ian Fleming’s niece, commented at today’s launch: “On Saturday my uncle, Ian Fleming, would be 103 years old. If he had been here today he would have loved the occasion.

“With his brilliant plot and clever twists, his perfectly horrible villain and his detailed knowledge of the British intelligence Service, Jeffery Deaver brings Bond straight into the heart of modern espionage.”

Carte Blanche will be published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton tomorrow, Thursday 26 May 2011, just ahead of Ian Fleming’s birthday on Saturday 28 May. Priced at £19.99, the book will be available nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.007carteblanche.co.uk/.


Bond babe takes possession of Carte Blanche with a special red Bentley Continental GT ready for a fast getaway

The book cover