So I've read the first books in the Young Bond series a few times but this is the first time I've gotten around to reading Steve Cole's additions. Shoot to Kill was not quite what I was expecting. This time Bond travels to the United States and takes on Hollywood.

It's clear the events of the last book have damaged Bond - he struggles to connect with the people around him and it made for awkward reading. And it made me sad. More than that though, it made it hard for me to care about the characters around him - he didn't get to know them - so neither does the reader.

It felt a bit like watching a gangster movie with no sound. There was lots happening but I'm not sure I really cared. It was relatively enjoyable though and edged in at 3 stars on the lower side of the 3. But Cole has clearly laid the groundwork for a more emotionally open Bond now that he's worked through some of the trauma and I'll be interested to see where Steve Cole takes the series. ( )

A fun adventure involving a mid teenage Bond, who has now started to develop his feeling of cynicism, and devil may care attitude. He has some traits that will be developed into as a mature man. There are some Easter eggs in here, with Hoagy Carmicheal for example, coming to mind. This is a great heir to the high standard that Charlie Higson has set. ( )

The series continues with a new author. Young James has left Eton and is at a loose end waiting to begin the next phase of his education.
Action is never far away and before long James finds himself travelling from the England to Los Angeles, via a zeppelin. The intrigue begin straight away as James discovers that he has become caught up in a web of blackmail and murder. There are American gangsters, dastardly plots and friends in danger. It will be a good book for our younger student who like spy and action stories ( )