'A dry martini;' Bond said. 'In a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordons; one of Vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold; then add a thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?' 'Certainly; monsieur.'Introducing James Bond: charming; sophisticated; handsome; chillingly ruthless and very deadly. This; the first of Fleming's tales of agent 007; finds Bond on a mission to neutralize a lethal; high-rolling Russian operative called simply 'The Cypher' - by ruining him at the Baccarat table and forcing his Soviet spymasters to 'retire' him. It seems that lady luck is taken with James - The Cypher has hit a losing streak. But some people just refuse to play by the rules and Bond's attraction to a beautiful female agent leads him to disaster and an unexpected saviour ...