Product Description

Jane Moneypenny is the perfect example of chic sophistication and unflappable poise. She handles her cohort of unruly 00 agents with good-humoured grace. Yet, behind her polished perfection, she exudes a certain aura of mystery.

Indeed there is more to Miss Moneypenny than meets the eye. When she hears that her favourite agent James Bond’s secret Cuban mission is jeopardised and his life in danger, she impulsively plunges into the glamorous, dangerous world of espionage to save his skin.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121919 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review

'Thrilling'

(Joanna Lumley )

'A damned good read'

(Roger Moore )

'A tour-de-force'

(Jeffrey Deaver )

'A thoroughly enjoyable romp'

 

(Guardian )

About the Author
Kate Westbrook and Miss Moneypenny are pseudonyms for Samantha Weinberg, frustrated spy and author of the best-selling A Fish Caught in Time – the Search for the Coelacanth, and Pointing From the Grave, which won the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-fiction.

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Customer Reviews

"Oh, Jane..."
The Moneypenny Diaries is the first in a trilogy of books by Samantha Weinberg (a.k.a. Kate Westbrook) chronicling the heretofore untold adventures of M’s popular personal secretary. Until now, Miss Moneypenny has only been a figure behind a desk with a particular fascination for an agent with the number 007. But now she has a first name (Jane), a rich past (colonial Africa), and quite a few “Bondian” tales to tell of her own. The Moneypenny Diaries also reveal exactly what happened to 007 during those dark days between the books 'On Her Majesty’s Secrete Service' and 'You Only Live Twice.' We even get to see Bond and Moneypenny join forces and play a major role in the real-life Cuban Missile Crisis!

This book is very well done and a must for Bond fans. It's so nice to see a Bond adventure set in the 1960s again. Fans of the films might be a bit surprised to see their super agent in such a poor mental state after the murder of his wife, Tracy...but that's what makes the Bond books such a different (and, IMO, a far more rich) experience. The Moneypenny Diaries is a great way to start that experience.

A rivetting read
Many of us have wondered how much of the entertaining escapades of 007 portrayed in Ian Flemings books, are founded in fact. The series of silver screen 007s, whether with smooth Casanova style or rugged charm, overcoming or outwitting an endless variety of villains in fabulous locations, has only increased the sense of myth. Now, the Moneypenny Diaries reveals all. Dr Westbrook has been fastidous in her research, as attested by the copious footnotes, which unquestionably link the events in Miss Moneypenny's diaries to the Cuban missile crisis. The extracts from the diaries themselves, provide a unique insight into the world of the secret service, the personality of Mr Bond, and the stress of working undercover. Miss Moneypenny herself comes to vividly to life, proving to be an engaging and adventurous personality with a great deal of personal and professional integrity, and the odd moment of Bridget Jones angst too. During her lifetime she clearly inspired her niece, whose fascination and affection for her aunt leap out of the page. At the end Dr Westbrook lets on that she is now editing the next volume of here aunt's journals, and I closed this book in expectation of another volume of rivetting reading to look forward to - hopefully soon!

Wow... if you thought Fleming was good.....
What a book. I didnt think it was possible to "out Bond" Bond. Charlie Higson managed it with Silverfin but Dr Westbrook has found a gem in these diaries that is the perfect read. I hope there are more volumes to be discovered.