Plot From Russia, with Love (novel)

ian fleming, russia, love, author s note

smersh, soviet counterintelligence agency, plans commit grand act of terrorism in intelligence field. this, targets british secret service agent james bond. due in part role in defeat of smersh agents le chiffre, mr big , hugo drax, bond has been listed enemy of soviet state , death warrant issued him. death planned precipitate major sex scandal, run in world press months , leave , service s reputations in tatters. bond s killer smersh executioner red grant, psychopath homicidal urges coincide full moon. kronsteen, smersh s chess-playing master planner, , colonel rosa klebb, head of operations , executions, devise operation. instruct attractive young cipher clerk, corporal tatiana romanova, falsely defect post in istanbul having, claim, fallen in love bond after seeing photograph on file. added lure bond, romanova provide british spektor, russian decoding device coveted mi6. not told details of plan.

the offer of defection received mi6 in london, ostensibly romanova, conditional bond collects , spektor istanbul. mi6 unsure of romanova s motive, prize of spektor tempting ignore; bond s superior, m, orders him go turkey. once there, bond forms comradeship darko kerim, head of british service s station in turkey. bond meets romanova , plan route out of turkey spektor. , kerim believe story , 3 board orient express. kerim discovers 3 russian mgb agents on board, travelling incognito. uses bribes , trickery have 2 of them taken off train, later found dead in compartment body of third agent.

at trieste fellow mi6 agent, captain nash , introduces himself , bond presumes has been sent m added protection rest of trip. romanova suspicious of nash, bond reassures man own service. after dinner, @ nash has drugged romanova, rest. bond woken weapon pointing @ him , nash reveals himself killer grant. instead of killing bond immediately, describes smersh s plan. shoot bond through heart , dispose of romanova after leaving film of love-making in luggage; in addition, spektor booby-trapped explode when examined. grant talks, bond places metal cigarette case between pages of book holds in front of him, positioning in front of heart stop bullet. after grant fires, bond collapses floor and, when grant steps on him, attacks , kills assassin. bond , romanova escape.

later, in paris, after delivering romanova , booby-trapped spektor superiors, bond meets rosa klebb. captured manages kick bond poisoned blade concealed in shoe; story ends bond fighting breath , falling floor.