Friday's Forgotten Books: Doctor No by Ian Fleming

I don't know if it rates as a forgotten book, but Doctor No is the first James Bond 007 novel I have read written by the original author, Ian Fleming. He was highly regarded in his day, a friend of the great Raymond Chandler, no less. You can find an often cranky interview Fleming had with Chandler on YouTube. The writer Fleming had at least three strengths: lush settings, imaginative action sequences (despite the liberal use of exclamation marks), and marvelously beautiful ladies. James is dispatched to Jamaica to deal with a minor problem of one of their colleagues having skipped off with his attractive assistant with no word. Of course, things turn out more complicated once James arrives in Jamaica. When I was introduced to Doctor No, I realized Fleming was also effective at portraying his colorful, complex villains. I have not seen the Dr. No film, so I didn't have any preconceptions before reading the book. Nonetheless, I believe Sean Connery remains the best 007 actor. Ursula Andress played Honeychile Ryder, the Bond girl he meets on Doctor No's remote island. I liked the witty humor, especially in the early going. James also proves himself to be quite resourceful when the chips are down. I may read further into Fleming's series at some point, but in the meantime I enjoyed taking this ride with him.