Jeffery Deaver unveils his James Bond novel ‘Carte Blanche’

American mystery/crime writer Jeffery Deaver has unveiled his James Bond novel ‘Carte Blanche’, which is set in the 21st Century.

Deaver, 61, is not the first writer to take on the Bond legacy, but he is the first to set Ian Fleming’s character in 2011, and the book’s release coincides with the anniversary of Fleming’s birth.

“Carte Blanche was not ‘a pastiche’,” the BBC quoted Deaver as saying.

“I took Ian Fleming’s iconic character and made him younger - and the poor guy ends up in a Jeffery Deaver novel. I write rollercoasters, which means he doesn’t get a minute’s rest,” he said.

At a launch event planned with the precision of an MI6 operation, the American author received the first copy of the book from a team of Royal Marines who abseiled from the roof of London’s St Pancras station.

Fleming’s niece, actress Lucy Fleming, told the launch event that her uncle would have been pleased by the way that Deaver “has kicked his dear old James Bond into the 21st Century”.

In Carte Blanche, Bond has served in the Royal Naval Reserve, including a tour in Afghanistan, before joining the secret service.

Deaver was eight years old when he read his first James Bond novel. A self-confessed “Bond addict”, he wrote his first unpublished novel aged 11 about “a British agent who sneaks into Russia to steal a Soviet bomber”.

Eighteen months ago, Deaver - whose 28 novels have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide - accepted the offer to carry on the Bond legacy.

“Who would have thought that the dreams and aspirations of a young boy so many years ago would come full circle in the way that they have?” he stated.