"A gambling scene, a torture scene which still haunts me, and, of course, a beautiful girl" - (Raymond Chandler) "It's not difficult to get a Double 0 number if you're prepared to kill people" Bond is sent to a casino in Royale-les-Eaux to disgrace the lethal Russian agent 'Le Chiffre' by ruining him at baccarat and forcing his Soviet spymasters to 'retire' him, but he soon finds that his quarry is not content to go without a fight. Preferring to work alone, 007 is annoyed to be assigned a female assistant, but the compelling attraction of the enigmatic Vesper Lynd only leads him into further danger... In Casino Royale Ian Fleming created a world of intense excitement, violence and sex, set against the international tensions of the Cold War. And in the immortal Commander James Bond he introduced the ultimate secret agent -suave, chillingly ruthless and licensed to kill.