Fleming is often said to have led a life as dramatic as that of his fictional creation, James Bond, but on the evidence of this sturdy biography he was actually one of those people who, though they may have lived a lot, actually did very little. Lycett does well to sustain the rear's interest over some 450 pages: in fact, this found the later Fleming, irascible band eccentric as he as, far more engrossing than the hooray Henry of the opening chapters, and the dissection of his troubled marriage of Ann Rothermere - during which he maintained a long time part time liaison with his neighbour in Jamaica, Blanche Blackwell, while Ann did the same in London with the Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell - nothing short of fascinating. The same goes for his ambivalent attitude to his gung ho hero, whom Fleming repeatedly attempted to kill off, only to rescue for another incredible outing.