anthony-horowitz-radio-times-festival-trigger-mortisIn some exciting news for his many dedicated readers, it has been revealed that the best-selling author Anthony Horowitz has been commissioned to write a second James Bond novel. The new book will be published in the spring of 2018, and will see a return to Jonathan Cape, the company that was so instrumental in the publishing success of the original Ian Fleming 007 novels.

Horowitz, of course, had some great success with his first Bond thriller, Trigger Mortis, which was published in 2015 and received high praise from both critics and Bond fans alike. Many commentators felt that Horowitz had managed to capture much of the writing style and many of the key elements of the original Ian Fleming novels but, at the same time, had still retained the unique Horowitz touch which has so thrilled his legions of fans. The novel remained high in the best-seller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, and was also very successful in other key global markets.

As with Trigger Mortis, which was set in the 1950s and utilized some previously unused Fleming material, the new 007 book by Horowitz will place Bond in the original earlier Fleming era, but this time in the 1960s. It will also draw upon some previously unpublished material by the creator of Bond. Horowitz will also become the first author to pen consecutive 007 thrillers since the continuation Bond novels produced by the late John Gardner.

In a press release, Corrine Turner, the Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled that Anthony Horowitz is going to write a second James Bond novel with inspiration again from original Fleming material, and of course delighted that Bond will be back home at Jonathan Cape. Trigger Mortis was a superb book, full of energy, wit, twists and turns, and we can’t wait to see what Anthony comes up with next’.

Horowitz himself commented: ‘Writing Trigger Mortis was a pleasure and I was delighted by the positive response when it was published. And I was thrilled when the Ian Fleming estate asked me to come back. How could I refuse? I can’t wait to return to the world of James Bond’.

Horowitz, who is a huge Fleming fan, has given numerous interviews since becoming involved in the world of Bond fiction writing, and his love and passion for the challenge is abundantly clear. He is also a big fan of Bond on the big screen, an enthusiasm that developed at an early age. In a special interview he gave to the Mail on Sunday ‘Event’ magazine in 2015, for example, the hard-working author revealed: ‘I remember seeing Dr. No in the cinema at the age of eight. It was one of the most significant moments of my life’.

Welcome back, Mr. Horowitz – we’ve been expecting you.

Anthony Horowitz Trigger Mortis paperback cover

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