Diamond's Are Forever by Ian Fleming

Summary:
James Bond, 007 is sent to infiltrate a diamond smuggling ring.  The ring started in the mines in Sierra Leone and ends in the United States. Bond's mission is to travel down the pipeline to uncover those responsible. Tiffany Case, is his first contact in the pipeline operated by "the Spangled Mob."  Together they follow the pipeline from London to New York and then to Las Vegas. 

Seraffimo Spang suspects that Bond may not be who he claims to be and has him captured and tortured. Tiffany's help him escape from Spectreville aboard a and assisted by Leiter, Bond and Case escape.  They kill Spang in the process and shut down half of the pipeline.  Bond and Tiffany board the Queen Elizabeth to travel to London. But Wint and Kidd kidnap Case while en route.  They plan to kill her and throw her overboard but Bond rescues her.  


Response:

Felix Leiter isn't dead!  I'm so glad he recovered from that shark attack in Live and Let die.  Because of his missing arm and leg, he's had to resign from the FBI, but he has a new job with the Pinkertons and is able to help Bond with his Mafia case.

Unlike the movie, there is no Blofeld or Howard Hughes type character.  There is no oil rig and no space attack on nuclear weapons.  There is still a scene with a mud bath, but in a totally different context.

I'm actually very pleased with the character of Tiffany Case and I'm continually surprised with the level of independence Fleming gives to his female characters.  I'm very sorry that this didn't translate over to the films.  We actually see Bond fall in love with another woman (after Vesper) and treat her well.