Illusion leads to murder as 007 pursues the wrong killer, in John Gardner's twelfth addition to the classic James Bond series. When Laura March, on leave from the British Security Service, is mysteriously murdered in Switzerland with a poison pellet shot from a powerful air rifle, James Bond and Swiss agent Fredericka "Flicka" von Grusse are called in to investigate. While at Laura's funeral, Bond notices among the wreaths a perfect white rose, its petals tipped bloodred and an ambiguous note wired to the stem. His investigation reveals an identical rose and note at the funerals of four high-profile personalities, all assassinated within a week. With no group claiming responsibility for the deaths, Bond focuses on Laura's case as an entree to tracking the murderous spree. He uncovers her recently dissolved love affair with the world-famous actor David Dragonpol, now an eccentric collector of theatre memorabilia living in a castle on the Rhine. Bond and Flicka go undercover to search the castle for clues, and in the garden find roses just like the ones at each of the funerals. Their hybrid discovery leads to a harrowing manhunt in which the startling identity of the serial killer is revealed. The action reaches its chilling and fantastic climax outside Paris, in the ultimate kingdom of illusion and magic: EuroDisney. John Gardner uses his formidable storytelling skills to mix classic James Bond ingenuity and wit with rousing action in this latest 007 adventure.
