THE MONEYPENNY DIARIES proposes one of the greatest “what if”s in modern literature: What if Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels were based on real people? That is the line of logic that author Kate Westerbrook, even portraying herself as the niece of one Jane Moneypenny, who — 10 years after her death — has sent Kate her private diaries. It’s a brilliant idea for a series that is now hitting the final book overseas, while in the U.S., we are finally being treated to the first one.

For those unfamiliar with Bond, Miss Moneypenny works for Bond’s boss M. Moneypenny has a very rich history to mine through, thanks to the very clever plotting of Westbrook. We find out all about Moneypenny’s life leading up to joining the service in her youth in Africa to her first meeting with her future employer.

The book takes place from the end of ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, with Moneypenny finding out that not only did Bond get married, but that his wife was then tragically killed the same day. But as important as 007 is to the whole story, it really is all about Moneypenny having her own story to tell.

We discover that her father was killed during WWII, but the circumstances don’t add up. This is a driving plot device through the book, with a believable payoff at the end. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves, since throughout, Westbrook pops in as herself to explain her research into these diaries, contacting people her aunt worked with — some names will be very familiar to those who have read the Fleming books.

But for those who may only know Bond from the movies, fear not! Footnotes aplenty not only explain important figures and situations, but also relevant information about people from the 007 canon. Westbrook seems to have nothing but respect for Fleming’s world, even tying up various loose ends — namely, all the women Bond has met in his past.

We are drawn into Moneypenny’s daily life as she deals with a crisis that might cost her dearly, with the whole of the book taking place up to the start of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. There are so many nods and winks to the reader, you might think, “Oh, that’s fine, but is there a story to hold it all together?” The answer is yes. Not only is there a terrific plot and great set piece, but we also see Moneypenny get into a scrape with Bond that plays very much into Fleming’s established timeline.

This is a terrific novel for Bond fans new and old. Westbrook has really gone to great lengths to give us a new perspective into a character we all thought we knew, only to show us that really is more than we have ever been shown. —Bruce Grossman

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