New Bond Novel

You will have no doubt heard the news that Sam Mendes has signed on to direct the next Bond film, due 2015.

You will also have no doubt noticed that 2015 is a long way off, and may feel that if you have to wait two years for your next 007 fix, you’ll end up manically recreating classic Bond moments in your own home, à la our new culture editor, Mr Partridge.

If that’s the case, we bring good news. A brand new Bond novel – Solo by William Boyd – will be published next month, and we’re pleased to say we can exclusively reveal its front cover here on ShortList. Nice, isn’t it?

The gecko that adorns the binding is a nod to the plot, which follows everyone’s favourite promiscuous secret agent as he journeys to Africa in 1969, before embarking on a completely unauthorised mission to the US. But don’t worry, according to Boyd, “[Bond] is fully prepared to take the consequences of his audacity”. Which, in turn, makes us ask the question: when isn’t he?

Solo by William Boyd is released on 26 September, priced £18.99 (Jonathan Cape)