The second Young Bond novel, written by Charlie Higson and published in 2006.
Various robberies has been happening around Eton, which target houses with art collections. Young James Bond ends up involved when he takes part in an archeological trip to Sardinia, and comes across a Count who plans to rule Europe like a Roman emperor.
This novel has examples of:
- Agony of the Feet: As Bond and Amy wade to the surface after Skinny Dipping, Amy suddenly steps on a sea urchin. Bond knows exactly how to remove it.
- Alliterative Name: Davey Day, the first mate of the pirate/smuggling vessel Charon.
- Ambiguously Gay: It is strongly implied that Victor and his artist housemate (who draws nude photos) are lovers.
- Big Bad: Count Ugo Carnifex, who fashions himself to be the next Caesar and Napoleon.
- Big Dam Plot: As the bandits and pirates fight Count Carnifex's men in his palace, Zoltan plans to destroy the place by breaching the dam next to it. Bond, who doesn't want anyone innocent get hurt, follows him in an effort to stop him. Zoltan succeeds, and the palace is washed away.
- Big Damn Heroes: Count Carnifex's Mooks attack the bandits who rescued Bond in the mountains. When all seems lost, Zoltan the Magyar's men appear to save the day.
- Boisterous Weakling: Horst, one of the villa's servants, who flees in terror during a robbery.
- Bond One-Liner: In his thoughts, Haight refers to Cooper-ffrench as "a bad penny". After he pushes him over to his death at Carnifex's dam, he proclaims "the penny drops".
- The Bully: Bond runs afoul a boy named Tony Fitzpaine, son of an aristocrat who bullies his way around Eton. Bond ends fighting him in a gladiatorial boxing match in Count Carnifex's Colosseum mock-up.
- Cain and Abel: Ugo is revealed to have murdered his own brother (a devout Christian who'd wanted to leave it for its owners) for the treasure that got him started during World War I. Since his brother had saved his life, this also makes Ugo an Ungrateful Bastard. Interestingly, it's never shown if their sister is aware of what Ugo has done or not.
- Call-Forward:
- The Count Lippe mentioned at Carnifex's meeting is intended to be the father of the Count from Thunderball. Indeed, the whole Millenaria organization is like a less successful predecessor to SPECTRE.
- Bond learns the correct way to remove sea urchin thorns; something he will do for Domino in Thunderball.
- Chairman of the Brawl: When armed men burst into La Casa Polipo where Bond and company are dining, each person present reacts to the situation with their own way, Bond's reaction being grabbing a chair charging the assailants with it.
- Chekhov's Gun: When Bond arrives at his cousin Victor's house, he gives him a pair of goggles, flippers and a snorkel for swimming at the beach. Bond gets more use of them later when he infiltrates Count Carnifex's palace through his aqueduct.
- Co-Dragons: Smiler is the Count Carnifex’s head henchman and assassin, and the one in charge of stealing stuff from rich households. Haight is Count's spy in Eton, providing him information to plan thefts.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Caount Carnifex leaves Bond tied up in a swamp, where he is at mercy hundreds of local mosquitoes. His entire body is soon covered by them.
- Continuity Nod: Bond's adventure in Lord Hellebore's castle is given a passing mention.
- Damsel in Distress: Amy Goodenough and her tutor Grace are kidnapped by Zoltan's pirates when they attack their boat. Zoltan keeps them so that he can extort a ransom for their return. Count Carnifex later takes her as his prisoner, and he plans to make her his wife.
- Evil Plan: Count Carnifex is going to foment another great war in Europe, and while everyone is busy fighting each other, he'll create an underground empire which will be controlling things behind the scenes in the future.
- Evil Teacher: Professor Peter Haight, who appears to be a Reasonable Authority Figure but it as actually a member of Millenaria, which is dedicated to restoring the Roman Empire and who tries to kill Bond when he gets too close to the truth.
- Fan of the Past: Count Carnifex idolizes the Roman empire, and fashions his appearance after it. Same goes for Peter Haight, who joined the Count to help him bring it back.
- Giant Mook: Tree-Tunk, a giant cigar smoking Samoan pirate among Zoltan the Magyar's crew. He has a habit of wearing women's hats.
- Gold Tooth of Wealth: Count Carnifex's silver tooth is just one part of his vast silver collection. Doubles as Villainous Gold Tooth because he intends to rule Europe like a Roman emperor.
- Glasgow Grin: Smiler got his name from the scars that he bears on his cheeks, which he received for betraying his gang in Glasgow.
- In Harm's Way: Bond joined the Danger Society because he found himself unable to be a normal schoolboy after his life-threatening experiences in Scotland in the last book, which awakened a need to seek thrills in him.
- Interrupted Suicide: Bond has to stop Amy's brother from killing himself after his sister and father dissapear.
- Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: Bond manages to get into Count Carnifex's inner sanctum by picking up a tray, and pretending to be one of his servants.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Cooper-ffrench is a Stern Teacher and a bit judgmental in general, but does ultimately seem to care about the kids a little and part of his demeanor comes from being accurately suspicious about Count Ugo for the trip.
- Locked into Strangeness: Count Carnifex wounded his head during the World War I, and his hair turned white because of it.
- Mutual Kill: One of the Sicilian shepherds kills one of Ugo's guards with a thrown knife, which hits the henchman seconds after one of his bullets kills the shepherd.
- Mythology Gag:
- As she debates the importance of studying Latin with Cooper-ffrench, Aunt Charmian wonders what good the language would do for James "if he was faced with gangsters, or diamond smugglers or a madman with a bomb".
- When Zoltan tells Amy Goodenough about the Magyars, he says that they scared the living daylights out everyone back in the day.
- After Smiler is impaled with a whaling harpoon, Zoltan looks at his body and proclaims that he "got the point".
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Carnifex" means "executioner" in Latin.
- Neat Freak: Count Carnifex is obsessed with cleanliness and hates filth, which stems from a traumatic event from World War I, where he had to evade enemy soldiers by hiding in a septic tank with his brother.
- Noble Demon: Zoltan the Magyar is a ruthless criminal working for Count Carnifex, but he keeps his promises and ends up saving Bond from certain death.
- Post-Climax Confrontation:
- After Count Carnifex is dealt with, his masked rider from the carnival appears and tries to kill Bond as he and Amy make their way back to cousin Victor's house.
- Another one occurs when Bond finally gets back at his cousin's house, and finds Ugo's sister Jana there waiting for him.
- Red Herring: Cooper-ffrench is built up to be Count Carnifex's associate in Eton, but it is later revealed that he has nothing to do with him, and the Cool Teacher Haight is in league with him.
- Red Right Hand: Count Carnifex's skin and hair are both white, which are further pronounced by his choice of equally white clothes.
- Rich Bitch: Jana Carnifex.
- Ruthless Modern Pirates: Zoltan mostly deals in smuggling, but his little band of thugs deal in piracy as well.
- Sea Hurtchin: Jana Carnifex, Ugo's sister, attempts to kill Bond and Amy while they are Skinny Dipping. Bond tricks her, however, by jumping off the rock, while Victor distracts her. She slips and falls into a bed of sea urchins, where she finally dies from the pain and poison. As Bond and Amy wade to the surface, Amy suddenly steps on a sea urchin. Bond knows exactly how to remove it.
- Skinny Dipping: At the end of the novel, Bond and Amy go skinny dipping, only to be attacked by Jana Carnifex, Ugo's sister in a Post-Climax Confrontation.
- Slashed Throat: Before untying Bond in the swamp, Vendetta kills the guy guarding him by slashing his throat.
- Spiteful Spit: Bond, together with Mauro, goes looking for his cousin Victor in Count Carnifex's palace. Carnifex is horrified that "a dirty peasant" like Mauro has been brought to his place, and after heated exchange of word with him, slaps Mauro across his face. To spite him, Mauro spit between his feet, horrifying the Count, who is obsessed with cleanliness.
- Stock Foreign Name: As if the nickname "The Magyar" didn't make Zoltan Hungarian enough, he also has that exotic first name of his.
- Uncertain Doom: Davey Day and many of the other pirates and shepherds are sent on a likely Suicide Mission during the final battle. Most if not all of them are killed or captured and then washed away by the wave.
- Villain in a White Suit: Big Bad Count Ugo Carnifex is in his 60s, and has white hair and a gaunt face. He is exceptionally clean; this stems from a traumatic incident where he had to hide from enemy soldiers in a septic tank. He usually wears a white Roman tunic and pants, further symbolizing his cleanliness.
- War for Fun and Profit: Count Carnifex is going to foment another great war in Europe, and while everyone is busy fighting each other, he'll create an underground empire which will be controlling things behind the scenes in the future.
