Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond

Chemist Harkup (A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie) analyzes the plausible and implausible parts of the James Bond canon in this breezy and amusing outing. As Harkup compares what’s appeared on screen with the workings of the real world, she covers such topics as poisons, firearms, deadly animals, diamonds, and bioterrorism. She uses a classic scene in Goldfinger, in which the eponymous villain plans to use a laser to shoot Bond between the legs, to explain how lasers were invented and how the film’s special effects team made the prop version work on-screen (by adding red light when the camera couldn’t pick up on the real thing). A murder from Thunderball is a jumping-off point to explore the chemistry involved in using an aerosol spray to kill just one person and spare bystanders (it’s “not as far-fetched as you might think”). Doses of humor keep the tone light (“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Bond villain in possession of a plan for world domination must be in want of a lair”), and though there’s some filler—the chapter on the changing role of women in the films feels out of place—overall, Harkup succeeds at being both entertaining and informative. This is catnip for Bond fanatics. (Nov.)