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| The Man With the Red Tattoo (James Bond 007) | 
 enlarge | Author: Raymond Benson
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
Buy New: $38.09
New (3) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $9.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 1164832
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 289
ASIN: B00008MNW5
Publication Date: June 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
On a quiet late-night flight from Tokyo to London, a beautiful young woman, Kioko McMahon, falls ill. Before the plane can reach emergency medical facilities across the Pacific, she succumbs to her inexplicable symptoms. The mystery deepens when police in Japan discover that her family shared her fate. The only survivor is her rebellious sister, Mayumi, who had run off with her gang-member boyfriend several years before.
Because the late patriarch of the family, Peter McMahon, was the head of one of the world's most important genetic research companies, and a personal friend of the Prime Minister, James Bond is sent to investigate the deaths. 007's quest for answers leads to the surviving sister and to a nest of Yakuza gangsters. Along the way, he uncovers a plot of such monstrous proportions that it could only have been hatched in the mind of a madman.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 'The Man with the Red Tattoo' scores as a sophisticated thriller June 26, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Raymond Benson's "The Man with the Red Tattoo" is a definite improvement from the last one: there are no longer long, drawn-out explanations of anything that slow down the story, but rather a real thriller. The book opens with a chapter that had me asking questions like a good thriller should, and I ended the book wholly pleased that I had read it.
James Bond in 'The Man with the Red Tattoo' has a constant pace that left me asking questions, wanting more, and just being thrilled in general at a steady rate. This is both a weak and a strong point: the book never speeds up to any great climax (well it does, but not in a way that puts you on the edge of your seat), which is the flaw, but never slows down to a crawl, its strength. Answers to questions were given at proper times, action was fed to the reader at proper times, and romantic scenes were executed in a ... fun way.
The book is about James Bond heading over to Japan to track down a terrorist that has been involved in a plot to spread a deadly disease. Along the way he picks up beautiful women and dukes it out with the terrorist's main minion, a midget. Fun stuff. Much of it is taken from earlier books or movies; some don't like that, but if it was done well, it was done well; that's all that matters.
The dialogue, storyline, plotline, setting, and thriller techniques were all done well. The weakness is in the characters, who are bland when they should come to life. At times at seemed like whatever was happening around a character was far more interesting than the character or his or her reaction.
What happens around the characters is enough to keep the story going and make it a common thriller; we see more of everything but James Bond himself in this (we have the gadgets, women, locations, villians, but not Bond's suave self). Anyone can enjoy this book; you should; but James Bond fans will either love it or hate it. I loved it.
Bond, James Bond January 2, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In this latest literary incarnation of Bond, Benson has 007 traveling to Japan where he does battle with elements of the Japanese underground. These criminals prefer the old ways of Japan's past and will do anything to force a return to a fundamental way of life. Along the way Bond meets the usual pretty woman or two. The plot includes the sinister plan to use a biological weapon on unsuspecting civilians.
I found this novel to be an easy read, just perfect for a warm day or two on a beach (I read it in cold Missouri). Characters were fully developed, and as in all Benson novels everything was well done. The settings in Japan were obviously well researched, much detail here. The only reason I took one star off of my review was due to the fact that, in my opinion, we need a Bond novel that is less predictable, where Bond does'nt prevail, where Bond does'nt get the girl, sort of like real life. Imagine the possibilities here, almost endless. Regardless of this criticism, this novel is still excellent.
 Horrible December 8, 2004
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book was a major disappointment! I have read other R. Benson books that were good but this is plain garbage.
It is such a rip off to "You Only Live Twice" for the romance. If you recall in the movie perhaps the book too but it's been sooooooo long since I read it:-), James falls for a girl, she gets killed and beds the next girl he works with in Japan (again). Plus she is only 20 years old. Give me a break! Bond is old enough to be her father. The storyline is hard to follow and you never have an understanding for the villian and why he acts the way he does. It is violent and bloody to read. Best advice, reread one of Ian Fleming's books like I plan to reread "You Only Live Twice".
Faith Restored March 21, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
After the purely mediocre "Doubleshot" and "Never Dream of Dying" not to mention the terrible
movie "Die Another Day" I was afraid I was losing my love for Bond. I don't want to hate,
Benson's books. After all Benson was my first Bond experience. I'd never even seen a Bond
movie when I read "High Time to Kill." So seeing that I'd read all of Benson's other books, as
well as many of Gardner's and Fleming's, even Markham, I knew that no matter what I had to
read "Man with the Red Tattoo." I really didn't know what to expect. But in the end I was
pleased. It was enjoyable. Benson is no Fleming, nor will he ever be. I won't pick on
him for anything, I like his books. And unlike most hardcore fans of the novels as well as films,
I still know they are just entertainment. Shame on you crazy fan boys.
Will it end? March 20, 2004
3 out of 17 found this review helpful
It's best not to think about the Bond literary franchise any longer. I truly believe that Ian Fleming would have died again had he heard that a fanboy took his famed character and cheapened him so. The sad part is, I really believe that Raymond Benson tries hard with these books. And they're appalling, every one of them. That's the scary part. I did not read this book. I stopped reading Benson with the previous outing, which I couldn't even finish. I really enjoyed the Fleming Bonds, and even liked a few of the Gardners. But the decision to hire Raymond Benson remains a mystery and has killed my interest. I won't read this one, because I have no reason to believe it will be any better than the previous ones. The few things Benson does well--basically make up halfway decent stories for a Bond story--are wasted with amateur writing. Benson even went so far as to include graphic sex scenes in the books, for no particular reasons. It came off as seriously embarassing. Do not waste your time or money on any of the Benson Bond novels. Benson has apparently taken time off after this novel (which appeared in 2002.) He's dedicating his time to putting out his own, original garbage. We can only hope the management of Glidrose gets medicated and hires an actual writer again...
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