Both Goldfinger and Drax first encounter Bond at a crooked card game, and from then on their relationship has a vicious undercurrent of one-upmanship defining it.

Both evoke a sense of Britishness whilst having Bond face an antagonist who although is recognised as a British citizen, actually has a foreign sense of other about them, therefore labelling them as villainous.

In essence of its plot and themes, Goldfinger feels very much like a spiritual successor to Moonraker. Illustration by Fay Dalton for The Folio Society Edition. James Bond faces near death while being interrogated by Goldfinger. The pair of them work for Goldfinger in exchange for their lives and discover his masterplan to rob Fort Knox. Just as Bond is about to complete his mission, he is captured along with the interfering Tilly Masterson, looking for revenge on Goldfinger for murdering her sister. As the two part company, Goldfinger heads to Switzerland with Bond secretly following him and discovering how he is smuggling gold and the connections to SMERSH. The two foes dine at Goldfinger’s mansion, both trying to learn more about each other in a methodical mental game of cat and mouse. Despite Goldfinger’s attempts to cheat, Bond is able to trick his way to victory and further infuriate Goldfinger. Seemingly by coincidence, Bond encounters Goldfinger again, this time at a golf course where Bond manipulates a situation for them to play, and the stakes are high. Weeks later, Bond is charged by M for investigating Goldfinger for gold smuggling and links to SMERSH. After discovering how Goldfinger cheats and returning Du Pont’s losses, Bond leaves with £10,000 of Goldfinger’s money and his assistant Jill Masterson as a traveling companion. Du Pont treats Bond to a lavish meal and hotel suite until his flight is rescheduled in exchange for Bond looking into how Du Pont is being cheated at cards by jewellery tycoon Auric Goldfinger. Drowning his thoughts about the mission in bourbon, Bond is approached by Du Pont, who was at the baccarat table the night Bond defeated Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. The plot begins with Bond laid over at Miami airport whilst returning from an assignment. From this point on, there is an undercurrent of bitterness in Bond’s attitude to the world in general, but this is balanced in Goldfinger with a much broader sense of humour and a heightened passion for the finer things in life.

As mentioned in my review of Dr No, the events of that novel are a catalyst for Bond to feel more cynical and unappreciated in his work as a spy. Fleming’s seventh James Bond novel was released in 1959 and after 6 years of writing the character, Fleming now gave Bond a chance to grow and develop.

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