Wrapping Up 2025… Onward to 2026!

RAYMOND IS BACK IN ‘BONDAGE’!

Raymond had a productive 2025 after being asked back into the James Bond Literary Pantheon by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd to pen the first-ever Felix Leiter adventure, THE HOOK AND THE EYE. Felix Leiter, as most 007 fans know, is Bond’s American ally who appears in several of the stories, both in books and in film. THE HOOK AND THE EYE is placed within Ian Fleming’s original 1950s timeline and takes Felix, now working for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency, on a thrill ride that has been described as “a mystery, a romance, a spy story, a road trip tale, and a postcard to a lost Americana.”

THE HOOK AND THE EYE was published as an e-book in June 2025 and the paperback edition was published in October 2025. At the moment the latter is available exclusively and directly from Ian Fleming Publications (see order links on the James Bond Books page). The book is already in a second printing!

However, note that in 2026 THE HOOK AND THE EYE’s roll-out may expand to non-exclusive retail availability and possible other formats (perhaps an audiobook?). Watch this page and Raymond’s social media pages for further news!

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Raymond has also been busy doing other projects… some ghostwriting, mostly, and unfortunately he can’t talk about that. For now, though, here is a reminder of other recent works that have made some splashes over the last year or two…

JAMES BOND: THE RAYMOND BENSON YEARS is an e-book anthology that contains all six of Raymond’s original James Bond novels. These books were originally published between 1997 and 2002 and are now collected together in digital form for the first time and at a nice price.

You get: ZERO MINUS TEN, THE FACTS OF DEATH, HIGH TIME TO KILL, DOUBLESHOT, NEVER DREAM OF DYING, and THE MAN WITH THE RED TATTOO.

Published by Ian Fleming Publications, the e-book can be found at most retail outlets, but you can order it here from the James Bond Books page!

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Also available are the recent publications:

ZERO MINUS TEN, Raymond’s first James Bond novel (originally published in 1997), was reprinted in the UK in October 2023 from Ian Fleming Publications, with a new Introduction by Raymond himself and a new cover.

THE MAD, MAD MURDERS OF MARIGOLD WAY, published in October 2022 from Beaufort Books. It won the IPPY Gold (1st Place) Award in the Mystery Category from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, it was a Traditional Fiction finalist in Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year Awards, and it was a SHELF UNBOUND 2022 Best Indie Book Finalist and Notable Indie! The e-book edition is occasionally on sale at a nice price.

Order ZERO MINUS TEN from the James Bond Books page!

Order THE MAD, MAD MURDERS OF MARIGOLD WAY from the Fiction/Non-Fiction page!

In the meantime, his other recent novels like BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT, THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE, HOTEL DESTINY: A GHOST NOIR, the five-book serial, THE BLACK STILETTO, and other titles are all still available. Find them on the Books pages (James Bond; The Black Stiletto; Fiction & Non-Fiction; Tie-Ins)! Many titles go on sale as e-books at various times. It’s always best to follow Raymond’s Facebook and Twitter posts to take advantage of these sales. PLEASE NOTE THE FACEBOOK FEED ON THE HOME PAGE FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES!

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Subscribe to Raymond’s YouTube Channel to see and hear his eclectic repertoire of 100+ classic rock, movie music, and original compositions on piano!

RAYMOND HOPES 2026 WILL BRING EVERYONE GOOD FORTUNE!