Published in 1956, Diamonds Are Forever is Ian Fleming’s fourth James Bond novel. Bond is assigned to investigate a pipeline carrying stolen diamonds from mines in Africa to markets in Europe and the United States. Posing as a courier, he enters the smuggling network and encounters Tiffany Case, an American woman involved in the operation.

The investigation leads Bond through London, New York, Saratoga and Las Vegas, where he uncovers the role of the Spangled Mob, a criminal organisation run by the Spang brothers. With help from his friend Felix Leiter, Bond follows the organisation’s links to gambling, horse racing and organised crime while facing increasing danger. The novel combines espionage with crime fiction and travel, and places greater emphasis on criminal networks than on Cold War intelligence. It also develops Bond’s relationship with Tiffany Case as the investigation moves towards a confrontation with the smugglers.