Published in 1954, Live and Let Die is Ian Fleming’s second James Bond novel. Bond is sent to investigate Mr Big, a powerful criminal figure suspected of financing Soviet espionage through the sale of valuable gold coins. His mission takes him from New York and Harlem to Florida and Jamaica, where he works with his CIA ally Felix Leiter and encounters Solitaire, a woman closely connected to Mr Big.

The investigation develops into a pursuit involving organised crime, smuggling and intelligence operations. Bond faces repeated attempts on his life while uncovering the network used to move illicit wealth and support Soviet interests. The novel combines espionage with adventure and crime fiction, while expanding the international setting and recurring relationships established in Casino Royale.