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  1. Author Of Bond Novel Commits Suicide

    By daniel on 2001-07-21

    It’s one of those urban legends that just happens to be true, there is an unofficial James Bond book out there, and there are only two known copies. Thankfully we’ve been discussing it recently in the forums as a user just happens to own one of the copies.

    The book is called ‘The Killing Zone’. It was published in 1985 during the John Gardner reign by a man known as Jim Hatfield. Forum user Zencat explains:

    Gildrose [who publish the normal Bond novels] has nothing to do with the Hatfield book (The Killing Zone)… This is the text from the back of The Killing Zone. Enjoy!

    JAMES BOND 007 IS BACK!
    In this new high voltage spy thriller, Secret Agent 007 must “liquidate” ruthless billionaire kingpin Klaus Doberman. But James Bond has his hands full as he battles a lucious lady assassin who offers lethal love Russian style and a slit-eyed Oriental sadist who is a elusive and deadly Ninja. Aided by his sex-galore confederate Lotta Head and his old CIA buddy Felix Leiter, 007 is pitted against Klaus Doberman in his heavily armed fortress high in the Mexican Sierra Madres… in the most blood curdling death duel in the great Bond saga.

    There’s a fascinating story to The Killing Zone. Hatfield went on to write another book that received national attention in the US, it was an unauthorized biography titled ‘Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President,’ which made allegations based on unnamed sources that Bush had a record of cocaine use in the 1970s.

    Hatfield was found dead on Friday in what police have described as suicide:

    Police said Hatfield, 43, died of an apparent drug overdose. His body was found by a maid Wednesday, the day after he checked into the motel in Springdale, near his native Bentonville and about 200 miles northwest of Little Rock.

    Detective Sgt. Mike Shriver of the Springdale Police Department said there was no question it was a suicide.

    “He left a note and everything,” Shriver said of Hatfield. “It’s really cut and dried.”

    It’s a very sad end to a mans life, especially one who could have told us the truth about The Killing Zone, no one else has any known connection with the novel. And now the truth may never be known.

    Just for reference, in coming weeks we’ll be taking a special look at this novel which few people know anything about.