I haven't read many of the James Bond novels but I've seen most of the classic movies, and this seems to fit in well as a prequel.

I was satisfied by the way the author succeeded in misleading me about

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the fire extinguishers

and

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the acetic anhydride

. I was convinced that the villain was planning to

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fill the ship with acetic anhydride and use it as a floating bomb to attack New York

, since

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that stuff reacts rather badly to water

, but the actual plan packed even more destructive power. And the final chapter adds an interesting twist to Bond's personality.