The Man with the Golden Gun is the thirteenth and final James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming and posthumously published in the United Kingdom and the United States by Glidrose Productions, in 1965. A year later, it was followed by the short story collection, Octopussy and The Living Daylights. As the only novel posthumously published by Fleming, and, its stylistic difference from the previous novels, The Man with the Golden Gun is much debated amongst critics, afficionados, and researchers as to whether or not Ian Fleming solely wrote the novel.

It was adapted, in 1974, as the ninth film in the EON Productions James Bond series; the second starring Roger Moore as Commander James Bond, British Secret Service agent 007.

Characters

* James Bond - British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007, is the protagonist of the story. He returns from Vladivostock, brainwashed, and attempts to kill M. After failing and going through deprogramming, Bond is given one last assignment to prove his worth to the Secret Service; to track down one Francisco 'Pistols' Scaramanga, a freelance assassin.

* M - M is the codename of Bond's boss in the Secret Service. It is discovered in this novel that his real name is Sir Miles Messervy. After a failed assassination by a brainwashed James Bond, M sends Bond on a mission to prove his worth to the Secret Service. He is frequently helped by his secretary Miss Moneypenny and his Chief of Staff Bill Tanner.

* Francisco Scaramanga - A freelance assassin typically in the employ of the KGB, he is known as "the man with the golden gun" because he uses a gold-plated .45 calibre revolver. Because Scaramanga has killed numerous secret service agents from the British Secret Service and CIA, James Bond is sent to track and kill him.

* Felix Leiter - Previously in Thunderball, Leiter is still employed by the CIA. He is sent to spy on Scaramanga by posing as the manager of the Thunderbird Hotel in the Caribbean.

* Mary Goodnight - Previously James Bond's personal secretary in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice, she was reassigned to Kingston when Bond went missing and was presumed dead at the end of You Only Live Twice. When Bond returns and is sent to the Caribbean to find Francisco Scaramanga, he enlists her help.


Source : http://en.wikipedia.org