Dr. No

What they call a rattling good read, I believe. There's no messy subplot's here to distract you from the action. This is a straight-ahead no-nonsense thriller and the start of a golden run of Bond novels.

My only complaint is that the villain is rather under developed and the final encounter rather unsatisfying. But otherwise Bond is once again tested to the limits of human endurance, wins through and gets the girl!

If you like thrillers, read this, its one of the best.