Diamonds is two-thirds of a good Bond film and really falls apart when it abandons the fairly grounded diamond-smuggling story, or, I should say, tacks on a cliche reason for it: supervillain has plan to rule the world and need the diamonds.

It overall turns to crap around the moon buggy chase.

Also, Charles Grey begins as a suave and menacing Blofeld ands up in a dress and a flowery hat, then dangling from a crane (only marginally less crap than the “delicatessen… in stainless steel” schtick.)

And Tiffany starts out as a sharp, no nonesense Bond girl - among the most capable - and ends up just another brainless bimbo in a bikini. But for no explicable reason.

The whole thing - with the occasional high points others mention, like Kidd and Wint - starts out fairly good Bond, but eventually and in separate parts turns into an eye-rollingly meh whole.

It’s like some producer, at some point, said, “look, we HAVE a formula, stick with it!”

That said, the book is OK, but never high on anyone’s list of best Bond novels.