Faulks was known for his previous best-selling works "Charlotte Gray", "Birdsong" and "On Green Dolphin Street". He was the fifth author to produce an original Bond novel for Ian Fleming Publications (formerly Glidrose), after Fleming himself. Kingsley Amis (writing as "Robert Markham") produced "Colonel Sun", John Gardner wrote fourteen original novels and two novelizations, and Raymond Benson produced six original novels and three novelizations. Additionally, Christopher Wood had produced two novelizations of the Eon films, while Charlie Higson and Samantha Weinberg (as "Kate Westbrook") had also published Bond-related novels.