Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz (James Bond - Extended Series #48)

A spy is dead. A legend is born. This is how it all began. The explosive prequel to Casino Royale, from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz.

M laid down his pipe and stared at it tetchily. 'We have no choice. We're just going to bring forward this other chap you've been preparing. But you didn't tell me his name.'
'It's Bond, sir,' the Chief of Staff replied. 'James Bond.'
The sea keeps its secrets. But not this time.
One body. Three bullets. 007 floats in the waters of Marseille, killed by an unknown hand.
It's time for a new agent to step up. Time for a new weapon in the war against organised crime.
It's time for James Bond to earn his licence to kill.
This is the story of the birth of a legend, in the brutal underworld of the French Riviera.