 The story concerns the British secret agent James Bond , gambling at the casino in Royale @-@ les @-@ Eaux to bankrupt Le Chiffre , the treasurer of a French union and a member of the Russian secret service . Bond is supported in his endeavours by Vesper Lynd , a member of his own service , as well as Felix Leiter of the CIA and René Mathis of the French Deuxième Bureau . Fleming used his wartime experiences as a member of the Naval Intelligence Division , and the people he met during his work , to provide plot elements ; the character of Bond also reflected many of Fleming 's personal tastes . Fleming wrote the draft in early 1952 at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica while awaiting his marriage . He was initially unsure whether the work was suitable for publication , but was assured by his friend , the novelist William Plomer , that the novel had promise . 
