 Writing for The New York Times , Anthony Boucher wrote that the book belongs " pretty much to the private @-@ eye school " of fiction . He praised the first part , saying that Fleming " manages to make baccarat clear even to one who 's never played it and produced as exciting a gambling sequence as I 've ever read . But then he decides to pad out the book to novel length and leads the weary reader through a set of tough clichés to an ending which surprises nobody save Operative 007 . You should certainly begin this book ; but you might as well stop when the baccarat game is over . " 
