Solitaire: The Bond Girl From Live And Let Die

James Bond first meets Solitaire while being interrogated by Mr Big in Live And Let Die, the second of the James Bond books after Casino Royale. Originally from Haiti, she was initiated into voodoo while a child and possessed psychic powers.

In fact her only reason for being there while Bond is being questioned is to tell Mr Big whether James Bond is being truthful or not. In additon to being able to tell whether people are being truthful, she is also able to predict the future, and in fact decides to help 007 when she divines that he will rescue her from Mr Big.

Solitaire's is actually named Simone Latrelle, having received her nickname whilst still in Haiti because she avoided the romantic encounters with local men. When Bond returns to his New York hotel he is surprised to receive a message from him the girl; travelling to St Petersburg by train they are lucky to escape with their lives after disembarking early.

In the film the character was played by Jane Seymour and while the film varied considerable from the plot of the book - most of Roger Moore's films were very different from the Bond books - Solitaire remained quite close to the original. However, the reason for her avoiding men was underlined; she would lose her psychic gift unless she remained a virgin, something that was not even hinted at in the book. From that point on she must fake her powers in front of Mr Big.

Although she didn't go to bed with Bond, although the book closes while they are on leave together and it seems a matter of time, the film was quite different. From that point on she must fake her powers in front of Mr Big, who, since he is only employing her because she is psychic, would kill her if he found out.

The truth is she is tricked by Bond. When he offers her a pack of tarot cards she picks Lovers. It is only the audience that see that she has selected the card from a loaded pack; all the cards are the same.