Short answers, pulled from the story.
Benson was controversial for two reasons: he was American, making him the first non-British author in the official Bond novelist role, and he did not carry forward the continuity established by his predecessor John Gardner. Despite the objections, he undertook regular UK promotional tours and held signing sessions at London booksellers including Murder One and Bond specialist Adrian Harrington Ltd.
Benson wrote six original James Bond novels, three novelizations of Bond films, and three short stories between 1997 and 2003. He was the first Bond author since Ian Fleming to write original short fiction about 007, with stories published in Playboy and TV Guide.
The 007 Man with the Red Tattoo Museum is a museum erected in 2005 by the government of Japan's Kagawa Prefecture, dedicated to Raymond Benson's 2002 Bond novel The Man with the Red Tattoo. Kagawa officials also honored Benson with the title of Goodwill Ambassador.
Benson wrote two Splinter Cell novels under the pseudonym David Michaels. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell appeared in 2004 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda in 2005. Later David Michaels titles in the series were not written by Benson.
Benson's first James Bond publication was The James Bond Bedside Companion, a reference and critical work published in 1984 and dedicated to Ian Fleming, the official novels, and the Bond films. Mystery Writers of America nominated it for an Edgar Award in the Best Biographical/Critical Work category.
The Hook and the Eye is the first novel ever devoted to Felix Leiter, described by Ian Fleming Publications as James Bond's American friend and ally. Announced on the 26th of March 2025, the book was written by Raymond Benson and is set in Ian Fleming's 1950s timeline, scheduled to appear first as a serial e-book followed by a print edition in 2025.