He was in the same vein as Fleming wrote about his character

He was cold. Completely without any hint of a human trait. Almost Teutonic with his efficiency to do his job. But he was only his job. A series of events in his past took all the rest of a life away. He was not so much scared, as striped bare. There was nothing left to lose. He only had his loyalty to his employer to motivate him. It was his eyes that always gave this dire condition away. Yes he could be charming, but only as charming as a well built Swiss time piece. It was hard to get passed his dead look in the eyes, even when his soft lips were smiling and his body language was positive. It was all an act. And people in the same game knew it. That's what made it so devastating to watch. He would make the moves, talk the lines, smile and touch, but he could chill anything but the hottest of suns. But for him, it was a job; a task, a series of tasks. Whether they be interacting with others or tying up his employer's loose ends, they were all just tasks. Tasks for the only one who he could trust, the only one left; his employer; the country; the crown.