Modesty Blaise

by Peter O'Donnell

Other authorsSeppo Harjulehto (Translator)

Paperback, 1988

Status

Available

Call number

823.914

Publication

Helsingissä [Hki] : Otava, 1988.

Description

In her first adventure for British Intelligence Modesty Blaise with her loyal lieutenant, Willie Garvin, must foil a multi-million pound diamond heist. They travel from London to the South of France, across the Mediterranean to Cairo before battling, against impossible odds, a private army of professional killers.

User reviews

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

I remember reading this years ago and a chance discovery of a new copy in Waterstones for dirt cheap made me buy it and read it again. Modesty Blaise is one of the first female kick-ass heros in English fiction. She started off as a cartoon character in a regular strip and this is written by the

same guy who wrote the strips so is canon. She used to be on the other side of the law and retired young with a fortune behind her, the problem is that she's used to adventure and now she wants to do something that stirs the blood. When a government agency looks for her assistance she leaps at the chance. More for her sake than theirs.

Once you get over the fact that it was written in the 60's and has very dated bits in it it's a romp of a book. Great fun characters and the situations are pure James Bond.

Show Less

11 more

LibraryThing member othersam

To those in the know she strides the world of thrillers like a colossus. Bolder than Buffy, tougher than Trinity, yet written long enough ago to be either character's /grandmother/, it's ex-criminal mastermind MODESTY BLAISE who holds the crown as the best female action hero ever, and there's still

no one else to touch her. Only a dire film adaption back in the Sixties stopped her becoming as famous as her nearest equivalent, James Bond: for my money, these books are BETTER. You like campily wicked villains? exotic international settings? gadgets, weapons and insanely cool fight-scenes? These books have it all, and all of it informed with a warmth, style, and suave good humour that make every one of Peter O'Donnell's books a treat to read. Souvenir Press in the UK only bring out two of these a year: collectors pay mad prices for the rarer ones. The books are self-contained stories, and (though Cobra Trap is the last one, for reasons that will become obvious!) they don't need to be read in any particular order. My advice? Keep an eye out, and grab any you can!

Show Less

LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Neat! It wasn't intended to set up a series - just one story. And very interesting, having just read the strips, seeing the different presentations - different choices about what to detail and what to skim over. Loved the description of Modesty's penthouse, for instance - more detailed than any

comic strip could have gotten. Huh, it just occurred to me - of course, this was supposed to be a script. He was setting the scene as well as presenting the characters.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Zare

I've followed adventures of Modesty and Willie for almost 20 years now but always in the form of comics (drawn by the great Holdaway and later by Romero).

So I was surprised when I found out that there were novels about Modesty Blaise. At first I was afraid that the quality will be lower (movies

were true let-downs) but boy was I wrong.

This is the first novel in the series and what a novel if I may say. I can only say I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Show Less

LibraryThing member burnit99

This first "Modesty Blaise" novel by Peter O'Donnell ably sets the stage for one of my favorite novel and comic strip series, in which Modesty Blaise and her right-hand man and other half Willie Garvin, retired wealthy from a life of crime, find relief from the ennui that they are unexpectedly

feeling by performing a task for Sir Gerald Tarrant, head of Britain's version of our secret service. The story is suspenseful and exciting, the characters are among the most fascinating in literature I am familiar with, and the dialogue is witty and assured. A very promising start to the stories of two of my favorite characters in literature and comic strips.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Philotera

There's no reason the boys should have all the fun. It's a shame there aren't more heroines out there like MB. Competent, smart, and able to give the James Bonds and Jason Bournes a run for their money. Fun, pulpy, read. And sometimes, that's really all you want from a book.

LibraryThing member RoC

I love this book, which makes it almost impossible to give it a sensible review, so I'm not even going to try. Its great.

LibraryThing member veracite

My copy of this book has no ISBN. It is a Pan paperback, published in 1966, worn, dogeared and the pages quite yellow. The cover is illustrated with stills from the Monica Vitti movie. The price on the back says Australia 6'.
___

I've read all the books in this series except the last one. This is the

first and, while not the best, certainly a fabulous adventure.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ethel55

So, Mad Men couture meets MI-6? From the mandarin collars, three quarter length furs and jumpers, Modesty Blaise seems to be very comfortably well off after her retirement from The Network she created. She's called on by the Brits for help foiling a heist and brings her former first lieutenant,

Willie Garvin, in on the job. Although dated in language, I liked the book and was reminded of other espionage stories of that era, by authors like LeCarre or MacInnes. I think to say that Modesty is a female James Bond does the book a little injustice, as she comes from a darker place, and being her first caper, we don't really know if her connection with the Brits will continue.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco

I almost gave up on this and stopped reading it. And then? Mrs. Fothergill appears in Chapter 4! Whoo boy, that is one bad lady! I had to keep reading! And the story did improve! Modesty is one tough action hero, and her "sidekick" Willie Garvin is a perfect complement to her. Lots of gadgets and

gizmos to go along with the espionage. A good read!

Show Less

LibraryThing member burnit99

Show Less

LibraryThing member Leischen

An almost perfect introduction to a true female action hero. Modesty Blaise is a former criminal mastermind who is recruited by the Brits to protect a diamond shipment. Along on the ride is her ever-present right-hand man, Willie Garvin. This book sets up the rest of this brilliant series by

introducing the main characters and their backgrounds. It also sets the template for the cast of villains-a boss, a main henchman, and a grotesque killer who usually ends up in a life-or-death showdown with Modesty or Willie. This one is an action classic.

Show Less

Fewer