Modesty Blaise

This was a fun book. It's filled with action and incredible detail about everything that's going on. The presented problems and Modesty Blaise's solutions are thoroughly creative and well-thought. Peter O'Donnell does an excellent job of including just enough information without it slowing the story, but he uses everything he includes. I didn't find much information presented to be extraneous.

Modesty Blaise is a badass. She's classy and understands the fine points of art, music, and culture, and yet maintains a ruthless (though not merciless) approach to life. There's almost nothing bad to say about her. She sets an example of discipline and preparedness, of creativity and intelligence, and of a stoic lightheartedness when it comes to show more life. It's unlikely that anyone (male or female) can be as skilled as she is. The obvious comparison is James Bond (whom Peter O'Donnell likely knew of as this was published in 1965—twelve years after the first Bond novel was written). It's possible, though it's nothing more than speculation, that O'Donnell wrote Modesty Blaise to challenge James Bond's notion that "Women were for recreation. On a job, they got in the way and fogged things up with sex and hurt feelings and all the emotional baggage they carried around. One had to look out for them and take care of them." (Fleming, Casino Royale, p.34). Modesty masterminds everything and certainly holds her own in the field. She relies on Willie Garvin, but less so than he relies on her. No one else in the novel is on their level except perhaps Gabriel. Gabriel's abilities, however, are less defined.

O'Donnell describes the setting vividly. The story takes place briefly in London, but mostly in the Mediterranean. He includes lots of detail in what the characters wear and the environments in which they find themselves.

Though mostly an action book for entertainment, the story includes numerous insights into life and how people live. It hints at ideas regarding how we put meaning into our lives among other reflections.

I recommend this book. show less

Modesty Blaise is a quick, enjoyable thriller that is basically pure escapist hokum. Full of impossible escapes and 60's chic, this is the female equivalent of James Bond, only much better written and with a criminal past. Modesty and her trusty sidekick, Willie Garvin, must track down the mysterious master criminal Gabriel, who plans to steal a huge shipment of diamonds. The action moves along quite nicely and the relationship between Modesty and Garvin is nicely done. An easy, fun read.

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 adaptation 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 show more 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

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

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.

Modesty Blaise started life as a cartoon strip, but O'Donnell then put his creation into novel form, and did a superb job in both formats. This is the first novel in the series, and introduces the setting and most of the main characters.

Modesty Blaise is a former refugee and survivor of the terrible disruptions caused by the war, and as a child drifted across Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the company of an old professor. She had to be tough to survive; but her companion instilled in her a strong moral code. She took over a small criminal gang and built it up into a powerful criminal organisation infused with that moral code--they never touched drugs or vice, and occasionally co-operated with the police and intelligence services show more to help clean up such crimes. She retired a wealthy woman at the age of 24.

As the novel opens, Modesty and her friend and former second-in-command Willie Garvin are finding that retirement is boring and adrenaline an addiction they cannot shake. Sir Gerald Tarrant, the head of British Intelligence, exploits that addiction to recruit them for an intelligence operation for which they are peculiarly suited. What follows is a thrilling caper novel pitting Modesty and Willie against a bizarre criminal mastermind. Tight plotting and wonderful prose make this a very entertaining read, with a unique pair of heroes. It's wonderful to see Souvenir Press reissuing the novels, making them available again to both a new generation of fans and those with fond memories.

Comments thread: http://julesjones.livejournal.com/73509.html show less

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.