Description

* THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING MODESTY BLAISE SERIES *

‘The finest escapist thrillers ever written’ THE TIMES

‘Before Buffy, before Charlie’s Angels, before Purdy and Emma Peel, there was Modesty Blaise’ OBSERVER

In her first adventure for British Intelligence, Modesty Blaise with her loyal lieutenant, Willie Garvin, must foil a multi-million pound diamond heist.

Bored and restive, Modesty is looking for a mission when she is approached by the head of the British Intelligence. Britain is shipping ten million pounds worth of diamonds from South Africa to Beirut as partial payment for an oil concession to a Middle Eastern sheikh and the rumour is that the secrecy of this mission has been uncovered and someone may try to steal it. Modesty’s knowledge and contacts within the international underworld make her the perfect person to solve the case.

Knowing the difficulty of the mission, she first has to save Willie from captivity in South America. Then 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.

Publisher Review

In the beginning there was Modesty. Cooler than the pretentious James Bond, tougher than the brain-dead Mike Hammer. * Lauren Henderson, author, "Chained" and "Dead White Female" * These books are the finest escapist thrillers ever written. * The Times * Before Buffy, before Charlie's Angels, before Purdy and Emma Peel there was Modesty Blaise. For almost 40 years, Peter O'Donnell's iconic heroine drop-kicked her way through a swath of villains and into a unique place in popular culture. * The Observer * "One of the great partnerships in fiction, bearing comparison with that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson." -- . * Kingsley Amis * "O'Donnell is one of those rare popular writers, like Josephine Tey or P.G. Wodehouse, who inspire not just fandom but love." -- . * New York Times Book Review * "Modesty Blaise was the comic-strip criminal genius, turned occasional secret service operative, who managed to combine timeless beauty and elegance with the ability to break every bone in your body... there's never been a better time to become acquainted." -- . * `The Crack' * "The continuing renaissance of the immortal heroine: thrilling, humorous and timeless adventures, the Modesty Blaise series are seminal British crime novels." -- . * `Crime Time' * The stories of Modesty... are better than James Bond and funnier." -- . * `Tribune' *