* THE TENTH 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 Ms. Pendergast, a middle-aged nanny operating the criminal force ‘El Mico’, may not be your typical villain. But in the world of Modesty Blaise, who is? She and her two young charges, Jeremy and Dominic Silk, have made themselves the most potent underworld force in North Africa. In their latest triumph, they’ve stolen ‘The Object’ an item of immense value. However, they’ve also suffered their greatest setback – Bernard Martel, a top lieutenant, has double-crossed them and stolen it back. Pursued and close to death, a delirious Bernard reveals to Modesty Blaise a series of obscure clues, setting her and Willie Garvin on a quest to recover The Object and rescue Tracy, Bernard’s wife. From thrilling Tangier, to mysterious Marrekesh, to the grandeur of the High Atlas Mountains, Modesty and Willie stop at nothing in one of their most riveting and action-packed adventures yet.In the tenth instalment of the bestselling Modesty Blaise series, Modesty and Willie Garvin must travel the world to save a friend and recover an item of immense valueAbout the AuthorPeter O’Donnell began his career working on pre-World War Two comic strips. During the 1950s he became involved with strip cartoons and created the revolutionary series Modesty Blaise, which would be syndicated in more than 42 countries. The strip led to a series of bestselling novels: Modesty Blaise, Sabre-Tooth, I, Lucifer, The Impossible Virgin, Pieces of Modesty, A Taste for Death, The Silver Mistress, Dragon’s Claw, The Xanadu Talisman, The Night of the Morningstar, Dead Man’s Handle and Cobra Trap.ReviewsThese 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 * Observer *One of the great partnerships in fiction, bearing comparison with that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson — Kingsley AmisO’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 *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 *In the beginning there was Modesty. Cooler than the pretentious James Bond, tougher than the brain-dead Mike Hammer — Lauren Henderson, author of Dead White FemaleThe 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 *Book InformationISBN 9780285636439Author Peter O’DonnellFormat PaperbackPage Count 320Imprint Souvenir Press LtdPublisher Profile Books LtdWeight(grams) 220gDimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 26mm