Author: Peter O'Donnell
Publisher: Souvenir Press
Rating: WARTY!
This is the eleventh in the Modesty Blaise series, and perhaps it suffers for that - or rather, perhaps my take on it suffers for that, but I could not get into this novel at all.
I almost quit reading it after the first couple of pages, which rambled on interminably about stuff which failed completely to engage my interest; then it went downhill from there. I read so little of this that I can't even tell you what it was about other than that Modesty is apparently trying to wind down her criminal business and retire, and someone wants to keep it going.
Blaise began as a newspaper comic strip in 1963 and then transferred to novels, which perhaps explains some of the caricature nature of the writing. Several movies have been made. That's how I got into this. I saw My Name is Modesty and I loved it. The movie is reviewed elsewhere on my blog. I can't say the same about this novel. Maybe at some point I'll dig out the first in the series and give it a try, but I make no promises, not with so many good books out there calling like sirens trying to draw me in!
