The Modesty Blaise Novels: Unmissable Thrills

There is one woman who can show James Bond a thing or two. She used to be the head of a criminal organisation called the Network in Tangier and had a successful run of high end crimes across the Globe. Her team were skilled, efficient and ruthless but always had morals. They did not deal in drugs, vice or any human trafficking.

She disbanded the team at the height of their success and ensured each member was provided for. She moved to UK and settled in a nice pad in London and was happy to go about her business, only to be recruited by British intelligence to covertly help them in capers where they can't 'officially' get involved. She is smart, sexy, sassy and seriously skilled at all forms of combat.

Her name is Modesty Blaise.

Modesty Blaise is a popular creation of British Writer Peter O’Donnell. She first debuted in comic strip format in 1963 with art by Jim Holdaway. It was a runaway success, and got syndicated worldwide. There was a film planned and O’Donnell was asked to pen the screenplay which he promptly did. After all, scripting comic strips is not dissimilar to doing a story board and therefore writing a screenplay.

The publishers thought it would be a good idea to novelise the screenplay, so Peter did some rewriting, borrowed some elements from the strips and the first Modesty Blaise novel was born. The book was released in 1965, a year ahead of the film. It was an instant hit.

The final film, however, bore little resemblance to O’Donnell’s script and disappointed many ( although it has the dubious reputation of being a camp classic). Peter said that there was only one line of dialogue that was retained in the final version. One can’t imagine why the film makers needed to change anything for the first Modesty Blaise book is an excellent concoction of thrills and is a brilliant page turner.

The novels of Modesty Blaise are a rare blend of action and thrills with very well constructed plots. The main characters of Modesty and her right hand man Willie Garvin are brilliantly rendered, and the pair’s unique relationship and banter is a delight to read. In the true spirit of James Bond, they feature globe trotting adventures, edge of the seat action, stunning combat sequences, twists and turns that will keep any adventure fan sated. What adds to the formula is O’Donnell’s great writing peppered with his unique sense of humour and the ability to create weird and wonderful villains and henchmen.

In the subsequent years Peter would deliver 11 novels and two collections of short stories that the public would devour with enthusiasm and garnered plenty of accolades. He also continued penning the comic strips right until 2001 and these are available as collected strips. They were slick well crafted thrillers, spanning the globe, featuring exciting set-pieces, full of verve and humour. The novels enjoyed reprints all over the world and were translated into many languages.

Most of the first British Editions were by Souvenir Press and the American editions were published by Mysterious Press in the US. The paperbacks have been variously published by Pan, Fawcett, Fontana, and Souvenir Press.

All the books remain highly collectable and some of the first editions are changing hands for hundreds of pounds.

The Special Intelligence section of the British government headed by Sir Gerald Tarrant know all about Modesty’s past. They also know that her second n command during the network days and confidante, Willie Garvin, is languishing in prison ( he has a habit of doing this). Sir Tarrant has information that will help Modesty find Willie. But he also has another delicate matter of a shipment of diamonds that could really do with the talented pairing of Willie and Garvin to scope the scenario and protect the shipment. They know all about how one could plan the heist, as they have done a few of these themselves, in the past of course.

Little do they know their adventure will cross paths with the diabolical Gabriel who is hell bent on snatching the diamonds and wouldn’t mind killing for them. An action packed adventure that takes you to France, Egypt and finally to a small Meditteranean island hideout where Modesty and Willie have to fight for the lives and save the diamonds if they can. A stunning debut.

Long before the real invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, the perceptive Peter O’Donnell has a deadly military dictator Karz, amassing weaponry and an army of mercenaries in a Hindu Kush mountain lair to execute his ultimate plan - the invasion of oil rich Kuwait. The coincidence doesn’t stop there as his planned attack date is September 11^th! This book was published in 1966.

Karz needs two capable lieutenants to command his mercenary army, someone who is capable of handling a motley crew and making a success of it. The only two people he could recall from the past, capable of such feat, are Modesty and Willie Garvin. Meanwhile in London, Sir Gerald Tarrant of the Special Intelligence notices a large number of known mercenaries quietly disappearing across the Globe without a trace. He asks Modesty and Willie to investigate.

Unbeknownst to each party they are both tracking each other.  Karz kidnaps a little girl known to Modesty and threatens to kill her if Willie and her don’t report to duty to the Hindu Kush. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, the pair has to rescue the girl, stop the invasion and escape with their lives intact. Pulse pounding entertainment.

All over the world , important people of receiving death threats from some people who claim they could accurately predict their deaths. When the threatened don’t pay up, they do end up dead. Strangely all these deaths appear due to natural causes.

The Head of the French Intelligence, René Vaubois, wants Modesty to investigate and in his own inimitable French fashion wines and dines her to persuade her to take the job.

Soon Willie and Modesty encounter the strange case of Lucifer who could predict death, Steve Collier who is a professional para-psychologist and the villainous Seth and Regina who have master-minded the devilishly cunning plan. In a race against time, with a bunch of ruthless henchmen on their tail, the pair's adventure culminates in a remote island near Indonesia .

With a cyanide pellet surgically implanted under her skin, Modesty has to work with Willie to destroy the evildoers before time runs out, once and for all.

Beautiful, blind Dinah Pilgrim is a psychic. She can tell you how to find lost items and makes a living doing this for small change along with her sister Judy. Her abilities don’t give her the the deadly premonition of what is about to happen. Attacked on a lonely beach, Judy is brutally murdered and Dinah is about ot get kidnapped. Willie Garvin happens upon the scene and manages to rescue her, killing the kidnappers and her sister’s murderers in a deadly fight.

Willie knows others aren't far behind and someone wahts Dinah and her abilities desperate enough to kill for it. Willie goes into hiding with Dinah and knows of only one person who he can trust and will be able to help rescue them. Modesty Blaise.

The pair re-encounter the villain of their first novel, Gabriel, again nd this time he wants to find a treasure of amazing value. With set pieces in a panamian jungle, London and in an abandoned fort where Modesty has to fence for her life and Wilie has to encounter a man mountain, this book delivers in spades.

Giles Pennyfeather works in a field hospital in remote Africa and is tending to a mysterious Russian in his deathbed. It is obvious that the patient has been tortured to reveal some information and Gile is soon party to information about untold riches. The man who tortured the Russian is Brunel , a vicious killer crimelord with equally vicious henchmen.

Giles comes across Modesty and the pair soon evade danger upon danger as Brunel pursues Pennyfeather for vital information. Willie gets in on the act as Modesty and Giles get captured and slowly brainwashed. In a series of brilliant plot twists and breathtaking set pieces Modesty and Willie have to outwit yet another nasty criminal while keeping their senses intact. The unique fight scenes that pepper each novel are taken to a new level with an encounter with a mountain gorilla and a fight scene involving quarterstaff.

A collection of highly entertaining short stories including the first and only one told in first person by Willie Garvin ( I had a date with..)

1. A Better Day to Die"

2. "The Giggle-Wrecker"

3. "I Had a Date with Lady Janet"

4. "A Perfect Night to Break Your Neck"

5. "Salamander Four"

6. "The Soo Girl Charity

In the remote foothills of the Pyrenees in the South of France, Sir Gerald Tarrant , head of the Special Intelligence force, is held captive by a homicidal maniac, Mr Sexton. The latter has plans to torture Sir Gerald and extract vital information regarding intelligence operatives all over the world.

No one knows that Sir Gerald has been taken captive as they all believe he had perished in a car accident. Modesty and Willie stumble upon information on their good friend and they set out to rescue him from the French chateau full of the Mr Sexton’s henchmen.

In a delightful twist to the norm, we get to see the action through Sir Gerald’s eyes, as he witnesses Modesty and Willie in their ruthless best, efficient, cold yet strangely humane when it comes to protecting innocents. There are plot twists a plenty, combat scenes to make your eyes water and delicious banter between the protagonists. High class entertainment.

In a remote jungle camp in Guatemala, a crazy bunch of villains are running a unique slave camp. All the occupants are rich westerners who have been kidnapped and put to work until death. Paxero, the evil maniac, has worse plans for Camp Limbo as he affectionately calls it. While looking into the case of Maude Tiller, who works for Sir Tarrant, and her treatment in the hands of Paxero in an unrelated matter, Modesty and Willie stumble upon evidence that one of their rich friends( who allegedly had died in a yachting accident) may still be alive.

Modesty lets herself be captured to enter Limbo and soon in up to her neck in murderous mayhem. As desperate Willie hacks through the surrounding jungle in a bid to rescue Modesty, she will have to lead the rich, despairing, clueless slaves in a revolt against the guards, as Paxero has ordered them all to be killed. Edge of seat action with great panache.

A famous artist is found drifting in the Tasman sea by Modesty while sailing single handedly from Australia to New Zealand. Trouble is he was last known to be sailing the meditteranean and disappeared two months ago. Soon they realise he is not the only artist to have disappeared.

Modesty disbanded her criminal organisation in Tangier many years ago and others have tried to replicate her success. The latest one of these surfacing teams is El Mico and they pull of their greatest heist to steal an object of great importance only to have it stolen by their second in command.

But Nanny Prendergast, the head of the organisation and the Silk siblings don’t take no prisoners. They kill the said double crosser and kidnap his wife to lock her up in Xanadu a strange place in Atlas mountains. Soon Modesty and Willie join in on the cat and mouse games, attempting to rescue the poor wife after tracking down the ‘object’.

Modesty thought she had seen and fought it all, but soon she is facing Collissuem style duels and a daredevil escape through mountain roads while pursued by helicopters. Stirring action.

A hapless but talented rookie wants to join the Network in its heyday and he is not accepted. He nurtures the grudge for several years and wants to prove his mettle by taking revenge on the first and second in command of the Network, Modesty and Willie.

Starting with a deliciously nostalgic flashback that gives us more insight into the Network days, this thrilling caper twists and turns around the criminal organisation called the ‘Watchmen’ who are hell-bent on a series of nasty terrorist attacks at embassies, landmarks and assassination attempts at key political figures.

Their next target is the Golden Gate Bridge. Modesty and Willie not only have to stop their evil pans but have to contend with the personal vendetta from the mysterious ‘moringstar’. A must for Modesty fans.

In this eleventh and final novel, Willie is kidnapped and brainwashed by the dastardly Thaddeus Pilgrim and is imprisoned in the remote Greek island of Kalivari in the ‘Hostel of Righteousness’.

Modesty is meant to pick up his trail and follows him there only to confront her second in command and lifelong friend programmed to kill her the instant he sets his eyes on her. The duo have to endure mind altering drugs, the crazed assassins Sibyl and Khazim and fight to save their lives and sanity. They then have to vanquish the criminal psychotic Dr Thaddeus Pilgrim.

It has the solid formula of plot twists, crazed villains daredevil escapes and thrilling fight sequences.

This very final book about Modesty and Willie written by Peter O’Donnel l Features five short stories including the one any self respecting Modesty fan refuses to read, the Cobra Trap. It has Modesty through the ages starting at 20 and culminating at 52. In a crazy set up O’Donnell has Willie and Modesty killed in this story. After much furore he finished his final comic strip in 2001 in a much upbeat note, with the duo alive and well, and planning to return for more adventures.

Bellman,

The Dark Angels,

Old Alex,

The Girl With the Black Balloon

Cobra Trap.

The 1966 movie featured Monica Vitti as the eponymous heroine and Terence Stamp as Willie Garvin. The plot skewed so much from Peter O'Donnell's screenplay that it was unrecognisable much to the disgust of the fans of the strip. It fared less well and was received as a cult camp classic. Sadly not in the true spirit of Modesty, failing to deliver the thrills but instead concentrating on a flurry of sexy pastel production design and high fashion!

There was a TV pilot made for ABC in 1982 featuring Ann Turkel as Blaise. Although this version was more true to the tone of the books it failed to become a series.

In 2004 Miramax, who still hold the rights to the character, made a film ‘ My name is Modesty’ featuring Alexandra Staden as young Modesty. This went straight to DVD and was felt by many as an attempt to regain the rights rather than a serious try to launch the character.

Quentin Tarantino who had convinced Miramax to buy the rights to the character was very interested in making a Modesty Blaise film and lent his name above the marquee to this version but hasn’t yet capitalised on the opportunity.He did have Vincent Vega, the John Travolta character in pulp fiction reading Modesty Blaise in three different scenes, hinting at a possible future film that has never materialised.

One just hopes that the property gets into some safe pair of hands and a film materialises. Modesty Blaise stories have so much material to mine, one can make a truly satisfying series of films that can deliver.

Thanks for your time and please do leave any comments below and vote.

Copy right © Mohan Kumar, 2011