
Pieces of Modesty
(A book in the Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin series)(1972)
A collection of stories by
Peter O'Donnell
Publisher's Weekly
Modesty Blaise attracts adjectives as honey draws bears: beautiful, smart, sexy, tough, not-to-be-messed-with and, of course, totally unconventional. Those who don't know her will probably enjoy this collection of short capers more than her longer adventures. (After three or four manic stunts, the longer pieces often get too outrageous.) Here we're treated to romps involving South American guerrillas and a cricket bowl (''A Better Day to Die''); a novel way to get over the Berlin Wall (''The Giggle-Wrecker''); Willie Garvin's own tale of derring-do (''I Had a Date with Lady Janet,'' happily not narrated in Cockney); jewel thieves on the Riviera (''A Perfect Night to Break Your Neck''); vicious industrial spies in Finland (''Salamander Four''); and a rich man's kinkiness (''The Soo Girl Charity''). Disbelief isn't so much suspended as flouted. Some readers will lap up all the derring that's done and leave it at that. Connoisseurs of James Bond's high seriousness and snobbery, though, will howl in delightespecially since under it all, Modesty really is a nice girl.
Modesty Blaise attracts adjectives as honey draws bears: beautiful, smart, sexy, tough, not-to-be-messed-with and, of course, totally unconventional. Those who don't know her will probably enjoy this collection of short capers more than her longer adventures. (After three or four manic stunts, the longer pieces often get too outrageous.) Here we're treated to romps involving South American guerrillas and a cricket bowl (''A Better Day to Die''); a novel way to get over the Berlin Wall (''The Giggle-Wrecker''); Willie Garvin's own tale of derring-do (''I Had a Date with Lady Janet,'' happily not narrated in Cockney); jewel thieves on the Riviera (''A Perfect Night to Break Your Neck''); vicious industrial spies in Finland (''Salamander Four''); and a rich man's kinkiness (''The Soo Girl Charity''). Disbelief isn't so much suspended as flouted. Some readers will lap up all the derring that's done and leave it at that. Connoisseurs of James Bond's high seriousness and snobbery, though, will howl in delightespecially since under it all, Modesty really is a nice girl.
Used availability for Peter O'Donnell's Pieces of Modesty
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Hardback Editions
November 1986 : Hardback
| Title: Modesty Blaise: Pieces of Modesty Author(s): Peter O'Donnell ISBN: 0-89296-172-4 / 978-0-89296-172-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Mysterious Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1972 : Hardback
| Title: Pieces of Modesty Author(s): Peter O'Donnell Publisher: Mysterious Press Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
September 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Pieces of Modesty (Modesty Blaise) Author(s): Peter O'Donnell ISBN: 0-285-63834-3 / 978-0-285-63834-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1980 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Pieces of Modesty (Modesty Blaise) Author(s): O'Donnell Peter Publisher: PAN Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
1977 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Modesty Blaise Pieces of Modesty Author(s): O'Donnell Peter Publisher: PAN Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
April 1972 : Paperback
| Title: Pieces of Modesty Author(s): Peter O'Donnell ISBN: 0-330-02961-4 / 978-0-330-02961-2 (UK edition) Publisher: Macmillan Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1972 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Pieces of Modesty Author(s): Peter O'Donnell Publisher: Pan Availability: Amazon More details... |
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