The Silver Mistress

Book excerpt: Peter O'Donnell began his career working on several major pre-war comics, Tiget Tim, Chips and Captain Moonlight. During the 1950's he became involved in strip cartoons and eventually created his revolutionary Modesty Blaise, syndicated in more than 42 countries. The strip led to a series of bestselling novels about Modesty and her faithful lieutenant, Willie Garvin, all published by Souvenir Press: 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 his most recent collection Cobra Trap. Modesty Blaise's close friend Tarrant of British Intelligence, thought to be dead, has instead been captured by Colonel Jim, a criminal tycoon. Can Modesty and Willie Garvin find him before he breaks under interrogation? They hunt for Tarrant through Macao and the Pyrenees but their plans go awry, for the rescuers become captives. Can they find an escape, to do so Modesty must defeat the invincible Mr Sexton, the greatest combat-man in the world?