In the fifth instalment of the bestselling Modesty Blaise series, Modesty and Willie Garvin must travel to Africa to battle against a criminal mastermind

* THE FIFTH NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING MODESTY BLAISE SERIES * 'The finest escapist thrillers ever written' THE TIMES 'One of the great partnerships in fiction' Kingsley Amis 'Before Buffy, before Charlie's Angels, before Purdy and Emma Peel, there was Modesty Blaise' OBSERVER Mischa Novikov has never even considered defecting from Russia until he discovers satellite images of a valley in central Africa which contains untold riches - and he's the only man on earth who knows about them. Eight months later Novikov dies in a small hospital not far from his hidden treasure, a victim of torture. When Modesty Blaise intervenes to save Novikov's doctor from being tortured to reveal his patient's secrets, she herself is taken prisoner. It will take all her cunning, and that of her loyal lieutenant Willie Garvin, to escape the clutches of her vicious kidnapper and his dangerous pets.

"These 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

"O'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

"The 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