Modesty Blaise's friend Novak died trying to preserve his discovery of the Impossible Virgin, a secret that meant enormous wealth. But right at the last moment, he babbled. When Modesty makes a forced landing in Central Africa, she meets the man who possesses Novikov's secret without knowing it—Giles Pennyfeather, the guileless and blundering young doctor with a gift for healing. In saving Giles from Brunel, a dangerous killer, she buys yet another ticket to danger, for Brunel is determined to have the secret. Modesty and her lieutenant, Willie Garvin, take on Brunel and his partners in a fierce and devious battle, where Modesty is brought to the most shattering reverse she has ever suffered. How she fights back, and at last learns the truth of the Impossible Virgin and her ferocious guardians, brings this fifth tale in the saga of Modesty Blaise to an astonishing climax.
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Book Description
--This text refers to the
Paperback
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About the Author
Peter O’Donnell created the Modesty Blaise strip cartoon in the 1950s and is the author of 13 books in the Modesty Blaise novel series.
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seduction of the Innocent,
By brad s barnes (Santa Ana CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Impossible Virgin (Paperback)
The good doctor Giles Pennyfeather is introduced in this tale. He is a good-natured medical embarrassment who is hopeless in the modern world but who can perform medical miracles in Third World environments. Modesty's plane drops out of the sky and she finds herself stranded at Gile's makeshift hospital in the middle of Central Africa, so she makes herself useful as his nurse. Unfortunately, the local criminal element muscles Giles out of the area under Modesty's watch, and Modesty doesn't let her friends get ruffled without a fight. Willie joins the odd couple and they all do battle against guerillas, a gorilla and Mother Nature. All of this leads to the immense fortune known as The Impossible Virgin, the specifics of which I will leave to the honorable Peter O'Donnell. Another smashing success for Modesty Blaise!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"She could not let Brunel see her break. For Willie's sake she could not do that.",
By
This review is from: The Impossible Virgin (Modesty Blaise series) (Paperback)
I love the Modesty Blaise series of books, but this book is not one of my favorites. In fact, my feelings about "The Impossible Virgin" are mainly colored by my opinion that this book (the fifth in the series) marks the beginning of the decline of the series.
In many ways "The Impossible Virgin" is a typical Modesty Blaise story. There is a bad guy (Brunel) and he has some nasty henchmen (Adrian Chance and Jacko Muktar). Modesty has a run-in with the henchmen in Africa and defeats them. Later, Modesty and Willie Garvin (Modesty's loyal side-kick) outwit the bad guys once again, this time in London. But then the plot thickens, and Modesty finds herself captured, taken back to Africa and subjected to brainwashing. I can't tell more without spoiling the ending for those who haven't read the book. It's very exciting and the plot includes many unexpected twists, more than average for a Modesty story. The positive aspects that I love about the Modesty Blaise books are all present. The interesting relationship between Modesty and Willie, the intelligent and humorous tone and the deadly seriousness when it comes down to the life-and-death combat encounters. The bad guys are really nasty, the story is quite inventive and the descriptions of the locations sound authentic (although dated). The fighting scenes are unusual and memorable, especially an encounter near the end of the book where firearms are not viable and quarterstaffs are used against 10 attackers with machetes. My biggest problem with "The Impossible Virgin" is that several of the plot elements are simply too unrealistic. Unfortunately, I can't go into detail without getting this review labeled as a spoiler. I also had minor problems with Willie's behavior vis-?-vis a certain young lady with emotional problems, Dr. Giles Pennyfeather (a major character) being so silly and the ending of the book being so sugar-sweet. Despite my reservations, and the fact that this book is now 35 years old, I recommend it highly. It's still much better than most modern action thrillers. Rennie Petersen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modesty & Willie survive danger, brainwashing, and Giles Pennyfeather in darkest Africa,
By
This review is from: IMPOSSIBLE VIRGIN, THE (Paperback)
Giles Pennyfeather--not the sort of guy we're used to seeing with Modesty. A gentle soul, a klutz in civilized England...but an MD with a gift for healing, even when imprisoned himself. An albino damsel in distress, a fortune in unclaimed mining rights, and tangles with a particularly sleek yet nasty villain and his henchmen combine to make this addition to the Modesty Blaise epic rich in insights, thrills, and laughter.
As usual, Peter O'Donnell writes gripping, flowing prose, of a quality we rarely see in adventure novels. Despite, or perhaps because of, Modesty's origins as a quality adventure comic strip, O'Donnell's plot, timing, and dramatic flair are laced with characters unique to themselves, every villain (male or female) an individual as much as Blaise and her irrepressible partner, Willie Garvin.
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