EXTRACTS: The Modesty Blaise Companion Expanded Edition © 2018 The Book Palace (425 PAGES in Full edition)

T H E M O D E S T Y B L A I S E C O M P A N I O N A TASTE FOR DEATH First published 1969 by Souvenir Press Ltd., London and simultaneously in Canada by the Ryerson Press. Over the years Willie has given Modesty a number of presents, all of them special. He is working on one at the moment which involves him diving for pearls all over the world. Diving in the Archipelago de las Perlas he saves a young blind girl Dinah Pilgrim from being abducted by Gabriel, an old criminal enemy. Meanwhile in London Modesty is dining with Stephen Collier, now a more permanent bedfellow and Sir Gerald Tarrant who wants her help with his old friend Aaronson, who believes his archaelogical dig in Mus is threatened. They go to see him and find him dead. Willie, having got Dinah to the comparative safety of Panama, calls Modesty in London for help. With Collier and the Panama Chief of Police she contrives to get them all safely back to her cottage in England but not before a bizarre attempt on their lives by a booby trap specialist. In England Dinah reveals that she has a special talent for divination and that this was how she earned her living. Oil, gas, water, precious metals, pipes, she could locate them all. When Willie sees the identikit picture of the man Modesty met outside Aaronson’s house on the night he died he recognises him as Simon Delicata, a freakishly strong and intellectually brilliant criminal. When Delicata himself kidnaps Dinah it becomes clear that they have stumbled upon a major criminal operation and that it involves the dig at Mus. Documents indicate that a vast treasure is buried on the site. Dinah has divination powers and is needed to find it. They try to get to the dig in secret but are betrayed and fall into the hands of Delicata and Gabriel. Subjected to treatment by mace to subdue them, they are forced to work on the dig while Dinah continues with her efforts to locate the treasure. The original members of the dig team have been completely cowed by the mace and are of no help whatsoever. Dinah warns Modesty she is now getting very close to the site of the treasure. Modesty sets up a confrontation with their guard Major Wenczel, which results in them fighting a duel with épées. This is the first step in Modesty’s plan for their escape and also the evacuation of the zombie-like dig team. Her plan works and although she receives a bad flesh wound in the process Dinah, Stephen Collier and the archaeologists are taken to safety. Modesty and Willie do not have it so easy. While the rest are flown out there was not enough room on the plane for everyone. Willie has managed to construct a sand yacht and they set off on the long trip across the desert. At the dig site the treasure located by Dinah has been brought up and evaluated. At this point in the operation Delicata is due to cede the overall control of the treasure to Gabriel and his finance man McWhirter who are to sell it. Delicata has his own agenda. With the treasure in a specially designed desert vehicle he, too, sets off across the desert. Modesty’s wound has become infected and she and Willie rest in a remote desert fort where they are found by Delicata for a final confrontation. I I 406