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

E X P A N D E D E D I T I O N T H E M O D E S T Y B L A I S E C O M P A N I THE IMPOSSIBLE VIRGIN First published 1971 by Souvenir Press Ltd., London When a sand blocked oil filter forces Modesty to land her Piper Comanche close to the remote Tanzanian mission hospital in Kalimba she wants to be on her way as quickly as possible but ends up staying twelve days. First it is simply to give blood, then because Dr. Giles Pennyfeather needs help treating the victims of a local bus crash. The cemetery next to the hospital holds a mystery. An almost naked white man had staggered out of the bush, his body a mass of cuts and wounds. He had obviously been tortured and soon died despite all Pennyfeather’s efforts. When two nasty men arrive at the hospital and ask him if the dead man told him anything and become violent, Modesty saves him from serious damage. Obliged by the authorities to leave the country Modesty flies on to London taking Giles with her and into her bed. Over dinner with Giles, Modesty and Willie consult Jack Fraser about what they might give his boss, Sir Gerald Tarrant, for his birthday. Fraser tells them that Tarrant may shortly have to resign. Brunel, a business man and criminal based in Rwanda has obtained a file of secret documents incriminating Tarrant in a politically sensitive action. Brunel has a ward Lisa, who he controls like a zombie through what she calls “the voices”. He is dining in the same restaurant as Modesty with Adrian Chance and Jacko Muktar. He introduces himself and them to Modesty. They are the men she dealt with in Kalimba. A few days later Modesty and Willie pull off a spectacular coup to steal the secret file from Brunel’s safe. It solves the birthday present problem. Brunel then approaches Modesty and reveals the real reason he sent Chance and Muktar to see Giles. The mystery man he tried to save in Kalimba was Mischa Novikov a Russian High Altitude Reconnaissance specialist. Novikov had discovered a hitherto unknown rich vein of easily accessible alluvial gold in Central Africa and had approached Brunel to help him exploit it. He tortured Novikov to try to get the map co-ordinates for the deposit but he escaped and then died before revealing them. Brunel thinks, quite rightly, that he might have babbled them to Giles when he was dying. Brunel is shown the door but he does not give up. Modesty, Willie and Giles are lured into a trap and flown to Rwanda. During the flight Willie is thrown out of the plane. On his estate in Rwanda Modesty is fed tranquilisers and abused. Giles is tortured but is still alert enough to warn Modesty that the traquilisers must be in her drinking water. When Chance discovers the secret of “the voices” he orders Lisa to kill Brunel and takes over the operation. Modesty and Giles are treated to a close up experience with Ozymandias, a gorilla, but Giles is able to talk him into setting them free. A mad escape, an illegal emergency operation and a battle with quarterstaffs brings the adventure to a close. 407