Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modesty and Willie ride again - for the last time, 15 Nov 2001
It's hard to believe, but even the action packed saga of Modesty Blaise has an end, and Cobra Trap is the last instalment. The good news is that there are five stories in this book and only one of them sees the end of our favourite duo. The others reach back through the lives of Modesty and Willie, filling in some blanks in their previous adventures and reuniting us with favourite characters like Danny Chavasse and the irrepressible Colliers. There's no getting away from that final story, but my advice to die-hard Modesty buffs is to ignore it. Buy the book and close it before you reach the last chapter. Leave Modesty and Willie glowing in your memory young and powerful. It's how they should be for ever.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
modesty and willie from begining to end, 17 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Cobra Trap (Modesty Blaise) (Hardcover)
this is a book of short stories detailing some short adventures of modesty and willie. we start at the early days of the network, the illicit criminal gang set up by modesty blaise. we meet willie garvin a new recruit to the network and are given an insight into how the relationship developed between modesty and willie. the other stories follow a timeline up to an unspecified future time when a much older modesty and willie embark on their final adventure. this book is a must if you are a fan of modesty blaise.I must say that the short story format does not really suit modesty blaise, as we need a novel size story to really build a credible and seemly indestructible adversary for modesty and willie to do battle with, we know they will be in some inescapable fortress,the fun is watch them using their skill and ingenuity to win the day. peter o donnell is a master at describing combat scenes and techniques.the short story does not allow the same depth. there is another book of modesty short stories which are better than these called "pieces of modesty" it is hard to get hold of. if you are new to modesty blaise ,i suggest you start with one of the novels rather than this book I know peter o donnell is getting on a bit and he has said this will be the last modesty blaise book, i cant help wishing he will change his mind and write one more full lenghth novel that will do justice to the characters he created.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fitting conclusion for the series, 19 Dec 2005
This review is from: Cobra Trap (Modesty Blaise) (Hardcover)
The final Modesty Blaise book is a collection of five novelettes and novellas covering the full span of Modesty Blaise's career, from the early days of the Network to Modesty and Willie coming out of retirement for one last caper. It's a fine collection for long-term fans, providing both new stories and closure for several long term story threads from the series. I don't think it's the ideal place for a new fan to start, because the references to events in earlier books may act as spoilers for those who haven't read those books yet, and the impact of the title story will be blunted for those who haven't had several books in which to become attached to the characters. It is however possible to enjoy these stories without ever having read any other Modesty Blaise books or the comic strip, and while ideally new readers should start with an earlier book in this series, they shouldn't be put off starting with Cobra Trap if it's the only one readily available to them. The stories are classic Modesty Blaise. Once again O'Donnell demonstrates the appeal of a heroine and hero who are quite willing to go outside the law, but never to step outside their own moral code. For Modesty and Willie the ends do not justify the means. You know that the villains will lose in the end, but there will be no easy solution, and the good guys may well pay a high price for their victory. The stories are often hilarious, sometimes heart wrenching, and always thrilling to read. Some of the stories rely on the most outrageous coincidences, but with this level of writing there is no problem in suspending disbelief. This is a beautifully written and wonderfully entertaining book, and the final story is a bittersweet but emotionally right conclusion to the series.
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