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Modesty and her partner, Willie Garvin, head to New Orleans
for a holiday... but stumble onto a plan of murder and blackmail
in The Gallows Bird. Also in this collection, Modesty
investigates a fatal family in The Bluebeard Affair,
an old friend is kidnapped in The Wicked Gnomes, and
there's trouble in the jungle in The Iron God. Plus
an exclusive look at censored Gallows Bird strips and Enric
Romero's sketchbook...
The
Gallow's Bird collects together another four classic Modesty
Blaise tales. Each story has an introduction by writer
Peter O'Donnell, who admits that he had to reread most of
these tales as he couldn't remember what happened in them.
There are also plenty of background tales on little things,
like the Laurel and Hardy gag that was never used in
The Wicked Gnomes, or his research on Pidgin English
for The Iron God.
First
up is The Bluebeard Affair, in which Modesty and Willie
investigate a man who seems to be unlucky in love. His wives
don't stick around for very long - disappearing under mysterious
circumstances. It soon becomes obvious that his two daughters,
with his knowledge and approval, kill each of his wives to
ensure that he can collect on the insurance. But Willie also
has problems of his own - in the form of one beautiful foreign
circus performer who wants him to marry her.
In
The
Gallow's Bird,
Modesty and Willie discover the body of a man handing in a
warehouse. Their resulting investigation puts them on the
trail of a couple of murderers who enjoy nothing more than
seeing their victims swinging from a rope. When Modesty's
neck is in the noose, and the trapdoor swings open beneath
her, how can she hope to survive?
The
Wicked Gnomes is the oddest story in this collection.
It sees Modesty and Willie going undercover at a to track
down the kidnappers of Pauline Brown. Modesty has to dress
as the Fairy Queen, while Willie is an inhabitant of Fairyland.
It also sees the return of Maude Tiller - Willie's love interest.
In
The Iron God, Modesty and Willie make an emergency
landing in the jungles of New Guinea when their plane experiences
a mechanical failure. Saving a girl from certain death, they
soon make enemies of a local tribe. They are soon introduced
to The Iron God, a white man whom Willie knows of old - a
murderer who has been hiding out in the jungle.
I
personally enjoyed the first two tales the most. The Wicked
Gnomes and The Iron God I found a little dull in
comparison. But, having said that, all four stories are entertaining
enough and will keep Modesty Blaise fans entertained.
Pete
Boomer
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