Peter O’Donnell – Page 2 – Cannonball Read 17

A Rose by Any Other Name

Merlin's Keep by Madeleine Brent

February 13, 2022 by sabian30 Leave a Comment

As a big Modesty Blaise fan, I’ve always enjoyed Peter O’Donnell’s writing ability and reread his 15 Modesty books every couple of years. Imagine my surprise from his obituary to discover that he wrote gothic historic romances under the name “Madeleine Brent.” Merlin’s Keep (named after the birds and not the wizard) won the Romantic Novel of the Year for 1978. While I’ve probably never read a gothic historic romance in my life, I ordered several of his romances and started with Merlin’s Keep (because […]

I Should Reread These Modesty Blaise Books in Order

A Taste for Death by Peter O'Donnell

February 13, 2022 by sabian30 Leave a Comment

I enjoy rereading all the Modesty Blaise novels, but two of the characters who fall in love in this book were an old married couple in the last one. While the exploits of Modesty and her partner, Willie Garvin, are exciting, this has one of the best fight scenes in all the Modesty novels. In fact, she has a scary encounter with a swordsman AND Willie meets up with a gorilla-like sadist who had battered him almost to the death during a previous encounter. Stuck […]

Like a Warm Blanket

March 7, 2017 by sabian30 2 Comments

I, Lucifer by Peter O’Donnell (1967) – Some books are comfort food. I grab them when I don’t want to read anything complicated. The Modesty Blaise books by Peter O’Donnell are fine examples and sit on a convenient shelf in my library. I have them all (thirteen novels but none of the comic strips), and they are a little formulaic but definitely re-readable. Modesty, if you didn’t happen to see several of the really bad movies made about her, is basically James Bond with décolletage. […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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