Dragon's Claw (Modesty Blaise series)

Dragon's Claw (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell

Dragon's Claw (Modesty Blaise series)
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $7.25
You Save: $7.70 (52%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.85 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Peter O'Donnell
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-01
ISBN: 0285637088
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Souvenir Press

Book Reviews of Dragon's Claw (Modesty Blaise series)

Book Review: "Yes, he's pretty good for a vicar. Who gets first crack at him?"
Summary: 3 Stars

"Dragon's Claw" is the ninth book in the Modesty Blaise series, and was first published in 1978. This book, like the others in the series, features Modesty Blaise and her loyal sidekick Willie Garvin in an action thriller, pitted against some really nasty bad guys.

The story is fairly satisfying. The bad guys are kidnapping and killing people from the world of the arts for a reason that is unusual but not totally farfetched. Modesty, while sailing a yacht single-handed from Australia to New Zealand, rescues Luke Fletcher, a world-renowned painter. Luke Fletcher had disappeared in the Mediterranean Sea several months previous and was presumed dead - how in the world did he end up adrift in a dingy in the Tasman Sea?

This rescue leads to a relationship between Modesty and Luke, and eventually to a hunt for the bad guys, and finally to an action-packed climax on Dragon's Claw Island. A high point is a Wild West style duel with handguns between Modesty and the Reverend Uriah Crisp, a gun-toting minister who has proven that he is faster on the draw than Modesty!

The quotation that heads this review, "Yes, he's pretty good for a vicar. Who gets first crack at him?", is Modesty's remark after Uriah Crisp has demonstrated his prowess with a six-shooter, and Modesty and Willie have been told that they are scheduled to die in duels against the Reverend Crisp. (page 235)

Although I found the story satisfying, I also found it a bit contrived. If one bothers to analyze the plot in the last four chapters one realizes that there are several more obvious ways in which Modesty and Willie could have escaped from captivity on Dragon's Claw Island. But then the story wouldn't have had such a nice climax, so we accept the contrived story as a minor negative point.

A more serious problem is the portrayal of the bad guys, in particular Beauregard Browne (with an "e"). Peter O'Donnell was obviously striving for an interesting combination of an upper class Englishman with campy/gay tendencies (and frilly lilac shirts and painted toenails) who was still a deadly and formidable opponent for Modesty and Willie. For me it doesn't quite work. I find Beauregard Browne (with an "e") more silly than scary. A thriller depends to a large extent on the nastiness of the bad guys, and this is the weakest aspect of "Dragon's Claw".

Otherwise the book has the usual mix of very positive elements found in all of the Modesty Blaise books. This includes the unusual relationship between Modesty and Willie, the intelligent and humorous slant on things and Modesty's and Willie's inventiveness and their amazing fighting skills.

The book is very well written, and Peter O'Donnell has a great command of the (British) English language and a wonderful way with words. Consider the following sentence:

"There was an almost unlimited number of vexations she (Mrs. Rigby) found insupportable, such as abstract art, amateur psychologists, association football, and Australian cricketers, to name only the first few alphabetically, but when she declared her inability to tolerate these affronts, she invariably described them as unique in this respect." (page 80)

In conclusion, not one of the best Modesty Blaise books, but still recommended, even after all these years. If you've never read a Modesty Blaise book then do yourself the favor of starting from the beginning of the series, both because there is a developing background to the stories and because the first six books in the series are the best.

Rennie Petersen

Summary of Dragon's Claw (Modesty Blaise series)

This crime adventure begins when heroine Modesty Blaise finds Luke Fletcher, one of Britain's greatest artists, lost on a raft in the middle of the ocean. This discovery leads Modesty to an island called Dragon's Claw, where the evil Sam Solon has kidnapped the world's leading art experts, keeping them prisoner to admire his collection of stolen art treasures. Along with Willie Garvin, her loyal lieutenant, Modesty begins to unravel a complex set of murder mysteries until she is suddenly held captive herself. Modesty relies on her ingenuity and resourcefulness to escape from Solon and his two hired killers, Revered Uriah Crsip and Beauregard Browne, as well as solve the crimes and lure the evil men into an inescapable trap. With Modesty's adventurous character and a thrilling plot, this novel is an exciting addition to this acclaimed series of crime fiction. 

Action & Adventure Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Action & Adventure Books
Polar Shift ImagePolar Shift
by Paul Cussler Clive & Kemprecos
Penguin; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.30
The Call of the Wild (Children's Classics) ImageThe Call of the Wild (Children's Classics)
by Jack London
Penguin Audio; Published: 1997-08-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $11.00
Pelican Brief ImagePelican Brief
by John Grisham
Trafalgar Square; Published: 1993-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.19
Price in other shops: $9.75
Stardust ImageStardust
by Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins; Published: 2008-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.60
Price in other shops: $6.99
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) ImageQuicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)
by Neal Stephenson
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-09-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.50
Price in other shops: $15.99
Sandstorm ImageSandstorm
by James Rollins
Harper; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.50
Price in other shops: $7.99
No Man's Land ImageNo Man's Land
by G.M. Ford
William Morrow; Published: 2005-06-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.50
Price in other shops: $16.95
Forever Odd - Signed Proof ImageForever Odd - Signed Proof
by Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Prey ImagePrey
by Michael Crichton
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2003-08-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Sharpe's Waterloo (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #20) ImageSharpe's Waterloo (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #20)
by Bernard Cornwell
Harpercollins; Published: 1998-01-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Similar Books and other products
Modesty Blaise: The Double Agent ImageModesty Blaise: The Double Agent
by Peter O'Donnell
Titan Books; Published: 2011-06-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.19
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Silver Mistress (Modesty Blaise) ImageThe Silver Mistress (Modesty Blaise)
by Peter O'Donnell
Tor Books; Published: 1986-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.70
Dead Man's Handle (Modesty Blaise series) ImageDead Man's Handle (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2005-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $163.92
Cobra Trap (Modesty Blaise series) ImageCobra Trap (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2006-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.64
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Xanadu Talisman (Modesty Blaise series) ImageThe Xanadu Talisman (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2002-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops: $14.95
Last Day in Limbo (Modesty Blaise series) ImageLast Day in Limbo (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2003-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.47
Price in other shops: $14.95
Sabre-Tooth (Modesty Blaise series) ImageSabre-Tooth (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2003-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.60
Price in other shops: $14.95
Pieces of Modesty (Modesty Blaise series) ImagePieces of Modesty (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2010-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.05
Price in other shops: $14.95
Modesty Blaise (Modesty Blaise series) ImageModesty Blaise (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2005-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops: $14.95
A Taste for Death (Modesty Blaise series) ImageA Taste for Death (Modesty Blaise series)
by Peter O'Donnell
Souvenir Press; Published: 2006-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.64
Price in other shops: $14.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories