The Night of Morningstar

In this new Modesty Blaise adventure, a mysterious, well-heeled group called the Watchmen are making terrorist attacks against various governments East and West. Modesty faces danger in London, San Francisco and off the coast of Portugal as she and Willie Garvin fend off assassins, save the Golden Gate Bridge and thwart the Watchmen's ""Morningstar'' operation. The intrepid duo grasps the full enormity of the Watchmen's scheme only when they're in the clutches of the villains; the night is saved by our heroes' ingenuity, combat ability andnot leastModesty's truly amazing ``muscle control.'' The bad guys are a nicely rum lot of Russians, Germans, Poles and Brits; the mad Earl is especially well drawn. Modesty is still beautifully lethal and Willie still drops atiches sporadically, but they show their age when they leave a concert after the Beethoven and before the Mahler, to ``dine at a reasonable hour.'' Modesty Blaise fans will love this romp, which, despite huge casualties, is actually rather cozy. Two hilarious sex scenes with an equestrian Countess add to all the fun. (June)