<DIV>There have been few other female action heroines like Modesty Blaise—a tough orphan who became the leader of the Network, a crime syndicate specializing in art theft and industrial espionage. This 10th book of her adventures begins with a flashback to the last days of the Network, when Modesty was about to retire, and describes the organization's final, astonishing operation before it disbanded. This operation is echoed several years later when Modesty, with her peerless lieutenant Willie Garvin, finds herself drawn into conflict with the mysterious group known as the Watchmen, who have plans to kill Modesty in London and then destroy San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. Modesty and Willie find themselves prisoners on a drillship off the Ilhas Desertas and must use their resourcefulness to escape.</DIV>