"Last Day in Limbo" was published in 1976 and is the eighth book in the Modesty Blaise series, featuring Modesty and her faithful sidekick, Willie Garvin.
In "Last Day in Limbo" we are presented with a trio of bad guys: Paxero, his aunt Benita, and his companion Damion. Aunt Benita is crazy and to please her Paxero, who is very rich, has created a hidden slave camp called Limbo in the jungles of Guatemala. The occupants of Limbo are rich Westerners who have been kidnapped and sentenced to spend the rest of their lives as slaves.
In a partial repeat of the plot of the very first Modesty Blaise story Modesty lets herself get captured by Paxero and then goes to work on breaking out of Limbo. There's a violent climax when the slaves, led by Modesty, revolt and have to fight the heavily armed guards who control Limbo.
Unfortunately, "Last Day in Limbo" just doesn't have the same drive and appeal as "Modesty Blaise", the first book in the series. This is partly because of the quality of the bad guys. Paxero, Aunt Benita and Damion all come across more as crazies and perverts than as formidable opponents. They aren't very believable and it's difficult to consider them to be a serious threat to Modesty and Willie.
There are other problems as well. Too many members of "the Modesty family" (the characters who make repeat appearances in many of the Modesty books) are featured, including Lucifer and Stephen Collier, two of the repeat characters I find least appealing. It's also problematic that important plot elements depend on the supernatural abilities of Lucifer and Dinah Pilgrim.
Speaking of "the Modesty family", this book marks the first appearance of two new family members, Maude Tiller and Danny Chavasse, both of whom make appearances in later Modesty books.
A final negative point about this book is the off-hand mention of the harem of Modesty's old friend Sheik Abu-Tahir, consisting of 62 women. "The harem is for my people's pride, no more. Look at them now. They are like she-camels on heat." (pg 80) Cultural differences are one thing, but considering this to be acceptable is surely a violation of how we should view basic human rights.
On the plus side, "Last Day in Limbo" does feature most of the elements that make all of the Modesty books good. The unusual relationship between Modesty and Willie, the intelligent slant on things and the humor. And then the amazing fighting techniques and abilities of Modesty and Willie, their incredible mental stance and their inventiveness.
When, during the final battle on the last day of Limbo, Modesty gets shot, she doesn't let that stop her. "I don't think I'm gut-shot, Willie. Too much bleeding and not enough shock." (pg 239) Modesty demands that Willie put a quick dressing on the wound and then she fights on as best she can.
High points for Modesty's attitude, but I still can't give this book more than three stars, unfortunately. (My highest recommendations go to the first seven books in the series, four of which I award five stars and three of which I give four stars.)
Rennie Petersen
