Peter O'Donnell (11 April 1920 – 3 May 2010[1][2]) was an English writer of mysteries and of comic strips, best known as the creator of Modesty Blaise,[3] an action heroine/undercover trouble-shooter.
He saw active service in Persia in 1942, after which his unit was moved to Syria, Egypt, the Western Desert, and Italy, and he was with forces that went into Greece in October 1944.
After the war, O'Donnell returned to civilian life and began to script comic strips, including an adaptation for the Daily Express of the James Bond novel, Dr. No.
Kingsley Amis said the novels were "endlessly fascinating"[6] and that Blaise and Garvin were "one of the great partnerships in fiction, bearing comparison with that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.
"[7] At the request of publisher Ernest Hecht, O'Donnell began writing gothic romance and adventure novels under the pen name of Madeleine Brent.
They are written in first person, take place in the late Victorian era, and although every protagonist has connections to England, part of each book is set in various locations around the world—including China, Australia, Afghanistan, and Mexico.