Customer Reviews (7)

Saint Saga #07
"She Was a Lady" (aka "The Saint Meets His Match" aka "The Angels of Doom") is one of the few Saint books from this period not to feature Patricia Holm.The reason, apparently, is that it was originally not a Saint story, but was adapted from one written before the author settled on the Saint as his protagonist of choice.

Nevertheless, the adaptation of this full-length story (concerning a battle of wits with a girl out to revenge the framing and consequent suicide of her father) is a thorough one.The Saint's constant adversary Claud Eustace Teal is fully integrated into the story, which is told with the author's usual acerbic wit; and Slinky Dyson and Snake Ganning (both from Enter the Saint) make cameo appearances.

And at the end we find out that the Saint and James Bond have more in common than we suspected.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide

Saint Saga #07
"She Was a Lady" (aka "The Saint Meets His Match" aka "The Angels of Doom") is one of the few Saint books from this period not to feature Patricia Holm.The reason, apparently, is that it was originally not a Saint story, but was adapted from one written before the author settled on the Saint as his protagonist of choice.

Nevertheless, the adaptation of this full-length story (concerning a battle of wits with a girl out to revenge the framing and consequent suicide of her father) is a thorough one.The Saint's constant adversary Claud Eustace Teal is fully integrated into the story, which is told with the author's usual acerbic wit; and Slinky Dyson and Snake Ganning (both from Enter the Saint) make cameo appearances.

And at the end we find out that the Saint and James Bond have more in common than we suspected.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide

Saint Saga #07
"She Was a Lady" (aka "The Saint Meets His Match" aka "The Angels of Doom") is one of the few Saint books from this period not to feature Patricia Holm.The reason, apparently, is that it was originally not a Saint story, but was adapted from one written before the author settled on the Saint as his protagonist of choice.

Nevertheless, the adaptation of this full-length story (concerning a battle of wits with a girl out to revenge the framing and consequent suicide of her father) is a thorough one.The Saint's constant adversary Claud Eustace Teal is fully integrated into the story, which is told with the author's usual acerbic wit; and Slinky Dyson and Snake Ganning (both from Enter the Saint) make cameo appearances.

And at the end we find out that the Saint and James Bond have more in common than we suspected.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide

Saint Saga #07
"She Was a Lady" (aka "The Saint Meets His Match" aka "The Angels of Doom") is one of the few Saint books from this period not to feature Patricia Holm.The reason, apparently, is that it was originally not a Saint story, but was adapted from one written before the author settled on the Saint as his protagonist of choice.

Nevertheless, the adaptation of this full-length story (concerning a battle of wits with a girl out to revenge the framing and consequent suicide of her father) is a thorough one.The Saint's constant adversary Claud Eustace Teal is fully integrated into the story, which is told with the author's usual acerbic wit; and Slinky Dyson and Snake Ganning (both from Enter the Saint) make cameo appearances.

And at the end we find out that the Saint and James Bond have more in common than we suspected.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide

Saint Saga #07
"She Was a Lady" (aka "The Saint Meets His Match" aka "The Angels of Doom") is one of the few Saint books from this period not to feature Patricia Holm.The reason, apparently, is that it was originally not a Saint story, but was adapted from one written before the author settled on the Saint as his protagonist of choice.

Nevertheless, the adaptation of this full-length story (concerning a battle of wits with a girl out to revenge the framing and consequent suicide of her father) is a thorough one.The Saint's constant adversary Claud Eustace Teal is fully integrated into the story, which is told with the author's usual acerbic wit; and Slinky Dyson and Snake Ganning (both from Enter the Saint) make cameo appearances.

And at the end we find out that the Saint and James Bond have more in common than we suspected.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Super Reader
Simon Templar is in France, and has an incident on the road with a young woman. He ends up at a small local vineyard that is in financial trouble. The girl, Mimette requests his help. There is a family struggle over the place, and an uncle trying to find an old obscure Templar treasure on the property.

Violence ensues, and the treasure is not what anyone thinks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Saint Saga #09
The Saint and Patricia are in Innsbruck with their publisher friend Monty Hayward: in England there is rather more evidence against Simon than is good for him, and he resolves to behave himself and avoid any more trouble.

Until, strolling along the Rennweg, which runs beside the Inn, they come across a small harmless-looking man being assaulted by several toughs.They virtuously rescue the little man and throw the toughs into the river.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the toughs are policemen, and the little man is involved in a plot that leads the Saint into one of his best adventures, engulfing Monty in the process and careering around Austria and Germany at a breathless pace.

But most pleasurable of all is the return of the character who is Charteris's best villain, the one whom Simon previously crossed swords with in The Last Hero and again in Knight Templar - Crown Prince Rudolf.

It must be admitted that the means by which Rudolf's motives are finally revealed depends on a coincidence of mind-boggling proportions; but one which, after 307 pages of nonstop entertainment, I at least am willing to forgive.I've owned this book for over forty years, and I never tire of re-reading it.

(It no doubt also greatly pleased Charteris's publisher friend with whom he used to kick around plot ideas - one Monty Haydon.)

Variously published as "Getaway" and "The Saint's Getaway".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #09
The Saint and Patricia are in Innsbruck with their publisher friend Monty Hayward: in England there is rather more evidence against Simon than is good for him, and he resolves to behave himself and avoid any more trouble.

Until, strolling along the Rennweg, which runs beside the Inn, they come across a small harmless-looking man being assaulted by several toughs.They virtuously rescue the little man and throw the toughs into the river.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the toughs are policemen, and the little man is involved in a plot that leads the Saint into one of his best adventures, engulfing Monty in the process and careering around Austria and Germany at a breathless pace.

But most pleasurable of all is the return of the character who is Charteris's best villain, the one whom Simon previously crossed swords with in The Last Hero and again in Knight Templar - Crown Prince Rudolf.

It must be admitted that the means by which Rudolf's motives are finally revealed depends on a coincidence of mind-boggling proportions; but one which, after 307 pages of nonstop entertainment, I at least am willing to forgive.I've owned this book for over forty years, and I never tire of re-reading it.

(It no doubt also greatly pleased Charteris's publisher friend with whom he used to kick around plot ideas - one Monty Haydon.)

Variously published as "Getaway" and "The Saint's Getaway".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #09
The Saint and Patricia are in Innsbruck with their publisher friend Monty Hayward: in England there is rather more evidence against Simon than is good for him, and he resolves to behave himself and avoid any more trouble.

Until, strolling along the Rennweg, which runs beside the Inn, they come across a small harmless-looking man being assaulted by several toughs.They virtuously rescue the little man and throw the toughs into the river.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the toughs are policemen, and the little man is involved in a plot that leads the Saint into one of his best adventures, engulfing Monty in the process and careering around Austria and Germany at a breathless pace.

But most pleasurable of all is the return of the character who is Charteris's best villain, the one whom Simon previously crossed swords with in The Last Hero and again in Knight Templar - Crown Prince Rudolf.

It must be admitted that the means by which Rudolf's motives are finally revealed depends on a coincidence of mind-boggling proportions; but one which, after 307 pages of nonstop entertainment, I at least am willing to forgive.I've owned this book for over forty years, and I never tire of re-reading it.

(It no doubt also greatly pleased Charteris's publisher friend with whom he used to kick around plot ideas - one Monty Haydon.)

Variously published as "Getaway" and "The Saint's Getaway".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #09
The Saint and Patricia are in Innsbruck with their publisher friend Monty Hayward: in England there is rather more evidence against Simon than is good for him, and he resolves to behave himself and avoid any more trouble.

Until, strolling along the Rennweg, which runs beside the Inn, they come across a small harmless-looking man being assaulted by several toughs.They virtuously rescue the little man and throw the toughs into the river.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the toughs are policemen, and the little man is involved in a plot that leads the Saint into one of his best adventures, engulfing Monty in the process and careering around Austria and Germany at a breathless pace.

But most pleasurable of all is the return of the character who is Charteris's best villain, the one whom Simon previously crossed swords with in The Last Hero and again in Knight Templar - Crown Prince Rudolf.

It must be admitted that the means by which Rudolf's motives are finally revealed depends on a coincidence of mind-boggling proportions; but one which, after 307 pages of nonstop entertainment, I at least am willing to forgive.I've owned this book for over forty years, and I never tire of re-reading it.

(It no doubt also greatly pleased Charteris's publisher friend with whom he used to kick around plot ideas - one Monty Haydon.)

Variously published as "Getaway" and "The Saint's Getaway".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #09
The Saint and Patricia are in Innsbruck with their publisher friend Monty Hayward: in England there is rather more evidence against Simon than is good for him, and he resolves to behave himself and avoid any more trouble.

Until, strolling along the Rennweg, which runs beside the Inn, they come across a small harmless-looking man being assaulted by several toughs.They virtuously rescue the little man and throw the toughs into the river.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the toughs are policemen, and the little man is involved in a plot that leads the Saint into one of his best adventures, engulfing Monty in the process and careering around Austria and Germany at a breathless pace.

But most pleasurable of all is the return of the character who is Charteris's best villain, the one whom Simon previously crossed swords with in The Last Hero and again in Knight Templar - Crown Prince Rudolf.

It must be admitted that the means by which Rudolf's motives are finally revealed depends on a coincidence of mind-boggling proportions; but one which, after 307 pages of nonstop entertainment, I at least am willing to forgive.I've owned this book for over forty years, and I never tire of re-reading it.

(It no doubt also greatly pleased Charteris's publisher friend with whom he used to kick around plot ideas - one Monty Haydon.)

Variously published as "Getaway" and "The Saint's Getaway".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Saga #25
This 1945 opus finds the Saint battling black-marketeers and Nazi saboteurs.

The catastrophic slide in quality that started with The Saint Goes West continues.In dismal contrast to early classics like The Last Hero, "The Saint On Guard" is both preachy and leaden; the plots of the two stories here are formulaic and drearily predictable; and the villains are straight from Central Casting.The old friends are all absent; but this may be a good thing, considering the procrustean torturing of Iron John Fernack (from The Saint in New York) into the pathetic Teal-substitute of "The Black Market".And whoever invented Olga Ivanovitch the Beautiful Russian Spy clearly had a much shakier grasp of Russian than Charteris had of French, German and Spanish.

A very few passages show the old Charteris touch, in particular the near-breaches of the Fourth Wall that started right at the beginning with Meet the Tiger.For instance Simon, explaining the iridium black market to Fernack, remarks:

"You make us remind me of the opening characters in a bad play, carefully telling each other what it's all about so that the audience can get the idea too."

But by and large, for hard-core Saint aficionados only.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Saint Saga #04
Although the Saint books are definitely best if read in the right order, most of them - especially the later ones - can be read in isolation without great loss.The present book, the direct sequel to The Last Hero, is the exception.

Once again arms-dealer Rayt Marius is plotting to start a war to increase demand for his products, and once again Simon and his friends frustrate his major plan.But of course, Marius has a second string to his bow, and the climax of "Knight Templar" is the most electrifying in any Saint book (and, incidentally, provides the mechanism whereby Simon is able to continue on through thirty-three more rather than spending the next forty years in gaol).

Crown Prince Rudolf, my very favourite villain, who only comes on stage towards the end of the earlier opus, appears early here in the tale of the Desecrated Royal Toothpaste.

BTW, the titles of ten of the Saint books were later - confusingly - changed, as follows:

01: Meet the Tiger -> The Saint Meets the Tiger
03: The Last Hero -> The Saint Closes the Case
04: Knight Templar -> The Avenging Saint
07: She Was A Lady -> The Saint Meets His Match
08: The Holy Terror -> The Saint vs. Scotland Yard
10: Once More the Saint -> The Saint and Mr. Teal
12: The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal -> The Saint in London
13: Boodle -> The Saint Intervenes
18: Thieves Picnic -> The Saint Bids Diamonds
19: Prelude for War -> The Saint Plays With Fire

The fatuity of the revised titles is nowhere more evident than with the present book and its antecedent: in "The Last Hero" the Saint does not close the case, and in "Knight Templar" the one thing he does not do is avenge the death of Norman Kent.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #04
Although the Saint books are definitely best if read in the right order, most of them - especially the later ones - can be read in isolation without great loss.The present book, the direct sequel to The Last Hero, is the exception.

Once again arms-dealer Rayt Marius is plotting to start a war to increase demand for his products, and once again Simon and his friends frustrate his major plan.But of course, Marius has a second string to his bow, and the climax of "Knight Templar" is the most electrifying in any Saint book (and, incidentally, provides the mechanism whereby Simon is able to continue on through thirty-three more rather than spending the next forty years in gaol).

Crown Prince Rudolf, my very favourite villain, who only comes on stage towards the end of the earlier opus, appears early here in the tale of the Desecrated Royal Toothpaste.

BTW, the titles of ten of the Saint books were later - confusingly - changed, as follows:

01: Meet the Tiger -> The Saint Meets the Tiger
03: The Last Hero -> The Saint Closes the Case
04: Knight Templar -> The Avenging Saint
07: She Was A Lady -> The Saint Meets His Match
08: The Holy Terror -> The Saint vs. Scotland Yard
10: Once More the Saint -> The Saint and Mr. Teal
12: The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal -> The Saint in London
13: Boodle -> The Saint Intervenes
18: Thieves Picnic -> The Saint Bids Diamonds
19: Prelude for War -> The Saint Plays With Fire

The fatuity of the revised titles is nowhere more evident than with the present book and its antecedent: in "The Last Hero" the Saint does not close the case, and in "Knight Templar" the one thing he does not do is avenge the death of Norman Kent.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Saint Saga #24
Perhaps the dreariest of the full-length Saint novels.

Of the wartime stories, Charteris said (perfectly reasonably) that 1) to be at all credible, the Saint's contribution to the war effort had to be minuscule, and 2) he didn't want the Saint doing things more heroic than many ordinary people were doing every day in real life.

Certainly it would be farcical to have (for instance) Simon breaking into the Berghof and punching Hitler on the nose.Even so, it seems bizarre that a skilled pilot who can pass for German (as he does in Getaway) should be spending his time trying to get attention for a formula for artificial rubber, as he does here*.

Charteris's writing never falls below a certain minimum level of competence, and the villains don't quite descend to the "Ve haff vays of making you talk" level, but this is just plain dull.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

*Indeed, in a couple of post-war stories (e.g. "The Covetous Headsman") there are passing references (no more) to wartime exploits in Europe.

Saint Saga #24
Perhaps the dreariest of the full-length Saint novels.

Of the wartime stories, Charteris said (perfectly reasonably) that 1) to be at all credible, the Saint's contribution to the war effort had to be minuscule, and 2) he didn't want the Saint doing things more heroic than many ordinary people were doing every day in real life.

Certainly it would be farcical to have (for instance) Simon breaking into the Berghof and punching Hitler on the nose.Even so, it seems bizarre that a skilled pilot who can pass for German (as he does in Getaway) should be spending his time trying to get attention for a formula for artificial rubber, as he does here*.

Charteris's writing never falls below a certain minimum level of competence, and the villains don't quite descend to the "Ve haff vays of making you talk" level, but this is just plain dull.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

*Indeed, in a couple of post-war stories (e.g. "The Covetous Headsman") there are passing references (no more) to wartime exploits in Europe.

Simon is on his own in the Wartime U.S. -copyright 1942
This is one of the mid-era Saint novels.I like the 1930's ones better, so I only give this 4 stars.

At the beginning of this book, the Saint already knows Hamilton, the U.S. is already in WWII, and Simon has to solve a mystery surrounding an inventor and his lovely daughter.

It's a good page-turner.No Patricia, no Hoppy Uniatz, Simon is on his own to save a beautiful damsel and solve a mystery nobody but Simon could solve.

I would love it if other readers of the delightful Leslie Charteris could include copyright dates in their reviews!It would help me finish out my collection and remember which ones are my favorites to read for the 3rd or 4th time! ... Read more

Product Description
'I am the Saint - you may have heard of me. Just a twentieth-century privateer. In my small way I try to put right a few of the things that are wrong with this cock-eyed world' Simon Templar, aka the Saint. On the side of the law and yet outside it, the Saint, exciting, debonair and very slightly disreputable, lives for adventure. Here he is at his ebullient best, spreading terror among London's drug dealers, rescuing a lady crook from distress and much, much more. Introduced by Ken Follett, this sparkling collection of the very best of the earlier stories includes The Lawless Lady and The Elusive Ellshaw. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

35-year pot-pourri
As is usually the case with "Best of" compilations, this two-volume anthology should more properly be called "A Representative Selection of"; although I'm glad to see that none of the inferior wartime Saint stories is included, and that this set does also at least contain genuine Charteris stories, and not the later pot-boilers written by ghost-writers under Charteris's name.

It's always seemed to me that if you like the Saint stories enough to read more than a couple of them, it's worth starting at the beginning and reading them in the right order (as described in my So You'd Like To... Guide).Otherwise, you miss so much: to take just one example, the references in "The Simon Templar Foundation" to Rayt Marius (villain of The Last Hero and Knight Templar) will be meaningless to you.

However, if anthologies such as this are more to your taste, then I would say that the stories in Vol. 1 (which are earlier) are generally better than those in Vol. 2 (with the notable exception of "The Golden Journey" in the latter).

Here's what you get in Vol. 1:

The entirety of #02 Enter the Saint (1930)
* The Man Who Was Clever
* The Policeman with Wings
* The Lawless Lady
From #08 The Holy Terror (1932)
* The Inland Revenue
From #12 The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal (1934)
* The Art of Alibi
* The Simon Templar Foundation
From #14 The Saint Goes on (1934)
* The High Fence
* The Elusive Ellshaw
From #21 The Happy Highwayman (1939)
* The Charitable Countess
* The Star Producers
From #20 Follow the Saint (1939)
* The Miracle Tea Party
* The Affair of Hogsbotham

Ken Follett's brief Foreword is to the point, and shows that he has at least read the books; which is more than Sir Roger Moore's (to Volume 2) does.

A great new Charteris collection of The Saint
Leslie Charteris started writing about The Saint 80 years ago, and his long-time British publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, has come out with this great 2-volume set of stories to commemorate that achievement. There has been a long drought of new titles and collections, and I'm really pleased to see this great starter kit for anyone interested in learning more about the modern day Robin Hood: Simon Templar, alias The Saint! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Saint Saga #02
Meet the Tiger (later retitled "The Saint meets the Tiger") published in 1928, was Leslie Charteris's first book in the Saint Saga (even though Hodder & Stoughton later pretended that "Enter the Saint" was, presumably because they weren't the publishers of the former).

Nevertheless, "Enter the Saint" is the book that introduces Simon Templar as he is in most of the books that follow, and as neither the cinema nor television has yet had the nerve to portray him:he beats people up, robs them, blackmails them, even murders them, and gets away with it.And the fact that his victims are particularly vicious thugs (Snake Ganning), dope dealers (Edgar Hayn), white slavers (Henri Chastel), war profiteers (Leo Farwill) and so forth - and that he gives a large chunk of his profits to charity - would not excuse him to a strict moralist.The success of the Saint books for seventy years must mean that strict moralists are perhaps not as common as one ought to hope.

There are three longish stories; a reference that may be presumed to be to Sir John Bittle (from "Meet The Tiger") dates the first at nine months after the end of that opus.

To enumerate plot details would probably be superfluous.Suffice it to say that Charteris was just starting to hit his stride, and that "Enter" introduces two of his best characters: the Saint's friend Roger Conway, and his perpetual adversary, Inspector Claud Eustace Teal.Patricia Holm now lives with the Saint although (daringly for 1930) they aren't married, and Orace is still the stalwart retainer.

A fine warm up to its sequel, what is possibly the best of all the Saint stories: The Last Hero (aka "The Saint Closes the Case").

For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #02
Meet the Tiger (later retitled "The Saint meets the Tiger") published in 1928, was Leslie Charteris's first book in the Saint Saga (even though Hodder & Stoughton later pretended that "Enter the Saint" was, presumably because they weren't the publishers of the former).

Nevertheless, "Enter the Saint" is the book that introduces Simon Templar as he is in most of the books that follow, and as neither the cinema nor television has yet had the nerve to portray him:he beats people up, robs them, blackmails them, even murders them, and gets away with it.And the fact that his victims are particularly vicious thugs (Snake Ganning), dope dealers (Edgar Hayn), white slavers (Henri Chastel), war profiteers (Leo Farwill) and so forth - and that he gives a large chunk of his profits to charity - would not excuse him to a strict moralist.The success of the Saint books for seventy years must mean that strict moralists are perhaps not as common as one ought to hope.

There are three longish stories; a reference that may be presumed to be to Sir John Bittle (from "Meet The Tiger") dates the first at nine months after the end of that opus.

To enumerate plot details would probably be superfluous.Suffice it to say that Charteris was just starting to hit his stride, and that "Enter" introduces two of his best characters: the Saint's friend Roger Conway, and his perpetual adversary, Inspector Claud Eustace Teal.Patricia Holm now lives with the Saint although (daringly for 1930) they aren't married, and Orace is still the stalwart retainer.

A fine warm up to its sequel, what is possibly the best of all the Saint stories: The Last Hero (aka "The Saint Closes the Case").

For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #02
Meet the Tiger (later retitled "The Saint meets the Tiger") published in 1928, was Leslie Charteris's first book in the Saint Saga (even though Hodder & Stoughton later pretended that "Enter the Saint" was, presumably because they weren't the publishers of the former).

Nevertheless, "Enter the Saint" is the book that introduces Simon Templar as he is in most of the books that follow, and as neither the cinema nor television has yet had the nerve to portray him:he beats people up, robs them, blackmails them, even murders them, and gets away with it.And the fact that his victims are particularly vicious thugs (Snake Ganning), dope dealers (Edgar Hayn), white slavers (Henri Chastel), war profiteers (Leo Farwill) and so forth - and that he gives a large chunk of his profits to charity - would not excuse him to a strict moralist.The success of the Saint books for seventy years must mean that strict moralists are perhaps not as common as one ought to hope.

There are three longish stories; a reference that may be presumed to be to Sir John Bittle (from "Meet The Tiger") dates the first at nine months after the end of that opus.

To enumerate plot details would probably be superfluous.Suffice it to say that Charteris was just starting to hit his stride, and that "Enter" introduces two of his best characters: the Saint's friend Roger Conway, and his perpetual adversary, Inspector Claud Eustace Teal.Patricia Holm now lives with the Saint although (daringly for 1930) they aren't married, and Orace is still the stalwart retainer.

A fine warm up to its sequel, what is possibly the best of all the Saint stories: The Last Hero (aka "The Saint Closes the Case").

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #02
Meet the Tiger (later retitled "The Saint meets the Tiger") published in 1928, was Leslie Charteris's first book in the Saint Saga (even though Hodder & Stoughton later pretended that "Enter the Saint" was, presumably because they weren't the publishers of the former).

Nevertheless, "Enter the Saint" is the book that introduces Simon Templar as he is in most of the books that follow, and as neither the cinema nor television has yet had the nerve to portray him:he beats people up, robs them, blackmails them, even murders them, and gets away with it.And the fact that his victims are particularly vicious thugs (Snake Ganning), dope dealers (Edgar Hayn), white slavers (Henri Chastel), war profiteers (Leo Farwill) and so forth - and that he gives a large chunk of his profits to charity - would not excuse him to a strict moralist.The success of the Saint books for seventy years must mean that strict moralists are perhaps not as common as one ought to hope.

There are three longish stories; a reference that may be presumed to be to Sir John Bittle (from "Meet The Tiger") dates the first at nine months after the end of that opus.

To enumerate plot details would probably be superfluous.Suffice it to say that Charteris was just starting to hit his stride, and that "Enter" introduces two of his best characters: the Saint's friend Roger Conway, and his perpetual adversary, Inspector Claud Eustace Teal.Patricia Holm now lives with the Saint although (daringly for 1930) they aren't married, and Orace is still the stalwart retainer.

A fine warm up to its sequel, what is possibly the best of all the Saint stories: The Last Hero (aka "The Saint Closes the Case").

For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #02
Meet the Tiger (later retitled "The Saint meets the Tiger") published in 1928, was Leslie Charteris's first book in the Saint Saga (even though Hodder & Stoughton later pretended that "Enter the Saint" was, presumably because they weren't the publishers of the former).

Nevertheless, "Enter the Saint" is the book that introduces Simon Templar as he is in most of the books that follow, and as neither the cinema nor television has yet had the nerve to portray him:he beats people up, robs them, blackmails them, even murders them, and gets away with it.And the fact that his victims are particularly vicious thugs (Snake Ganning), dope dealers (Edgar Hayn), white slavers (Henri Chastel), war profiteers (Leo Farwill) and so forth - and that he gives a large chunk of his profits to charity - would not excuse him to a strict moralist.The success of the Saint books for seventy years must mean that strict moralists are perhaps not as common as one ought to hope.

There are three longish stories; a reference that may be presumed to be to Sir John Bittle (from "Meet The Tiger") dates the first at nine months after the end of that opus.

To enumerate plot details would probably be superfluous.Suffice it to say that Charteris was just starting to hit his stride, and that "Enter" introduces two of his best characters: the Saint's friend Roger Conway, and his perpetual adversary, Inspector Claud Eustace Teal.Patricia Holm now lives with the Saint although (daringly for 1930) they aren't married, and Orace is still the stalwart retainer.

A fine warm up to its sequel, what is possibly the best of all the Saint stories: The Last Hero (aka "The Saint Closes the Case").

For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Saint Saga Nº 30
Seven stories from 1955, set in Bimini, Nassau, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and Haiti.The Jamaican story is the most interesting, containing as it does a sizeable chunk of the history of the Maroons; as to its political correctness, you'll have to judge for yourself.Johnny's initial meeting with the Saint, referred to in the conversation on the plane, was in Call for the Saint.

(The cover artist for the 1960 Hodder edition, apparently under the impression the the Spanish Main is somewhere in Spain, has adorned the cover with a picture of the Saint stick-figure accompanying a flamenco dancer on a guitar.)

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

What better place for swashbuckling?
Rather than one connected novel, this volume of the Saint's adventures contains 7 short stories. As Charteris remarks in the first story, at this point in his career, Templar didn't have to seek adventure - it found him.

"The Effete Angler" (Bimini) - Why would a man who won't even use light tackle for game fishing have a bodyguard?

"The Arrow of God" (Nassau) - Why is a dead journalist found with a beach umbrella through his chest?

"The Black Commmissar" (Jamaica) - Templar meets an old acquaintance, one of the Maroons of Jamaica, on his way to the islands. (Forester's _Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies_ has an adventure in Maroon country, if you're interested.)

"The Unkind Philanthropist" (Puerto Rico) - The lovely Tristan Brown introduces herself as a lawyer for the Kiel foundation, on the lookout for worthy causes to receive funds. Quire, a local 'natural philanthropist', would love to get a chunk of money to disburse as he sees fit. So Templar, being familiar with the Colossal Lie strategy, begins checking bona fides and seeking opportunity, after seeing a man cheated out of his farm by one of the parties involved...

"The Old Treasure Story" (The Virgin Islands) - April Mallory, having inherited a small nest egg and the family legend of a sunken ship, has opted to be the first to *do* something about it.

"The Questing Tycoon" (Haiti) - The tycoon in question doesn't care about religion as such, but only about what he can use. Falsely promising to marry the daughter of a respected houngan to learn the ways of voodoo has certain drawbacks, though...

A Very Good Book
One of my favorite Saint novels.Seven short stories showing the good and bad side of the Saint.

A good book
One of the best Saint novels I have read. It is filled with both sides of the Saint: crime and good deeds. Even if you are not a fan of the saint, you will enjoy this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Saga #18
Charteris's own stay in the Canary Isles and his command of Spanish allow him to portray this romp around pre-war Tenerife with a wealth of entertaining detail and local colour.

Following, from Madrid via Cádiz, the lead of some stolen jewels, the Saint and Hoppy Uniatz find themselves unexpectedly involved in addition with the theft of the prize-winning ticket for the Spanish National Lottery.

Another one of my favourite Saint novels.

Variously published as "Thieves' Picnic", "The Saint at the Thieves' Picnic" and "The Saint Bids Diamonds".

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Saga #05 & #06
This US edition contains all six stories from the books Featuring the Saint and Alias the Saint. I refer you to those for my reviews. ... Read more

Product Description
Vintage paperback reprint; two novelettes featuring Simon Templar: "The Saint." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Saga #19
Helping the victims of a devastating country house fire, Simon finds there is one he is unable to rescue.Soon he becomes convinced that the fire was not an accident, but murder.The mystery is: why?

"Prelude for War" (later plonkingly re-titled "The Saint Plays with Fire"), one of the best Saint novels, is very much of its time -- i.e. just before World war II -- and has echoes of The Last Hero and Knight Templar.It makes particularly clear the author's loathing of Fascism and everything associated with it.

The idea that wars are encouraged, or even engineered, by arms-manufacturers and others who stand to make a profit from them has gone in and out of fashion over the years.The Saint is a proponent of it, and even mentions (in a conversation with Patricia Holm) a book wherein this thesis is documented.I was interested to find that the book really exists, and finally ran it down*.It seems very well researched, and well-written, too: I wish there were an up-to-date version!

Anyway, I found this Saint episode unputdownable from start to finish.In addition to the usual friends like Orace, Peter and Hoppy, we have the pleasure of meeting what must surely be Charteris's loveliest non-recurring character: Lady Valerie Woodchester.To make her acquaintance would alone be enough reason to read the book!

*Merchants of Death by H.C. Engelbrecht & F.C. Hanighen, published in 1934 by Dodd, Mead & Co. (New York) and now rereleased.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Saga #17
This book, from 1937, comprises three short novels (or novellas).

"The Spanish War" is in fact the Civil War, and the story concerns a scheme to finance Franco with forged bonds.

The background is, as usual, accurate.Charteris was actually in the Canary Islands when Franco was there plotting with the Germans.At that time, the British government was bent on appeasement (or more accurately, as subsequently declassified documents now show, active collaboration).But the author (as shown by the Saint's embittered opening speech, which -- characteristically -- also manages to embrace the British licensing laws) was a fan of neither Franco nor Hitler.Charteris (along with Tolkien and H.J. Eysenck) was one of those known later as "premature anti-Nazis".

In "The Unlicensed Victuallers", the Saint deals drastically with smugglers, and in "The Beauty Specialist" with a particularly vicious blackmailer.These two stories are somewhat grimmer than usual, but the last especially is among my favourites.

Hoppy Uniatz figures prominently, and Pat, Orace, Peter and Claud Eustace are all here.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Saint Saga #21
Nine short stories, the final collection in which the Saint is still clearly based in London.

Unlike some readers, I've always preferred the full-length Saint adventures and the "novellas".This set is up to the standard of previous pre-war short stories, though, my favourite being "The Wicked Cousin".

And in the creepy final tale, we meet again Ivor Nordsten, who figured so prominently in The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Saga #21
Nine short stories, the final collection in which the Saint is still clearly based in London.

Unlike some readers, I've always preferred the full-length Saint adventures and the "novellas".This set is up to the standard of previous pre-war short stories, though, my favourite being "The Wicked Cousin".

And in the creepy final tale, we meet again Ivor Nordsten, who figured so prominently in The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Saint Sagas #17 & #21
All pre-war stories of the Saint: which is to say, from the author's best period.As anthologies of Saint stories go, this is probably as good as, or better than, most.

My reviews of the individual books composing it are here and here.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

Saint Sagas #17 & #21
All pre-war stories of the Saint: which is to say, from the author's best period.As anthologies of Saint stories go, this is probably as good as, or better than, most.

My reviews of the individual books composing it are here and here.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide. ... Read more