Leslie Charteris

In these three stories the Saint finds ways to get into his usual trouble. In Arizona, he contends with a Nazi scientist who wants to take over a ranch to mine the mercury underneath; in Palm Springs an alcoholic millionaire hires him as a bodyguard after a series of near-fatal accidents; and most terrifyingly of all, in Hollywood they try and make him a movie star. Death threats, screen tests and danger combine for a memorable journey into the American west.

The Saint and Patricia are looking forward to a relaxing holiday with friends in Miami - but when they arrive the house is empty and their friends gone. The plot thickens that evening when a tanker explodes off the coast and a dead British sailor washes up on the shore. Simon suspects a link between the explosion and the disappearance, particularly once shady millionaire Randolph March gets involved. But can there really be a Nazi spy ring operating out of Florida?

With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Saint has almost turned respectable. Employed by a secret wing of the government to track down spies and take on cases the ordinary police can't touch, he is dining in Washington DC when a young woman asks for his help. Her father, a noted scientist, has invented a new form of synthetic rubber - and now he has disappeared, and she is under threat. Simon is sceptical - but he swiftly realises there's something to her story. Soon he finds himself on the hunt of a band of conspirators who will stop at nothing to ensure the invention never sees the light of day.

When the Saint and Patricia spot a country house on fire they rush to help, but are too late to rescue one man trapped inside. The dead man's door was locked, and Simon concludes there's a murder to be answered for, despite the coroner ruling otherwise. He launches his own investigation - getting engaged along the way - and soon gets caught up with generals, financiers, and an assassination plot designed to start a war. Published on the verge of war in 1938, The Saint Plays with Fire is a striking condemnation of nationalism and the prejudices that both Charteris and the Saint despised.

How could the Saint possibly resist the chance of a treasure hunt? When his sailing trip along the French coast is interrupted by gunfire and shouting, naturally he gets curious. The cause of the commotion is a group of men pursuing a young woman - and once Simon steps in to help the damsel in distress, he soon finds himself on the trail of a group of modern-day pirates - and searching for a huge amount of gold.

The Saint's holiday in Tenerife comes to a dramatic end when he rescues an elderly Dutch diamond cutter and his daughter from a vicious attack. It seems the old man is a reluctant member of a jewel-smuggling gang, and naturally Simon offers to help him out for just a small share of the boodle. But things get complicated when the Saint learns the old man had a lottery ticket worth $2 million - which has now gone missing. As the plot gets more complex, Simon struggles to play a winning hand.

The Saint never asks for adventures, but they will keep happening to him, and these three classic stories force him into action once more. In The Spanish Civil War, a £10 debt leads to a dead body, a large quantity of bearers' bonds, and another tussle with Inspector Teal. The Unlicensed Victuallers sees Simon get involved with liquor smuggling in Dorset and a dangerous femme fatale; while The Beauty Specialist entangles him with film stars and movie moguls, and a particularly unpleasant blackmailer...

In these three stories, everyone's favourite criminal follows his nose and finds yet more trouble. In The Miracle Tea Party, an attack on Inspector Teal leads Simon to discover a packet of Miracle Tea with truly miraculous properties. In The Invisible Millionaire the Saint and Hoppy agree to meet a woman with information on a major swindle - only to find her dead. And finally, in The Affair of Hogsbotham, Simon is irritated by the self-appointed guardian of the nation's morality Ebenezer Hogsbotham and decides to take him down a peg or two. But though he sets out for some light-hearted fun, he soon stumbles into the middle of a bank-robbing conspiracy...

In Prohibition-era New York, criminals rule the city: the gangsters do what they like, and pay the judges for the privilege; the few honest cops are helpless; and above them all the Big Fellow pulls the strings. With that many sinners, cleaning up the town will take a Saint... Simon Templar is a long way from home, and facing great danger from directions both expected and entirely unforeseen. But he promised to do the job; and a saint never goes back on his word.

In these three classic stories, the Saint investigates crimes that have left the police confounded. In The High Fence, he hunts down a villain who somehow manages to kill people just before they can reveal his identity; The Elusive Ellshaw sees him on the track of a man meant to have died a year before; and a letter calling for help sends him to a sleepy seaside pub disturbed by mysterious underground rumblings in The Case of the Frightened Innkeeper. One thing is sure: despite death threats, gunfire and kidnapping, the Saint will go on until his curiosity is satisfied.

In this collection of short stories, the Saint intervenes to teach a motley bag of criminals the error of their ways. Crooked financiers, bookies, fake inventors, dodgy bankers, dealers in pornography, unethical businessmen, murderers, thieves and liars - all will come to regret the day their actions caught the Saint's attention.

Three more stories of Saintly adventure show Simon Templar interpreting the law to his own advantage. In The Simon Templar Foundation, a poisonous legacy from his enemy Rayt Marius gives him the opportunity to make a great deal of money - if he can survive equally great danger. The Higher Finance puts him up against the police, a reclusive millionaire, and the wild beast that roams his mansion at night. And in The Art of Alibi, he faces the most impudent opponent of all: someone who is stealing his symbol, and committing crimes in his name.

Curious events almost seem to cry out for the Saint's intervention, and in these stories he is faced with enough peculiar crimes to keep him well occupied. The various adventures he gets himself into lead him to kiss a policewoman, buy a racehorse, invest in bootlegging, dabble in antiques, rent a flat, recover a treaty, get arrested, demonstrate an invention - and always come out on top.

Simon Templar is the Saint - daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time. In Paris, a dying man claims his brother can make gold... a secret that men are prepared to kill for. In London, a small-time American criminal sets up a violent gang, only to learn that there are certain things the Saint will not put up with. And in the Scilly Isles, drug-smuggling, drugged beer and a damsel in distress combine to make for a most unusual holiday for Simon Templar. In these three stories, the Saint needs all his wits to survive - and to stay out of jail.

Simon Templar is the Saint - daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time. Simon Templar finds himself on the side of the righteous for once when he agrees to work with the police. They're after the gang known as the Angels of Doom, who specialise in abetting convicted criminals escape. But Templar finds a kindred spirit in Jill Trelawney, the mastermind behind the gang, and Scotland Yard soon learn that you can't hire a Saint and hope to have things all your own way...

Simon Templar is the Saint - daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a timeIn three more classic tales, the Saint continues to push his luck in his own inimitable style. The Story of a Dead Man sees the Saint in a more mundane line of work - running an office and writing letters to the editor - until Inspector Teal comes to investigate the mysterious Mr Vanney and the Saint's real intentions come to light. In The Impossible Crime, a bored Saint tackles a most unlikely mystery: a man who has somehow been shot in a locked room. And in The National Debt Simon Templar stumbles across a remote Welsh inn where a series of strange things is happening... another job for the Saint!

Simon Templar is the Saint - daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time. The Saint is on holiday in Austria with Patricia and his friend Monty, fully intending to give up crime and lead a respectable life. All his good intentions come to nothing, though, when he sees a man being attacked by thugs and feels obliged to intervene. The stranger seems remarkably ungrateful, and soon they learn why: he is a thief, with a prize that men will kill for. Before the day is out, the Saint and his friends find themselves in a race against time, Prince Rudolf and the police to retain ownership of the priceless jewels.

In these three stories, the Saint finds himself embroiled in further plots and facing new enemies. The Inland Revenue sees him up against the most unyielding opponent ever - the taxman. In The Million Pound Scandal, a good deed leads Simon to uncover a plot to undermine the Italian economy, and in The Melancholy Journey of Mr Teal the Saint's retirement plans are scuppered when a couple of murderous diamond smugglers object to his scheme of taking their loot for his pension.

Simon Templar is the Saint - daring, dazzling, and just a little disreputable. On the side of the law, but standing outside it, he dispenses his own brand of justice one criminal at a time. In these three early adventures, the Saint's reputation starts to rise, as he tackles thieves, smugglers and killers. In The Man Who Was Clever he outwits Edgar Hayn, a drug smuggler who thinks he's smarter than everyone. In The Policeman with Wings he stays one step ahead of Inspector Teal in the hunt for diamonds on Dartmoor and in The Lawless Lady one of the Saint's gang helps him deal with sea-faring swindlers, only to fall in love.

These three stories find the Saint flushing out swindlers in inimitable style. In The Logical Adventure Templar is on the tail of a famous aviator who has a sideline in drug smuggling and human trafficking. In The Wonderful War the Saint travels to the Central American republic of Pasala to avenge the murder of an oil inspector, which involves instigating revolution. Finally, in The Man Who Could Not Die, the Saint encounters adrenaline junkie Miles Hallin. Hallin claims to be able to cheat death but when one of Templar's friends is killed, the Saint decides to put that to the test.