By Leslie Charteris
FICTION PUBLISHING COMPANY • NEW YORK
Copyright 1934, 1935 by Leslie Charteris. Published by arrangement with Doubleday and Company, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
I couldn't, even if I wanted to, pretend that this novel came of my typewriter yesterday. I am notoriously not a writer of historical stories, except those which have acquired that aura simply by being around so long; and the date of this one is implicit from the first pages of the first chapter.
It was conceived, and worked out, during the latter days of Prohibition in America, that Noble Experiment which ended in 1933—which the most simple arithmetic shows to have been a fair while ago. And no revision, even if I wanted to attempt one, could possibly transfer it to a later day.
So I can only hope that all those readers who were not even born when it happened will accept the background, which is actually about as authentic as any fictional background can be. I can vouch for this, because I was there, antique as I am. I don't say that the plot had any factual foundation, as many of my plots have. But the kind of activities, the places, and the people who frequented them, are not nearly as far-fetched as they may seem today. In fact, more than one of them really lived then, and might be recognized by a few old-timers through his thin disguise.
Prologue
The letter was delivered to the Correspondence Bureau in Centre Street. It passed, as a matter of routine, through the Criminal Identification Bureau, the Criminal Alien Investigation Bureau, and the Main Office Division. And in the end it was laid on the desk of Police Commissioner Arthur J. Quistrom himself—it was a remarkable document by any standards, and even the studiously commonplace prose of its author could not make it uninteresting.
METROPOLITAN POLICE, SPECIAL BRANCH,
SCOTLAND HOUSE, LONDON, S.W.I.
Police Commissioner, New York City.
Dear Sir:
We have to inform you that there are reasons to believe that SIMON TEMPLAR, known as 'The Saint,' is at present in the United States.
No fingerprints are available; but a photograph, description, and record are enclosed.
As you will see from the record, we have no grounds on which to institute extradition proceedings; but it would be advisable for you, in your own interests, to observe Templar's activities carefully if you are successful in locating him.
Faithfully yours,
C. E. Teal, Chief Inspector.
The first enclosure came under the same letterhead: SIMON TEMPLAR ('The Saint').
DESCRIPTION: Age 31. Height 6 ft. 2 ins. Weight 175 lbs. Eyes blue. Hair black, brushed straight back. Complexion tanned. Bullet scar through upper left shoulder; 8-in. scar right forearm.
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS: Always immaculately dressed. Luxurious tastes. Lives in most expensive hotels and is connoisseur of food and wine. Carries firearms and is expert knife thrower. Licensed air pilot. Speaks several languages fluently. Known as 'The Saint' from habit of leaving drawing of skeleton figure with halo on scenes of crimes (specimen reproduced below).
RECORD:
First came to our attention five years ago as unofficial agent
