The Saint and Mr. Teal by Leslie Charteris

The Saint and Mr. Teal Reviews

• 
  Charles van Buren

  Don't have time for a longer review right now. Let me just say that this is one of the best Saint collections. Let me just add actor Ivor Dean WAS Chief Inspector Claude Eustace Teal.
• 
  Mark

  This book was originally published under the title: Once more the Saint (January 1933) . It is certainly a small collection of stories in what I consider Charteris Golden era and they are perhaps somewhat dated but so much fun to read. Simon Templar does share in his fun and the dialogues are quite colorful. If you remember that these writers at this time were being paid by word you can understand the amount of adjectives used and it certainly is the hallmark of the earlier Saintly outings,
  
  The Gold Standard first published as "The Golden Flood" in "Thriller" 15 October 1932
  In which the Saint follows a murderer and finds a way to make gold but turns it down.
  
  The Man from St. LouisFirst Published as "The Saint - Hijacker in "Thriller" 19 November 1932
  In which an American gangster wants to rule London in his American gangster style and then he gets confronted by the Saintly ways
  
  The death penalty
  In which Simon Templar and Patricia Holm take a vacation on the Scilly Islands and Simons past wants to take retribution and he protects some young lives and delivers his own brand of Justice.
  
  Three excellent early tales in the history of the modern Robin Hood that deserves its readers young and old.
• 
  Ralph

  The suave, debonair, clever and highly devious Simon Templar (AKA The Saint) comes to us in three novellas. They are collected together because they all feature an appearance by Scotland Yard Inspector Claude Eustace Teal, his primary nemesis amongst the rozzers, but, in truth, the persistent and often helpful Mr Teal figures prominently only in the first two stories, "The Gold Standard" and "The Man From St Louis." In "The Death Penalty," that pillar of the English legal system only shows up for a moment at the end.
  
  Like all the tales of The Saint, these three are vibrant and whimsical, fast-paced and violent. Also, like most popular fiction that comes from bygone eras, there are aspects that will grate upon the modern reader, both in writing style and in social sensibilities. For the first problem, I think the frenetic pace and the devil-may-care attitude of the The Saint himself may help to bridge the style gap. As for the second issue, it's always good to recall that writers of ages past were much more honest (for the most part) than modern scribes, and that Chinese-English writer Leslie Charles Bowyer-Lin (AKA Leslie Charteris)nearly always based his characters on real people. The Saint real? Well, not The Saint of course -- he was always too good (or bad, as the need arose) to be true.
  
  Anyone wanting to get to know The Saint should obviously start with Meet the Tiger (1928), in which The Saint is introduced, but The Saint and Mr Teal is not a bad jumping off point as well. The three tales therein show The Saint as a whimsical meddler, a relentless thwarter of devious schemes, and as a gritty avenging angel.
• 
  Paul Magnussen

  The Saint, returning to England via France after his round against Prince Rudolf and the entire German police force, has counteracted Claud Eustace Teal’s ambition to arrest him immediately by a method that (let it be admitted) is not really cricket, and which draws upon him the disapproval of his lady; but which is effective nonetheless.
  
  In Paris he has heard the last words of the victim of a murder that he was too late to witness. But this is enough draw the killer’s attention to him, involving him in the first of the three adventures related here. The mainspring of the story is a scientific invention that was implausible even by the standards of 1933; but if those with a knowledge of atomic physics can put it temporarily aside, they will still find an enjoyable yarn.
  
  The next story finds Simon helping Chief Inspector Teal for once, combatting an outbreak of gangsterism in London, and in the final one he deals in a fairly drastic way with two purveyors of something possibly even more unpleasant.
  
  All of these novelettes, especially the last two, are rather grimmer and more serious than the general run of Saint stories, despite several comic interludes. But then, who wants a non-stop diet of froth?
  
  Variously published as Once More the Saint and The Saint and Mr. Teal.
• 
  Scott Coleman

  The Saint was a great character and is still an enjoyable read after all these years. I came across The Saint after seeing the movies with George Sanders and found a Saint book in my local library, the saint seemed the natural progression from The Hardy Boys and the Three Investigators for a young reader.
  Charteris style of writing was always stylish and exciting, he made the most of his characters and always gave value for money, adventure and intrigue.
  If you haven't read the saint and only know the tv show, then be prepared as he is completely different character in the books. But I won't spoil it for you, pick up The Saint and Mr.Teal or any of Charteris books and enjoy.
  
  
  Scott A. Coleman
  
• 
  Nicholas George

  This was my first sampling of Charteris, and I thoroughly enjoyed his Robin Hood-slash-James Bond creation The Saint, the pulp-fiction plots with sinister criminals and the swift yet elegant prose. This book is really three novellas and provides an excellent introduction to this great character, of which I plan to read more!
• 
  Kenneth G

  Three tales of Saint-styled justice
  
  Although many of us would like to think we are, not everyone is as equipped to be judge, jury, and executioner as is the Saint. Most of us have a thing called a conscience which tend to get in the way. Not so with the Saint.
  
  The three stories found in this volume speak to the unique character of Simon Templar. He is the quintessential knight errant. Charming, erudite, and quite deadly, he lives by his own code, not hampered by anything as mundane as guilt or the King’s law. He is his own law. And he metes out justice as he sees fit. This book documents just some of the myriad ways the Saint accomplishes this self appointed mission in life.
  
  As usual, Charteris pens each narrative with as much flair, elan, and bravado that befits a character like the Saint. They are such a joy to read. But be advised to have a dictionary handy. In reading these stories you will encounter words you have never seen before. You will also encounter a gentleman you have never seen before, and you will thank God for giving this world Leslie Charteris.
  
  
• 
  J Chad

  A plot built around transmutation isn’t even the silliest part of the first story in this book. I have no idea what the popularity of this series was about.
• 
  Suzie

  This was a fun read--like watching a favorite black and white movie. I am on to the next one!
• 
  Simon Mcleish

  Originally published on my blog
  here in March 2000.
  
  The three stories in Once More the Saint include one of Charteris' best, one of his worst, and one pretty standard. The worst, The Gold Standard, is about a plot surrounding a scientist who has succeeded in realising the alchemist's dream, producing gold by chemical means. I suppose in 1933 the scientific impossibility of this was not so sure, but it was still hardly an original plot.
  
  The Man From St Louis is one Tex Goldman, an American gangster who, failing to make it quite as big in the States as he desires, decides to bring Chicago-style organised crime to London. This is a more exciting story, and is interesting in the way it starts a train of thought which leads to Simon Templar facing these gangsters on their home territory, in
  The Saint In New York.
  
  The best of the three stories, The Death Penalty, is set in the unlikely location of the Scilly Isles. There, Simon learns, two drugs barons are meeting to define the boundaries between their empires. The story is about the evil of drugs, and has one of the most unpleasant villains in any of the Saint stories. Abdul Osman uses drugs to gain revenge on those who ridiculed him as an Egyptian boy at an English public school - he is twisted by the racist abuse he received. The whole thing is remarkably modern, and could easily have been written in the seventies or eighties rather than the thirties. However, the motivation behind Charteris' story is more of its time. He seems to have come up with the idea while thinking about capital punishment, the way that one murder may not be anything like another, even though the punishment would be the same for a fight gone too far or a deliberate killing. (Of course, drug barons don't usually get prosecuted for murder - not having contact with their victims - so there is another level to this.)
• 
  Kyla Squires

  Enjoyable. Like the writing style. Wins the prize for most bizarre similes.
• 
  BJ Hal

  Another enjoyable Saint book by Leslie Charteris.