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The Saint #4
Knight Templar
Simon Templar confronts Dr. Rayt Marius in a plot to stir up a Second Great War
262 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1930
95 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
Leslie Charteris
590 books161 followersBorn Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, Leslie Charteris was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 22, 2020
The Saint saves the world...or at least Europe
THE AVENGING SAINT is the second in what became a trilogy of Simon Templar vs Dr. Rayt Marius and Crown Prince Rudolph with the fate of Europe and, by extension, the world in the balance. The first in this informal trilogy is THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE aka THE LAST HERO. The final one is THE SAINT'S GETAWAY. The story is easier to follow and generally makes more sense if read in order.
The weapon of mass destruction (a term not used in the books) from the first volume is no more, gone, poof. However Marius and Prince Rudolph are still plotting mass destruction by way of a major war. A war which they calculate will enrich Marius and make Rudolph a new Napoleon. Of course the Saint feels obligated to stop them. Besides, the venture is Simon's idea of fun.
This young Saint is more impetuous and violent than the Saint of most of the later tales and much more so than that of the famous and excellent Saint TV series staring Roger Moore. In the last volume he seems to also be more prone to acquiring other people's property without the justifications he uses in the later books.
Another great adventure. Surely Ian Fleming had read this trilogy before he began writing his James Bond books.
THE AVENGING SAINT is the second in what became a trilogy of Simon Templar vs Dr. Rayt Marius and Crown Prince Rudolph with the fate of Europe and, by extension, the world in the balance. The first in this informal trilogy is THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE aka THE LAST HERO. The final one is THE SAINT'S GETAWAY. The story is easier to follow and generally makes more sense if read in order.
The weapon of mass destruction (a term not used in the books) from the first volume is no more, gone, poof. However Marius and Prince Rudolph are still plotting mass destruction by way of a major war. A war which they calculate will enrich Marius and make Rudolph a new Napoleon. Of course the Saint feels obligated to stop them. Besides, the venture is Simon's idea of fun.
This young Saint is more impetuous and violent than the Saint of most of the later tales and much more so than that of the famous and excellent Saint TV series staring Roger Moore. In the last volume he seems to also be more prone to acquiring other people's property without the justifications he uses in the later books.
Another great adventure. Surely Ian Fleming had read this trilogy before he began writing his James Bond books.
February 8, 2022
This book opens with Simon singing out loud and the law does mind. However the Saint then saves a dame and finds himself once opposing Crown prince Rudolph and Rayt Marius who are hell-bent on creating a war. Once before they aimed to destroy peace and Norman Kent on of the group of friend around the Saint paid with his life.
This time the Saint returns to England, where he is seriously wanted, to put a stop to his adversaries plot. Which entails saving a dame from kidnapping and a forced marriage taking a boat trip and a plane ride and in the End Simon and his merry band of friend save the King of England and all is forgiven.
Too come to the end of such a glorious ending it takes some speedy action written by Messieur Charteris with his hero Simon Templar aka the Saint in a pre-WW2 adventure that actually shows the Saint character at his best. I personally enjoy the early outrageous adventure of the Saint the best, Charteris was stilling finding his style but he gave us a hero that baffled his opponents and readers alike and having splendid adventures. Sure they are outdated perhaps but this my kind of Saint.
Well advised to people who enjoy the adventures of the older thrillers and don't mind some antiquated language of daft rhymes, by a Saintly character.
This time the Saint returns to England, where he is seriously wanted, to put a stop to his adversaries plot. Which entails saving a dame from kidnapping and a forced marriage taking a boat trip and a plane ride and in the End Simon and his merry band of friend save the King of England and all is forgiven.
Too come to the end of such a glorious ending it takes some speedy action written by Messieur Charteris with his hero Simon Templar aka the Saint in a pre-WW2 adventure that actually shows the Saint character at his best. I personally enjoy the early outrageous adventure of the Saint the best, Charteris was stilling finding his style but he gave us a hero that baffled his opponents and readers alike and having splendid adventures. Sure they are outdated perhaps but this my kind of Saint.
Well advised to people who enjoy the adventures of the older thrillers and don't mind some antiquated language of daft rhymes, by a Saintly character.
January 27, 2015
Wow. I SO enjoyed this book; the first I’ve read of the (long) ‘Saint’ series.
82 years after first publication, the language is, unsurprisingly, now dated. However, like Shakespeare and Austen, Charteris’ style, pace, humour, and use of the English language is so precise, vividly imaginative, and superbly evocative that it would be disasterous to even contemplate rendering “Knight Templar” (1930) into ‘modern’ (2012) language. Therein lies the skill and longevity of a truly great author.
Chapter 1 commences with the Saint (aka Simon Templar), dressed to the nines, aptly (as it turns out) singing of seven lines from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Yeomen of the Guard” in Piccadilly (London). The Law (a policeman) is unsurprisingly less than best pleased. Relatively few words, yet so perfectly placed on the page, bringing to mind an image of …. Of what? Of Bulldog Drummond having had a glass too many? Of a James Bond with fewer hang-ups than Fleming’s character? Of Rudolf Rassyndyll fishing in Ruritania? Or the brash adventurer Rupert of Hentzau? The winning claim came, I thought, from John Steed (The Avengers).
As I lapped up the action of the plot, I discovered myself comparing Simon Templar with the much later James Bond. By the end of this book Templar was my clear winner by a very big margin. Charteris is SO cool, so astute; Templar wins his prize (the girl, of course!) not only through his fitness and bravado, but primarily by outwitting his (far from stupid) enemy, by using the power of and judicious application of his clear-headed strategic thinking. Whereas James Bond always takes the less demanding route by resorting to improbable ’technology’, doesn't he?
Roger Conway, the Saint’s less cerebrally-sparkling comrade in the war against meglomaniacs and crime does serves a useful function in accentuating the Saint’s pre-eminence. I really liked the way that Charteris gave Conway the style, conviction, and modicum of skill to be a serious player; he is emphatically not just there to be Templar’s fall guy. Sonia Delmar, the heroine has plenty of verve too. Unlike those decorative Bond Girls of male fantasy, the beautiful Sonia is a valuable long-term asset.
The plot of “Knight Templar” is very like a game of chess. I can just imagine children brought up on these books later pursuing careers in the British diplomatic service. The deeper I got into this book, the more the literary allusions alluringly grew like mushrooms; yet never, I thought, to such an extent as to be obtrusive, let alone irritating, to a less widely read reader. Here is a book which can be read, re-read, and enjoyed in layers.
Had I been a 9 to 12 yr old I should have been over the moon to receive this book as a Christmas or birthday present in 1930. Yet the plot and writing remain more than strong enough to be enjoyed by an bright clued-up youngster today, especially when (for example) given an explanation of how life was lived in Britain before the invention and widespread dissemination of corded telephones and telephone exchanges, let alone terrestial and satellite cellphones!
In 2012 this book has the capability to appeal well beyond the 'grown-up' market.
82 years after first publication, the language is, unsurprisingly, now dated. However, like Shakespeare and Austen, Charteris’ style, pace, humour, and use of the English language is so precise, vividly imaginative, and superbly evocative that it would be disasterous to even contemplate rendering “Knight Templar” (1930) into ‘modern’ (2012) language. Therein lies the skill and longevity of a truly great author.
Chapter 1 commences with the Saint (aka Simon Templar), dressed to the nines, aptly (as it turns out) singing of seven lines from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Yeomen of the Guard” in Piccadilly (London). The Law (a policeman) is unsurprisingly less than best pleased. Relatively few words, yet so perfectly placed on the page, bringing to mind an image of …. Of what? Of Bulldog Drummond having had a glass too many? Of a James Bond with fewer hang-ups than Fleming’s character? Of Rudolf Rassyndyll fishing in Ruritania? Or the brash adventurer Rupert of Hentzau? The winning claim came, I thought, from John Steed (The Avengers).
As I lapped up the action of the plot, I discovered myself comparing Simon Templar with the much later James Bond. By the end of this book Templar was my clear winner by a very big margin. Charteris is SO cool, so astute; Templar wins his prize (the girl, of course!) not only through his fitness and bravado, but primarily by outwitting his (far from stupid) enemy, by using the power of and judicious application of his clear-headed strategic thinking. Whereas James Bond always takes the less demanding route by resorting to improbable ’technology’, doesn't he?
Roger Conway, the Saint’s less cerebrally-sparkling comrade in the war against meglomaniacs and crime does serves a useful function in accentuating the Saint’s pre-eminence. I really liked the way that Charteris gave Conway the style, conviction, and modicum of skill to be a serious player; he is emphatically not just there to be Templar’s fall guy. Sonia Delmar, the heroine has plenty of verve too. Unlike those decorative Bond Girls of male fantasy, the beautiful Sonia is a valuable long-term asset.
The plot of “Knight Templar” is very like a game of chess. I can just imagine children brought up on these books later pursuing careers in the British diplomatic service. The deeper I got into this book, the more the literary allusions alluringly grew like mushrooms; yet never, I thought, to such an extent as to be obtrusive, let alone irritating, to a less widely read reader. Here is a book which can be read, re-read, and enjoyed in layers.
Had I been a 9 to 12 yr old I should have been over the moon to receive this book as a Christmas or birthday present in 1930. Yet the plot and writing remain more than strong enough to be enjoyed by an bright clued-up youngster today, especially when (for example) given an explanation of how life was lived in Britain before the invention and widespread dissemination of corded telephones and telephone exchanges, let alone terrestial and satellite cellphones!
In 2012 this book has the capability to appeal well beyond the 'grown-up' market.
December 1, 2011
This is a sequel to The Last Hero. Like most other books in the series, this is full of wit. It is well written, has an engrossing plot, and a beautiful female sidekick. What more could you ask for?
May 16, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in September 1999.
Following The Saint: The Last Hero, it must have been quite a challenge for Charteris to know where to take the Saint next. He hardly hesitated, however, before writing the third novel in the saga, Knight Templar. The villain, Rayt Marius, is back, still intent on world domination by provoking a war. Simon Templar follows him to England, seeking revenge for the murder of Norman Kent and overlooking the fact that he has become one of Britain's most wanted men. Marius' reason for going to England is typically devious: Sylvia Delmar and Sir Isaac Lessing are about to get married, and this will lead to a merger between oil companies owned by her father and her fiancé. Marius wants to fragment the oil industry so that he can have more influence there, so he sets out to kidnap Sylvia and force her to marry another man.
The plot is fairly typical of the thirties thriller, but Charteris handles it in what is distinctly his own way, leading up to another surprise ending incredibly audacious for the time.
Following The Saint: The Last Hero, it must have been quite a challenge for Charteris to know where to take the Saint next. He hardly hesitated, however, before writing the third novel in the saga, Knight Templar. The villain, Rayt Marius, is back, still intent on world domination by provoking a war. Simon Templar follows him to England, seeking revenge for the murder of Norman Kent and overlooking the fact that he has become one of Britain's most wanted men. Marius' reason for going to England is typically devious: Sylvia Delmar and Sir Isaac Lessing are about to get married, and this will lead to a merger between oil companies owned by her father and her fiancé. Marius wants to fragment the oil industry so that he can have more influence there, so he sets out to kidnap Sylvia and force her to marry another man.
The plot is fairly typical of the thirties thriller, but Charteris handles it in what is distinctly his own way, leading up to another surprise ending incredibly audacious for the time.
February 3, 2021
Written in 1930 I was mindful as I read that my father would have been 15 and probably enjoyed this enormously when it came out - I wondered if this was his copy as I found it when doing a clear out of my bookshelves. It is dated in terms of some of the language but also enriched by it - what a shame our vocabularly seems so limited these days by contrast. I know ST from the Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvey incarnations on television but this is the first novel I have read and the Saint clearly is darker and perhaps more rounded than I had thought.
This story has an excellent start, a decent bit on a boat and a rather fantastic (in the true meaning of the word) denoument with a fall from a plane on to a train - but if James Bond can do it then why not Simon Templar?
This volume was very enjoyable not least because of the lovely paper and hard cover - but it didn't quite make 4 stars perhaps because I needed to have read three earlier stories to get the sequence and the relationships sorted. Inspector Teal makes an appearance briefly but local bobbies are given a very poor showing somewhat unfairly. It is of its time but a decent way to spend time and it would make for a fresh TV show - perhaps actually set in the 1930s with the smart attire, manners and lack of mobile phones.
This story has an excellent start, a decent bit on a boat and a rather fantastic (in the true meaning of the word) denoument with a fall from a plane on to a train - but if James Bond can do it then why not Simon Templar?
This volume was very enjoyable not least because of the lovely paper and hard cover - but it didn't quite make 4 stars perhaps because I needed to have read three earlier stories to get the sequence and the relationships sorted. Inspector Teal makes an appearance briefly but local bobbies are given a very poor showing somewhat unfairly. It is of its time but a decent way to spend time and it would make for a fresh TV show - perhaps actually set in the 1930s with the smart attire, manners and lack of mobile phones.
March 28, 2014
having pretty much only been aware of the saint from the late seventies interpretation 'return of the saint' I was expecting a poor man's James Bond...how wrong I was.
not only does the saint predate Bond(this title was first issued in the thirties)..but the saints slightly more outlaw status make him a hero more in the ilk of Bruce Wayne minus Batman or V from the V for Vendetta graphic novel/film..the saint remains on the side of right after all but is outside the estaishment.
the prose within the book is flowery and Simon Templar himself spends as much time waxing lyrical as he does foiling evil deeds but this is done in such a way that it is hard not to like this book.
the plot as it stands is a post world war one tale and the possibility of villainous forces plotting towards another war through goading capitalists into action ..it's a fun tale..frankly unbelievable and yet well written and it has given me an appetite to read more of these tales.
not only does the saint predate Bond(this title was first issued in the thirties)..but the saints slightly more outlaw status make him a hero more in the ilk of Bruce Wayne minus Batman or V from the V for Vendetta graphic novel/film..the saint remains on the side of right after all but is outside the estaishment.
the prose within the book is flowery and Simon Templar himself spends as much time waxing lyrical as he does foiling evil deeds but this is done in such a way that it is hard not to like this book.
the plot as it stands is a post world war one tale and the possibility of villainous forces plotting towards another war through goading capitalists into action ..it's a fun tale..frankly unbelievable and yet well written and it has given me an appetite to read more of these tales.
December 21, 2014
I first met Charteris' dashing, witty, wicked and yet virtuous swashbuckler when I was about ten...and I've been trying to match his tired worldliness ( since that is all of Simon Templar's style I ever could match!) and wit since boyhood. I miss this world and always feel a bit better about myself and my outdated values when I spent a few hours with the wonderfully debonaire adventurer of those bygone Edwardian days!
Want to read
February 11, 2019Synopsis: lovely Sonia Delmar takes a bite of chocolate; it's drugged. The game is kidnapping, blackmail and international turmoil.
December 3, 2021
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 jail).
Crown Prince Rudolf, my very favourite villain, who only comes on stage towards the end of the previous 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.
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 jail).
Crown Prince Rudolf, my very favourite villain, who only comes on stage towards the end of the previous 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.
December 26, 2022
After the excellent "The Saint Closes the Case," this was a bit of a letdown. I can't say much without spoiling "Closes the Case," but this doesn't really wrap things up. The story itself is pretty dull until almost halfway through. There's a lot of talking as Charteris tries to explain things for those who have not read the previous book. Once things get moving, though, the story does improve somewhat, though I thought the ending was flat.
Two things bug me:
1. Sonia takes her kidnappings and rescues way too easily. It's like she used to this sort of treatment. "Oh, here we go again!" You'd think a millionaire's daughter who's engaged to another millionaire would have some sort of security, even in 1930.
2. Roger is totally useless. If he's supposed to keep a secret, he'll divulge it. If he's supposed to guard someone, the bad guys will kidnap or rescue them. Roger is incredibly dumb. He reminds me of Nigel Bruce's Watson in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies. You'd think the Saint would have more intelligent sidekicks. I miss Norman Kent.
Two things bug me:
1. Sonia takes her kidnappings and rescues way too easily. It's like she used to this sort of treatment. "Oh, here we go again!" You'd think a millionaire's daughter who's engaged to another millionaire would have some sort of security, even in 1930.
2. Roger is totally useless. If he's supposed to keep a secret, he'll divulge it. If he's supposed to guard someone, the bad guys will kidnap or rescue them. Roger is incredibly dumb. He reminds me of Nigel Bruce's Watson in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies. You'd think the Saint would have more intelligent sidekicks. I miss Norman Kent.
May 11, 2020
This is one of the stupidest books I have ever read. I am surprised that there were so many books, as well as movies and a television show, if all the books are like this. There really is not much of a plot. Most of the book is taken up with the narrator/author telling us how wonderful the Saint is. He goes on and on and on about how smart he is, how clever, how talented how special, blah, blah blah. The language is convoluted and pretentious. I finished it, but I did not enjoy it, and I will not be reading any more.
October 2, 2017
I love the Saint. The older books bring back a time when we truly believed that a few men could make a big difference. In this book, the Saint continues to foil a plot to start a second world war. (Keep in mind this book was written before the start of WWII). He meets a lady who is in many ways his equal and his friend Roger falls for her. We'll see how that turns out in future books.
July 2, 2013
I grew up on the Saint. It's not big and it's not clever, but I will always have a soft spot for these books. I've been wanting to get this one for years. The Saint saves the King's life and is forgiven all his crimes just as Scotland Yard closes in. It's completely nuts and I love it.
July 26, 2014
reread after many years
another dastardly plot foiled. wonder what charteris would think of the manufactured wars of the 21st century that so benefit oil and defense industries at the expense of so many lives lost?
another dastardly plot foiled. wonder what charteris would think of the manufactured wars of the 21st century that so benefit oil and defense industries at the expense of so many lives lost?
April 23, 2015
Good old-fashioned '30s adventure. I envy these Edwardian heroes and their moral certainty. Very enjoyable on the whole, although the repeated descriptions of how great the Saint is get tiring after a while. Still very much worth reading, if you can find a copy.
May 5, 2017
Loving it!
A fine continuation of and to THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE aka THE LAST HERO. So much taken care of and yet some things left tantalizingly open for further speculation in future books.
A fine continuation of and to THE SAINT CLOSES THE CASE aka THE LAST HERO. So much taken care of and yet some things left tantalizingly open for further speculation in future books.
April 15, 2015
Pre WWII Adventure
A plot to conquer and rule the world finds the Saint saving us in the nick of time. Lots of swashbuckling. The excitement may be too much.
A plot to conquer and rule the world finds the Saint saving us in the nick of time. Lots of swashbuckling. The excitement may be too much.
May 12, 2016
This is a fun, light read.
February 11, 2016
The early adventures of The Saint aren't the best (I rather prefer the later, more ingenious, ones) but this book is OK in any case.
October 30, 2015
I've had quite enough of gay swashbuckling for the time being. I'd begun to feel as if I were being hit over the head with a stick of candy floss.
May 3, 2016
a.k.a. "The Avenging Saint"; read some time in 1995
September 20, 2016
Fascinating from a cultural perspective--the easy racism, chivalric narrative, odd violence.
February 9, 2020
I continue to be entertained.
October 8, 2023
It was fascinating reading this right after The Saint in Europe. This is a very different Saint, younger, not yet as sure of himself vis-a-vis the authorities, and possibly not yet a criminal preying on other criminals. This Saint is very much a Peter Pan figure, right down to piracy on the ocean.
The Avenging Saint was written in 1930 according to Charteris, and this much later edition includes a note by him saying, basically, yeah, we had no idea what was going on or what was coming. The novel focuses on someone trying to restart World War I by engineering events similar to “the assassination of an Austrian Archduke in 1914”. That, he writes, will “seem rather naive and outmoded today… when even the assassination of a President of the United States by an ex-Marxist and Cuban sympathizer did not even trigger a general mobilization”.
It’s not just a very different, almost alien, world in the way wars start, however. Aircraft were a lot different in 1930 than they were thirty or more years later.
The information page doesn’t say when this edition was published (it just has the 1930/31 date of the original), but it has a Roger Moore still on the cover, suggesting it comes after the 1962-69 television series. The cover also has a very strange subtitle: “The Saint Fights Behind The Spy Curtain”. Presumably it’s meant to invoke the Iron Curtain, but either way I can’t see that subtitle being relevant no matter how much I squint at the plot.
It appears that this Saint was in the process of moving away from being a vaguely Shadow-like, Avenger-like, or Savage-like leader of a team, and toward a lone devil-may-care adventurer. It’s sort of a continuation of a previous book (which may have been The Saint Closes the Case) in which the Saint lead a team of at least three other adventurers; by the start of this novel only Roger Conway remains.
He does already have his signature stick-man scribble, which he uses at least once. And he’s begun to become the polyglot that he would be by The Saint in Europe, having learned German between the previous book and this one.
Reading both an early and a late Saint has definitely primed my appetite for more. And it appears that his character develops enough that it would be worthwhile to read them in order.
The Avenging Saint was written in 1930 according to Charteris, and this much later edition includes a note by him saying, basically, yeah, we had no idea what was going on or what was coming. The novel focuses on someone trying to restart World War I by engineering events similar to “the assassination of an Austrian Archduke in 1914”. That, he writes, will “seem rather naive and outmoded today… when even the assassination of a President of the United States by an ex-Marxist and Cuban sympathizer did not even trigger a general mobilization”.
It’s not just a very different, almost alien, world in the way wars start, however. Aircraft were a lot different in 1930 than they were thirty or more years later.
You may stub your toes on other oddities. Such as the handling of an airplane towards the end, which would give any jet pilot hysterics. But flying, in those days, was like that: I can vouch for the fact, with my own pilot’s license which I earned in 1929, which in the sublime confidence of the future which characterized those days authorized me to fly “all types” of aircraft. One day I hope to show it to the captain of a supersonic Concorde and ask if I may play around a bit…
The information page doesn’t say when this edition was published (it just has the 1930/31 date of the original), but it has a Roger Moore still on the cover, suggesting it comes after the 1962-69 television series. The cover also has a very strange subtitle: “The Saint Fights Behind The Spy Curtain”. Presumably it’s meant to invoke the Iron Curtain, but either way I can’t see that subtitle being relevant no matter how much I squint at the plot.
It appears that this Saint was in the process of moving away from being a vaguely Shadow-like, Avenger-like, or Savage-like leader of a team, and toward a lone devil-may-care adventurer. It’s sort of a continuation of a previous book (which may have been The Saint Closes the Case) in which the Saint lead a team of at least three other adventurers; by the start of this novel only Roger Conway remains.
He does already have his signature stick-man scribble, which he uses at least once. And he’s begun to become the polyglot that he would be by The Saint in Europe, having learned German between the previous book and this one.
Reading both an early and a late Saint has definitely primed my appetite for more. And it appears that his character develops enough that it would be worthwhile to read them in order.
“I hope I never live to see the day when the miserable quibbling hairsplitters have won the earth, and there’s no more black and white, but everything’s just a dreary relative gray, and everyone has a right to his own damned heresies, and it’s more noble to be broadminded about your disgusting neighbors than to push their faces in as a preliminary to yanking them back into the straight and narrow way…”
January 18, 2025
The series is getting a bit better but still gets caught up in the mire quite often. Almost the first half of Knight Templar comes across as a bad experiment in free verse. It's yet another ambiguous, chaotic opening that both repeats/reminds readers of events from the previous novel in the series. Too, Charteris has come up with yet another irritating literary device. He uses similes to compare Simon Templar to everything golden, great, and exemplary in the world. He uses them a lot. So annoying was it that I almost put the book down and left the remainder unread. Were I not a "completist" by nature, I would have done so.
Fortunately, I guess, I kept pushing onwards. And the story did get better, although it's often lost in the murky escapes of the Saint and Roger Conway as they seek to prevent the eruption of another world war. The revelation of just what the plot is to blow up the world again after World War I doesn't come until near the end. And it's not all that imaginative. But in getting to that point, the Saint does begin to make things interesting. Old enemies from The Saint Closes the Case reappear, in particular the gruesome "Angel Face." Simon still exhibits his sometimes irritating style of dancing, weaving, and bobbing about even while under the barrel of a gun. But he also resorts to 1920s high-tech to try and rescue the situation. I do like that I'm dealing with what is best thought of as an analog mystery/thriller here. Nothing more complicated than phones, telegraphs, planes, trains, and automobiles. To top it off, furthermore, I finally began to see some inklings of atmosphere and imagery at play, here. They've been notably absent in the first three volumes. So I'll probably try for the fifth book in the series, which I understand is a continuation in theme of events and characters from this novel and the previous Saint Closes the Case.
Fortunately, I guess, I kept pushing onwards. And the story did get better, although it's often lost in the murky escapes of the Saint and Roger Conway as they seek to prevent the eruption of another world war. The revelation of just what the plot is to blow up the world again after World War I doesn't come until near the end. And it's not all that imaginative. But in getting to that point, the Saint does begin to make things interesting. Old enemies from The Saint Closes the Case reappear, in particular the gruesome "Angel Face." Simon still exhibits his sometimes irritating style of dancing, weaving, and bobbing about even while under the barrel of a gun. But he also resorts to 1920s high-tech to try and rescue the situation. I do like that I'm dealing with what is best thought of as an analog mystery/thriller here. Nothing more complicated than phones, telegraphs, planes, trains, and automobiles. To top it off, furthermore, I finally began to see some inklings of atmosphere and imagery at play, here. They've been notably absent in the first three volumes. So I'll probably try for the fifth book in the series, which I understand is a continuation in theme of events and characters from this novel and the previous Saint Closes the Case.
August 17, 2020
Major characters:
Rayt Marius, a.k.a. "Angel Face"
Prince Rudolf
Sonia Delmar
Sir Isaac Lessing, Sonia's fiancé
Heinrich Dussel
Alexis Vassiloff, a Russian husband-to-be
Antonio, the "Italian Delegate"
Simon Templar, The Saint
Roger Conway
Synopsis:
The Saint is suspicious of Heinrich Dussel, who has brought an apparant invalid into his home, but it seems the invalid is there against his/her will.
Arch criminal Rayt Marius is working for a group of war materiel manufacturers, and hatches a plan to start war in the Balkans. He teams up with Prince Rudolf. The general idea is get Sonia Delmar, daughter of a wealthy American manufacturer, to bail out of her upcoming marriage to Sir Isaac Lessing, marry Russian Alexis Vassiloff instead, and go over to Russia; at which point the jilted Lessing will initiate war.
Heinrich Dussel had kidnapped Sonia to start the scheme. The Saint rescues her, but then allows her back into their hands in order to follow them. She is taken on board a boat and heading for international waters, where the captain will perform a forced marriage ceremony to Vasiloff.
Review:
This is the sequel to "The Last Hero", and the two should be read as a pair. The Saint is still seeking revenge from the death of his fellow saint, Norman Kent, at the hands of Rayt Marius (in The Last Hero). There are two great chase accounts, the first being to the ship in which Sonia is held captive; the second in which Roger Conway pilots a plane and lowers Simon on a moving train, in a James Bond-worthy incident. The plot to ignite war seems a bit far-fetched and hard to follow, but perhaps it didn't take much to get the shooting started in 1930's Europe.
Note some pejorative terms for persons of various ancestry, unacceptable today but in common use at the time.
Rayt Marius, a.k.a. "Angel Face"
Prince Rudolf
Sonia Delmar
Sir Isaac Lessing, Sonia's fiancé
Heinrich Dussel
Alexis Vassiloff, a Russian husband-to-be
Antonio, the "Italian Delegate"
Simon Templar, The Saint
Roger Conway
Synopsis:
The Saint is suspicious of Heinrich Dussel, who has brought an apparant invalid into his home, but it seems the invalid is there against his/her will.
Arch criminal Rayt Marius is working for a group of war materiel manufacturers, and hatches a plan to start war in the Balkans. He teams up with Prince Rudolf. The general idea is get Sonia Delmar, daughter of a wealthy American manufacturer, to bail out of her upcoming marriage to Sir Isaac Lessing, marry Russian Alexis Vassiloff instead, and go over to Russia; at which point the jilted Lessing will initiate war.
Heinrich Dussel had kidnapped Sonia to start the scheme. The Saint rescues her, but then allows her back into their hands in order to follow them. She is taken on board a boat and heading for international waters, where the captain will perform a forced marriage ceremony to Vasiloff.
Review:
This is the sequel to "The Last Hero", and the two should be read as a pair. The Saint is still seeking revenge from the death of his fellow saint, Norman Kent, at the hands of Rayt Marius (in The Last Hero). There are two great chase accounts, the first being to the ship in which Sonia is held captive; the second in which Roger Conway pilots a plane and lowers Simon on a moving train, in a James Bond-worthy incident. The plot to ignite war seems a bit far-fetched and hard to follow, but perhaps it didn't take much to get the shooting started in 1930's Europe.
Note some pejorative terms for persons of various ancestry, unacceptable today but in common use at the time.
February 6, 2024
ok, I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to these books.
The Avenging Saint is probably the 6th or 7th book I’ve read in the Saint series. Might as well fess up that they are addictive. This is the sequel to The Saint Closes the Case. The Saint is avenging the murder of one of his two best friends and associates. But that is not what makes it addictive. Even if there were no sequels, only standalone novels, the adventures of Simon Templar would still be good, compelling reading.
Fast-paced, funny, and full of action, these books check every box. Mystery, check. Violence, check. Romance, check. Witty sarcasm, check. A vocabulary that would make an Oxford scholar reach for his dictionary, check. A code of honor, check.
Avenging is certainly no exception. What is surprising is just how violent and homicidal, Simon was in these early books. (Not to give away anything, but he does seem to mellow with age.)
This story centers on Rait Marius and his plot to star World War II. While trying to avenge his friend’s murder, The Saint stumbles into the plot and from there, things go back and forth between Simon and his worthy adversary.
The only thing missing, is Pat —- Simon’s better half. Even though she doesn’t actually appear in the story, she is always present. Something Simon makes abundantly clear in the closing chapters.
This is one of the best Saint books I’ve read so far. I do have one reservation in recommending it, however, and that’s that I don’t want to be blamed for starting your addiction.
The Avenging Saint is probably the 6th or 7th book I’ve read in the Saint series. Might as well fess up that they are addictive. This is the sequel to The Saint Closes the Case. The Saint is avenging the murder of one of his two best friends and associates. But that is not what makes it addictive. Even if there were no sequels, only standalone novels, the adventures of Simon Templar would still be good, compelling reading.
Fast-paced, funny, and full of action, these books check every box. Mystery, check. Violence, check. Romance, check. Witty sarcasm, check. A vocabulary that would make an Oxford scholar reach for his dictionary, check. A code of honor, check.
Avenging is certainly no exception. What is surprising is just how violent and homicidal, Simon was in these early books. (Not to give away anything, but he does seem to mellow with age.)
This story centers on Rait Marius and his plot to star World War II. While trying to avenge his friend’s murder, The Saint stumbles into the plot and from there, things go back and forth between Simon and his worthy adversary.
The only thing missing, is Pat —- Simon’s better half. Even though she doesn’t actually appear in the story, she is always present. Something Simon makes abundantly clear in the closing chapters.
This is one of the best Saint books I’ve read so far. I do have one reservation in recommending it, however, and that’s that I don’t want to be blamed for starting your addiction.
December 24, 2025
I did not finish this one; I perserved until I'd read more than half the book, but I didn't want to go any further. Perhaps there was an era in which this story would have seemed fresh and exciting, but it was too cliched and dull for me.
February 6, 2023
A little longer and a little more serious than the other books of his I've read. But it was a good plot with lots of daring and action and cheeky one liners. :)
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