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The Holy Terror (The Saint)
Encyclopedia
The Holy Terror is a collection of three mystery novella
s by Leslie Charteris
, first published in the United Kingdom
in 1932 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the eighth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
, alias "The Saint". When published in the United States
for the first time, also in 1932, the title was changed to The Saint vs. Scotland Yard.
The three stories in the book are loosely interconnected and take place over the course of roughly nine months, according to the text. This book is notable for bringing Patricia Holm
back into the forefront. The character, depicted as Templar's on again-off again girlfriend since the first book in the series, Meet - The Tiger!, had been virtually relegated to cameo appearance status after the novel The Last Hero
and had been absent from a number of stories and novels since. Here she becomes an active participant in Templar's schemes once again. Charteris does not obscure the clear implication that the unmarried Templar and Holm are living together at the time of these stories -- something that is commonplace today but was rare in popular fiction in the early 1930s.
Some editions of this book include an introduction, "Between Ourselves", in which Charteris discusses the philosophy of The Saint, promising that despite recent negative reviews in some publications, he had no intention of retiring from writing about Simon Templar (indeed, Charteris would continue to write stories about the character until the early 1960s, after which he would serve in an editorial capacity on further Saint adventures up until 1983).
"The Million Pound Day" formed the basis for the 1939 film, The Saint in London
which starred George Sanders
as Templar. (This should not be confused with the Simon Templar book The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal
, which was also published under the title The Saint in London.) In addition, the plot point in "The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal" in which Templar strives to top up his bank account and retire was adapted for the 1997 film version of The Saint
.
"The Inland Revenue" was adapted as an episode of The Saint
. Retitled "The Scorpion" the episode first aired on October 29, 1964, as part of the third season.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
s by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 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."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
, first published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1932 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the eighth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, alias "The Saint". When published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the first time, also in 1932, the title was changed to The Saint vs. Scotland Yard.
The three stories in the book are loosely interconnected and take place over the course of roughly nine months, according to the text. This book is notable for bringing Patricia Holm
Patricia Holm
Patricia Holm is the name of a fictional character who appeared in the novels of Leslie Charteris from the 1920s to the 1940s. She was the on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint" and shared a number of his adventures....
back into the forefront. The character, depicted as Templar's on again-off again girlfriend since the first book in the series, Meet - The Tiger!, had been virtually relegated to cameo appearance status after the novel The Last Hero
The Last Hero (The Saint)
The Last Hero is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris that was first published in the United Kingdom in 1930 by Hodder and Stoughton and in the United States in 1931 by The Crime Club. The story was initially serialized in 1929 in a British magazine...
and had been absent from a number of stories and novels since. Here she becomes an active participant in Templar's schemes once again. Charteris does not obscure the clear implication that the unmarried Templar and Holm are living together at the time of these stories -- something that is commonplace today but was rare in popular fiction in the early 1930s.
Stories
The book consisted of the following stories, labelled as "Part One", "Part Two", and "Part Three".- The Inland Revenue: Simon finds himself up against an undefeatable enemy — the taxman — when Inland RevenueInland RevenueThe Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
pursues him for back taxes after Templar publishes a novel. In order to come up with the money, Templar and his girlfriend, Patricia Holm, hatch a scheme to capture a blackmailer known as The Scorpion whose exploits have already led to a murder and several suicides. Templar's plan is complicated by a promise made to Inspector Claud Eustace TealClaud Eustace TealClaud Eustace Teal is a fictional character who made many appearances in a series of novels, novellas and short stories by Leslie Charteris entitled The Saint, starting in 1929...
that he won't kill the villain this time. In this story it is established that his "Saints" gang of earlier books has been disbanded for some time and that Templar himself has (temporarily at least) given up the mantle of The Saint. - The Million Pound Day: While returning home to London after a brief holiday in Cornwall, Templar rescues a delirious man from the hands of a thug. When the man recovers, Templar and Patricia discover a scheme to undermine a new issue of Italian paper currency with unauthorized and counterfeit bills. This story takes place several months after the events of "The Inland Revenue", and as the story ends, Templar finds himself running afoul of Inspector Teal more so than usual.
- The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal: Six months after the "Million Pound Day", Templar finds himself a few hundred pounds short of having 100,000 pounds in his bank account -- enough to (for a while) retire. He sets his eyes on relieving two murderous diamond smugglers of their ill-gotten loot. When his scheme goes awry, however, Templar's long-simmering feud with Inspector Teal (which dates back to Enter the SaintEnter the SaintEnter the Saint is a collection of three interconnected adventure novellas by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1930, followed by an American edition by The Crime Club in 1931....
) finally comes to a boil, and Templar finds himself not only on the run from Teal, but in order to ensure that he gets the diamonds, he is forced to also help one of the smugglers escape. (The title of the book, The Holy Terror somes from a description Templar gives of himself in this story.) This story leads directly into the next Saint book, GetawayGetaway (The Saint)Getaway is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom in 1932 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the fifth full-length novel featuring the adventures of the modern day Robin Hood-inspired crimebuster Simon Templar, and the ninth Saint book published...
.
Some editions of this book include an introduction, "Between Ourselves", in which Charteris discusses the philosophy of The Saint, promising that despite recent negative reviews in some publications, he had no intention of retiring from writing about Simon Templar (indeed, Charteris would continue to write stories about the character until the early 1960s, after which he would serve in an editorial capacity on further Saint adventures up until 1983).
Film and Television adaptation
- Main article: The Saint in LondonThe Saint in LondonThe Saint in London is an American crime film, the third in a series of films featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint".The film starred George Sanders as Templar and was produced by William Sistrom. John Paddy Carstairs directed...
"The Million Pound Day" formed the basis for the 1939 film, The Saint in London
The Saint in London
The Saint in London is an American crime film, the third in a series of films featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint".The film starred George Sanders as Templar and was produced by William Sistrom. John Paddy Carstairs directed...
which starred George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
as Templar. (This should not be confused with the Simon Templar book The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal
The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal
The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in 1934 by Hodder and Stoughton and the United States by The Crime Club...
, which was also published under the title The Saint in London.) In addition, the plot point in "The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal" in which Templar strives to top up his bank account and retire was adapted for the 1997 film version of The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
.
"The Inland Revenue" was adapted as an episode of The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
. Retitled "The Scorpion" the episode first aired on October 29, 1964, as part of the third season.