History Literature / TheSaint

* CultureJustifiesAnything: The ever-so AffablyEvil''The Prince of Cherkessia'' (better known to Europeans as Circassia) practices DroitDuSeigneur in the ''1930s''. He also [[SexSlave sells beautiful Circassian women into harems]] and [[OffWithHisHead beheads]] [[DisproportionateRetribution any known criminals]] [[ColdBloodedTorture after "extracting" confessions from them.]] And he claims "his people" are happy with his customs, and seems genuinely puzzled that other people -- such as Simon -- might take exception. He's so sincere in his manner, one might blame BlueAndOrangeMorality... except in this case, as noted below, [[spoiler: "the Prince" is a key figure of one of Simon's own schemes]].

* DirtyCoward: Twice in the same book (entitled ''Once More the Saint'' or ''The Saint and Mr. Teal.''} Galbraith Stride, in ''The Death Penalty,'' and Ronald Nilder in ''The Man From St. Louis'' reveal themselves to be thoroughgoing dastards. It is an indication of how low Simon thinks they are that, although they are now [[DeadlyEuphemism chatting each other up in a super-tropical climate]], the Saint doesn't personally dirty his hands on either of them.

* EthicalSlut: Pat and Templar have an open relationship, but Templar usually avoids doing much more than flirting with other women because (while they might be more beautiful, and witty or charming) they can't match up to Pat for intelligence and thirst for adventure.

* HeelFaceTurn: It doesn't happen often -- possibly because the Ungodly often meet the Saint just before they meet their Maker -- but by the end of the story, ''The Sleepless Knight'' is a changed man. It may not be a coincidence that this is one of a very few stories in which the Saint makes not a penny of profit.

* TheLastTitle: ''The Last Hero,'' which does not refer to Simon himself, but rather to [[spoiler:Norman Kent]].

By the mid-1930s, Conway, Tremayne, Sheridan, and Kent had left the field. Templar carried on with Patricia, Peter Quentin -- who first appeared as a con victim whom Templar saves from a long prison term -- and his most unusual associate, good old Hoppy Uniatz. Mr. Uniatz was a not-overly-bright but unswervingly loyal and courageous, not to mention [[QuickDraw handy with a Colt 1911 .45 semi-auto]], veteran of the [[TheRoaringTwenties Prohibition-era]] [[BigRottenApple NYC underworld]]. He was also (according to Charteris) the first BreakoutCharacter in the series, to the point that as the series went on, Simon would appear with only Hoppy as support. The Saint also left the UK more often during this time, especially as his wartime exploits demanded.

* TheAlibi: Simon Templar is a past master of these; further, his associates learn well from him. In ''The Gold Standard'', immediately upon the Saint's return to the UK from a trip abroad, a small but nasty specimen of the Ungodly is knocked out and robbed blind. The only clue is the Sign of the Saint, left behind by the perp. Unfortunately for the long-suffering enforcers of the Law, Simon is having a lengthy chat with Chief Inspector Teal in a provincial police station at the exact time the crime occurred. Of course, [[spoiler:it was quick-thinking Patricia who took advantage of the opportunity -- as noted above, she was far above average for the time.]]

* ArchEnemy: Rayt Marius for a couple of books and a short story; he has the distinction of being the only villain to [[spoiler:kill one of the Saint's gang.]]

* BadassInANiceSuit: Simon, in virtually every adventure. It should be noted that his preferred style is SimpleYetOpulent; ''The Man from St. Louis'' specifies that his bespoke tailor is the real-life Savile Row firm of Anderson & Sheppard, which at that time was also the favorite of Creator/FredAstaire.

* CorruptPolitician: ''The Simon Templar Foundation'''s [[note]]An actual and legitimate charity, created to care for wounded veterans of WW I and the widows and orphans of servicemen KIA or MIA[[/note]] initial endowment of one million pounds (more than 72 million pounds or $93 million in 2019!) is extracted from a quintet of examples from His Majesty's Government. Considering what Simon hints that he's learned about them in Rayt Marius's [[SecretDiary journal]], they got off easy:
-->'''The Saint:''' ''I don't want you to miss the idea, your lordship.... This isn't just ordinary naughtiness. This is high treason.''

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: At the close of ''Knight Templar'', Simon is writing down his latest adventure "for the benefit of an author bloke I know, who has sworn to make a blood-and-thunder classic of us one day." It must have worked out; in ''The Saint Goes West,'' a character who is an avid reader of mystery fiction comments on how Simon's latest exploit would end "if it were a Saint Story." Although, how the Saint's biographer [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory fictionalized]] the Saint's adventures in his own universe, without inadvertently [[TheInformant providing enough evidence]] for the justice systems of at least fifteen countries to lock Templar away for the rest of his life is the biggest mystery of all.
* DirtyCommunist: In the fifties and sixties, Simon tangled with rascally Reds on several occasions. One of the Saint's wilder later adventures, ''The Saint in Pursuit,'' has him take on ''both'' a Soviet spy ''and'' a [[ThoseWackyNazis veteran of the Schutzstaffel]]. Both are racing Simon and the daughter of an American OSS operative for [[SwissBankAccount untraceable bearer bonds]] in the amount of $60 million (almost $390 million in 2018!), said bonds originally funded with NaziGold.

* ExplodingCigar: [[DiscussedTrope Specifically referenced]] by Claude Eustace in ''The Lawless Lady,'' when Simon offers him a fine specimen. Of course that's far too obvious for the Saint, but knowing Templar as he does, the good Inspector was still [[IdiotBall uncharacteristically unsuspicious]] to have accepted it.

* FloweryInsults: Occasionally, when Templar is in a poetic mood and you are starting to annoy him or piss him off or he wants to annoy and piss you off.

* UsefulNotes/HorseRacing: Charteris was an aficionado of the Sport of Kings to the point that it's mentioned in his Washington Post obituary. Several of Simon's adventures, including the very first, involve the track directly, and it is referred to so regularly that readers unfamiliar with racing, particularly the UK circuit, may find the TVT quick primer helpful.

* MotorMouth: The Saint will only stop talking when his GentlemanThief activities absolutely demand it. When he's excited or has a EurekaMoment his mouth tries a desperate job of trying to keep up with his brain, resulting in fragments of the subject in particular, bits of plans on what he's going to do, and jokes all jumbled together coming out of his mouth at a mile a minute (think [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] at his most insensibly manic). Even the most brilliant of his associates, notably Pat, find it a strain to keep up with him at these moments.

* PercussivePickpocket: Simon uses this to save a young man from a prison stretch in ''The Man Who Was Clever''. His pickpocket skills also come in handy in ''The Gold Standard'' and ''The Man from St. Louis.''
* ProtagonistTitle: Many of the books in the series have ''The Saint'' in the title ; as noted above, though, ''The Last Hero'' refers not to Simon but to [[spoiler:Norman Kent]]. Further, two of the books enshrine Mr Teal in their titles, as befitting his high status in the series (see below).

** TheTheTitle: Of course, the series is named after''The''' Saint; non-Saintly titles include ''The Last Hero'' (also TheLastTitle, though it isn't even close to the last of the series), ''The Holy Terror,'' ''The Brighter Buccaneer,'' and ''The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal'' (also a SecondaryCharacterTitle)

* TheTrickster: The Saint. Oh hallowed heavens, The Saint! Perhaps the most extreme example comes in ''The Million Pound Day''. The main villain sends the Saint a thorny little surprise in a pair of gloves. Simon's usual caution saves him, fortunately. Then Simon purchases a trick matchbox from a toy & novelty shop, and uses it to return the gift to the main villain. Let's just say ComicBook/TheJoker [[PoisonIsEvil would've been proud.]]

* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: For his actions in ''The Million Pound Day'', the Italian government grants Simon a financial award that startles even him and "the Order of the Annunziata," full name "The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation." It was (and is) the Italian equivalent of the Order of the Garter in the UK, i.e. the highest order of merit possible, and at the time of the adventure was open to [[https://www.savoydelegation-usa.org/statutes-of-the-annunziata.html "people who were not noble by birth, but worthy of highest merit and service to the Crown or to Italy."]]

* BritainIsOnlyLondon: Averted. Many of Simon's exploits take place in London, but he also has adventures across the isle, especially on the coasts.

* CombatPragmatist: The Saint was one of the earliest heroes to make this the rule rather than the exception. To be fair to Simon, he is almost always either outnumbered, surrounded, unarmed against an armed opponent, or (rarely) physically outmatched whenever he gets down-and-dirty. ''The Million Pound Day'' has excellent examples of all four situations and the Saint's [[GroinAttack appropriate]] [[HeyYouHaymaker addressing]] thereof.

* DirtyCommunist: One of the Saint's wilder later adventures, ''The Saint in Pursuit,'' has this as one of the antagonists, the other being a [[GratuitousNazis SS veteran]]. Both are racing Simon and the daughter of an American OSS operative for [[SwissBankAccount untraceable bearer bonds]] in the amount of $60 million (almost $390 million in 2018!), said bonds originally funded with NaziGold.

* FramingTheGuiltyParty: Done masterfully by The Saint in ''The Death Penalty''.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Simon regularly arranges this; he directly references (though not exact-quotes) the Shakespeare line in ''The Art Photographer'' and again in ''The Careful Terrorist'' .

* SpeakIllOfTheDead: In ''The Death Penalty'', Simon says that he's never seen a reason for "buttering up a name just because it's a dead one" and that the (very) recently deceased BigBad of the story "will leave the world a little cleaner for being dead." It should be noted that the Saint is adhering to Creator/ChristopherHitchens maxim "Never say anything nasty about the dead ''that you weren't brave enough to say while they were alive''. Everything else is fair game." (See note on "Mark of Shame, above.)

** CharacterActionTitle: In the UK, ''The Saint...'' ''... Goes On'', ''... Goes West'', ''... Goes On'', ''... Steps In,'' ''... Sees It Through,'' and others. In other markets, ''... Closes the Case,'' ''... Intervenes,'' '' ... Bids Diamonds,'' ''... Plays With Fire,'' and even ''... Meets His Match.'' Played with in that often the ''reader'' is invited to perform an action in relation ''to'' the Saint: ''Follow/Call For/Send For/Trust/Count On'' and, if possible, ''Catch the Saint.''

* VigilanteExecution: Templar rarely resorts to this; he generally prefers to let the Ungodly engineer their own dooms. However, rarely is not never, as certain of the Ungodly in ''The Unlicensed Victuallers'' and ''The Gold Standard,'' amongst others, learn to their great sorrow.

* BookcasePassage: In ''The Affair of Hogsbotham,'' Simon's country house has a tiny room concealed behind a bookcase secret door. As one might expect from the Saint, though, the opening mechanism is far more complex than the usual pull-the-right-book trick.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: At the close of ''Knight Templar'', Simon is writing down his latest adventure "for the benefit of an author bloke I know, who has sworn to make a blood-and-thunder classic of us one day." It must have worked out; in ''The Saint Goes West,'' a character who is an avid reader of mystery fiction comments on how Simon's latest exploit would end "if it were a Saint Story." Although, how the Saint's biographer [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory fictionalized]] the Saint's adventures in his own universe, without inadvertently [[TheInformant providing enough evidence]] for cops on at least four continents to lock Templar away for the rest of his life....

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: At the close of ''Knight Templar'', Simon is writing down his latest adventure "for the benefit of an author bloke I know, who has sworn to make a blood-and-thunder classic of us one day." It must have worked out; in ''The Saint Goes West,'' a character who is an avid reader of mystery fiction comments on how Simon's latest exploit would end "if it were a Saint Story." Although, how the Saint's biographer [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory fictionalized]] the Saint's adventures in his own universe, without inadvertently [[TheInformer providing enough evidence]] for cops on at least four continents to lock Templar away for the rest of his life....

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: At the close of ''Knight Templar'', Simon is writing down his latest adventure "for the benefit of an author bloke I know, who has sworn to make a blood-and-thunder classic of us one day." Charteris plays with the notion again (almost in a LiteraryAgentHypothesis fashion) in his notes for ''The First Saint Omnibus''.

* TheTheTitle: The series is called '''The''' Saint.

* CorruptPolitician: ''The Simon Templar Foundation'''s [[note]]An actual and legitimate charity, created to care for wounded veterans of WW I and the widows and orphans of servicemen KIA or MIA[[/note]] initial endowment of one million pounds (more than 65 million pounds or $87 million in 2017!) is extracted from a quintet of examples from His Majesty's Government. Considering what Simon hints that he's learned about them in Rayt Marius's [[SecretDiary journal]], they got off easy:

In 1928, Leslie Charteris had his third stand-alone novel, ''Meet the Tiger'', published. Afterwards, Charteris selected the hero as the strongest of the three protagonists he'd created, and embarked on what he hoped would be a series of tales. The choice was a good one: Charteris would chronicle the adventure of ''The Saint'' until 1983. (The character's success in print -- short stories, novellas and novels in roughly equal measure -- led to [[Franchise/TheSaint many adaptations in other media]].)

In 1928, Leslie Charteris had his third stand-alone novel, ''Meet the Tiger'', published. Afterwards, Charteris selected the hero as the strongest of the three protagonists he'd created, and embarked on a series of tales which would run until until 1983. The character's success in print -- short stories, novellas and novels in roughly equal measure -- led to [[Franchise/TheSaint many adaptations in other media]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Just in the pages of ''The First Saint Omnibus'', the Saint encounters Messrs. Hugo Campard (stock manipulator turned oil tycoon), W. Titus Oates (shady financier and philatelist), Sir Melvin Flager (trucking magnate and slave-driving, safety-ignoring boss), and, worst of all, Grant Lasser (legitimate importer of wine & spirits; smuggler of those and other things; and torture-murderer). Distaste for scum who pretend respectability is something Simon seems to more than share with the general public -- the difference being, the Saint can do something about it.

* BadassInANiceSuit: Simon, in virtually every adventure.

* MarkOfShame: In the backstory of ''The Death Penalty,'' it's revealed that the Saint bestowed his Sign on both (facial) cheeks of Abdul Osman, in an especially agonizing manner. Mr. Osman is a combination of all the worst stereotypes associated with [[FatBastard rotund,]] [[ArabOilSheikh Middle Eastern]] [[Literature/TheSheik chieftains]]. Further, he makes his money in [[SexSlave human trafficking]] and [[DrugsAreBad illicit narcotics]]. In short, in the Saint's eyes, he was let off lightly. [[{{Foreshadowing}} On that occasion.]]

* SharpDressedMan: In any situation where it is remotely reasonable, Simon is the very flower of fashion. However, it is noted repeatedly that he simply looks phenomenal in whatever he happens to be wearing by virtue of good looks and sheer personality.

** The Saint also occasionally drove a Furillac and a Desurio, both of which are also fictional brands. Little detail is vein about them, though it doesn't seem to be a case of BlandNameProduct placement -- other characters drive Daimlers, Rolls-Royces, and Buicks, amongst others.

* DirtyCoward: Galbraith Stride, in ''The Death Penalty,'' and Ronald Nilder in ''The Man From St. Louis'' reveal themselves to be thoroughgoing dastards. It is an indication of how low Simon thinks they are that, although they are now [[DeadlyEuphemism chatting each other up in a super-tropical climate]], the Saint doesn't personally dirty his hands on either of them.