They didn’t figure in the trade figures but somebody was importing goods into Britain—human goodsWhen a waiter at an Indian restaurant is crucified in a Soho garage and when a patron of that restaurant is the famous Simon Templar, it spells trouble for the most nefarious export-import business ever. In particular it spelled trouble for:Shortwave—a man so tuned-in, he couldn’t turn off.Kalki—who takes an underwater plunge which lasts a whole lot longer than the regulation three minutes.Fowler—the Boss who plays very dirty indeed — and fouls once too often.

On an errand of mercy to help an elderly neighbour, the Sainted Simon Templar meets a very distraught — and very beautiful young woman.Seems she is missing a brother, and someone is missing a Rembrandt. Together they track the fiend behind it all: The Masterpiece Merchant.On the other side of the Atlantic our “afficionado of the unexpected, the master of the unpredictable,” Simon Templar, makes the acquaintance of a lovely young heiress at a Mainline charity ball.But a little sleuthing reveals that one member of the Social Register is also listed on the Who’s Who of Organised Crime...

On the eve of World War II the redoubtable Simon Templar (better known as THE SAINT) finds himself in the imperial city of Vienna, his attentions divided between a very sensuous countess and some legendary diamonds — both of which he is trying to keep out of Nazi hands.Since the days of the Holy Roman Empire, the legendary Hapsburg Necklace has been guarded by members of the Austrian nobility. But never before has it had so beautiful a protector as one Francesca, the Countess Malffy (also known as Frankie). And never before has it been so in danger of being stolen. For its hiding place, the Malffy ancestral manor, has recently been occupied by a new tenant — the Gestapo.And as THE SAINT and Frankie plan a mission to retrieve the necklace, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Germans are not their only adversaries. Also vying for the crown jewels is a most unpredictable eccentric who is every bit a match for Simon Templar.

Two stories set in 1950, when Simon Templar was still proving that a wartime interlude of at least semi-respectable endeavour had not permanently impaired his piratical propensities.“The Midas Double”, in which the Saint’s assistance is called upon by a Greek shipping magnate who is being brilliant impersonator, is a convolution of false identities and double-dealing. And hard-hitting action is promised when he is enlisted to infiltrate a gang of ruthless mercenary commandos in “The Pawn Gambit”.In this duet of hitherto unrecorded adventures the Saint shows himself at his reckless and impudent best.

Two tales of political intrigue in which the Saint untangles international issues. In The Imprudent Professor the free world ignores a professors brilliant strategy for harnessing solar energy — because of its threat to major oil suppliers. The professor, who lives only for the day his discovery will be put into practice, is deceived into believing in a vision of near-Utopian existence in the Soviet Union. The results might have been disastrous had his beautiful daughter not secured the aid of the illustrious Simon Templar — the Saint.

In The Red Sabbath, the Saint and Leila, his beautiful Israeli accomplice must track down the head of the Red Sabbath — a group of cold-blooded assassins whose targets are often the defenseless. Even the Saint is not above using the oldest trick in the book and when he discovers that Hakim had a girl in London, he baits his hook. Things proceed rather smoothly, though the beautiful Leila proves to be more difficult than the cold-hearted killer...

Simon Templar is driving leisurely through the French countryside on his way from Avignon to the Riviera. He picks up to hitch-hikers, students who are going to work at Château Ingare, a small vineyard on the site of a former stronghold of the Knights Templar, a society of medieval adventurers who began by protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land and were later believed to have become corrupt and immensely wealthy in the process, although their reputed treasure has never been found.

The coincidence of this association with his own name intrigues Simon enough for him to take his passengers all the way to the château. They arrive on the estate to find a fire in the barn, apparently the work of arsonists. Simon’s hand is slightly injured, and Mimette, the attractive young daughter of the owner, insist on taking him to the château to have it dressed.

He learns that the burning of the barn is only the latest of many misfortunes that have afflicted the vineyard since a cryptic ancient tombstone was discovered on the property: These have revived all the old legends about the curse of the Templars and their treasure.

When Simon attempts to leave, another apparent accident obliges Mimette and her father to invite him to stay a few days as their guest. It is not long before a real and indisputable murder proves that he has involved himself in something very sinister but certainly not supernatural.

Two intriguing tales of criminal strategy that feature The Saint at his best. In The Pastor’s Problem, Father Bernardo, pastor of St. Jude’s church, has a dilemma: the church owns a three-hundred-year-old jewel-encrusted silver chalice, bequeathed under the condition that it never be sold. But St. Jude’s is a desperately poor parish, and the money from the sale of the chalice would greatly relieve the plight of the parishioners. When The Saint comes up with an ingenious plan to steal the chalice and send Father Bernardo a “donation” for its assessed value, the pastor’s problem appears solved — until someone steals the chalice from The Saint!In The Unsaintly Santa, our hero finds himself in Cambridge shortly before Christmas, when a string of murders involving St. Enoch’s College are committed by a homicidal maniac dressed in a Santa Claus suit. With Christmas Day fast approaching The Saint must prevent this Unsaintly Santa from delivering anymore deadly presents.

The indomitable Simon Templar, better known as “the Saint,” is in Covers for a boat race when he is accosted by a damsel in distress (his favorite kind of damsel). Arabella Tatenor’s husband, Charles, is killed when his boat the Candecour explodes during the race, and she is shocked to learn that he was flat broke — the only thing he has to leave her besides debts is the Phoenix, his half-million-dollar yacht, which is docked in France. Simon does a bit of checking and finds that Charles seems to have been the accomplice in the robbery of five million dollar’s worth of gold bullion some years ago. Before he has time to warn Arabella she has gone to France and unknowingly meets up with some of her husband’s ex-business associates. Simon finally catches up with her on the Phoenix, but unfortunately, so do Charles’s associates... It seems that Charles had been holding out on them and there is some four million dollar’s worth of gold to be accounted for. And since Charles was accustomed to take a spear-fishing trip twice a year, it seems logical that the gold should be somewhere along that route. Intertwined with the mystery of the hidden gold is the identity of the sixth conspirator in the robbery — and some people in high places begin to wonder if it could have been the saint himself...

A man with no identity. A spy with no allegiance. A thief with no scruples. Simon Templar, a/k/a The Saint, is all of these things — and his services can be bought for the right price. Hired by a Russian nationalist to swipe a top-secret formula from an American electrochemist, Templar figures it’s rubles in the bag. But the beautiful Dr. Emma Russell proves to be much more than his usual mark, and stealing her life’s work brings on a sudden, unprecedented attack of Saintly ethics.

Now, with love in his heart, Scotland Yard on his trail, and power-mad Muscovites hot on his heels, the Saint must dodge assassins’ bullets, crack killer security codes, and don a multitude of disguises in a desperate bid to save Russia, his personal angel, and his own less-than-virtuous life.

Simon Templar is driving leisurely through the French countryside on his way from Avignon to the Riviera. He who are going to work at Château Ingare, a small vineyard on the site of a former stronghold of the Knights Templar, a society of medieval adventurers who began by protecting pilgrims to the Holy Land and were later believed to have become corrupt and immensely wealthy in the process, although their reputed treasure has never been found.

The coincidence of this association with his own name intrigues Simon enough for him to take his passengers all the way to the château. They arrive on the estate to find a fire in the barn, apparently the work of arsonists. Simon’s hand is slightly injured, and Mimette, the attractive young daughter of the owner, insist on taking him to the chateau to have it dressed.

He learns that the burning of the barn is only the latest of many misfortunes that have afflicted the vineyard since a cryptic ancient tombstone was discovered on the property: These have revived all the old legends about the curse of the Templars and their treasure.

When Simon attempts to leave, another apparent accident obliges Mimette and her father to invite him to stay a few days as their guest. It is not long before a real and indisputable murder proves that he has involved himself in something very sinister but certainly not supernatural.