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Amazon now have the new edition of The Saint in New York available for pre-order - the novel was originally published in 1935 by Hodder and Stoughton, and has been read and loved by countless mystery and adventure fans and continues to be loved. The novel was the first major bestseller for author, Leslie Charteris, establishing him as a star on both sides of the Atlantic,  filmed with Louis Hayward in the title role it  was the first movie to be based on the character. Of course since then many actor have played the role in movies, on TV and even on radio - among them George Sanders, Val Kilmer, Ian Oglivy, Vincent Price and soon to be new Saint, Adam Rayner.

I've always been fond of The Saint in New York and it remains my favourite Saint book- it was the first book in the series that I ever read and shocked me with the hard boiled style - At the time I only knew that character from the entertaining though fluffy Roger Moore TV series and a few episodes of the Ian Oglivy version. Later I saw some of the old movies on BBC2.


As a child it was the TV Saint and then this novel that turned me into a major fan of the character and over the years I've re-read, The Saint in New York several times. So when I was offered the chance to write an introduction for one of the new editions of the Saint series, I jumped at it, and series editor, Ian Dickerson has done me a great honour in allowing my input into the series. I wrote a generic intro which could have been placed in any of the reissued books, but it is especially exciting that my intro is included in the all new, all singing and dancing edition of The Saint in New York.

Old paperback edition

In Prohibition-era New York, criminals rule the city: the gangsters do what they like, and pay the judges for the privilege; the few honest cops are helpless; and above them all the Big Fellow pulls the strings. With that many sinners, cleaning up the town will take a Saint...

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books (20 Jun 2013)
• Language: Unknown
• ISBN-10: 1444766147
• ISBN-13: 978-1444766141

So get on up the Amazon and pre-order this new edition and while there check out the rest of the new editions. A Kindle version will also be available.

THE SAINT IN NEW YORK

I've been pretty much aware of The Saint my entire life but until several years ago had never read any of the original books - I was introduced to the character by watching the re-runs of the Roger Moore series during the early Seventies. And then when Ian Ogilvy took over the role I was thirteen years old and remember sitting down to watch the very first episode. I enjoyed it but when I watch the series now, which only lasted for one season, I do think that Ogilvy was just too lightweight for the role. He just doesn't look right in the action scenes, - but that's only my opinion as the series does have a fair few fans. I remember at the time the press reported that he was cast in the role because he resembled a young Roger Moore and he did indeed. My opinion these days is that Oglivy would have made a superb Saint if he'd been maybe ten years older when he took the role. He just looks far too boyish in the series.

Now over the years I've listened to a few of the old time radio Saint episodes, read a number of comic books and was left dismayed by the Val Kilmer film. My opinion of The Saint was, until a few years ago, that he was an enjoyable enough creation but nothing more than that.

Now when I saw a pile of secondhand Saint books in a used book store I snapped them up. Again I wasn't expecting too much - I was however blown away.

That book was The Saint in New York, originally published in 1935, and by the time I'd read the first couple of chapters I realised that the real Saint was nothing like Moore or Ogilvy's television versions and I've never see the Simon Dutton tele-movies but from what I've read they were a missed opportunity.

Man, this book was as hard boiled and brutal as anything Chandler or Hammett produced - shit, there are times in the book where Simon Templar is borderline psychotic in his single minded quest to bring down the mob. And whilst Charteris didn't utilise the semi-poetic style of Chandler and Hammett, he produced good no nonsense prose that dragged the reader along and the character of Simon Templar was surprisingly multi-dimensional - far from a typical "Bouy's Own" type hero he was a anti-hero of style, grace and a mean left hook.

The book opens with a letter sent to the Chief of Police in New York City. It comes from the Metropolitan Police and warns that Simon Templar, known as "The Saint" is believed to be in the United States. And right away we are thrown into the action and Leslie Charteris hurls the story forward at breakneck speed and by the end of the book I was hooked.

Since then I've read maybe a dozen others, saw all the old RKO movies, the film The Saint in New York which starred Louis Hayward, is very faithful to the source novel. And although I can still watch Roger Moore's Saint whenever it's on I know that the real Saint can only be found between the pages of the original books.

For anyone who has never read a Saint book I would urge them to start with this one - not because it's better than any of the other early novels but because it's such a action packed, genuinely exciting story that I guarantee you'll be back for more.

TONIGHT ON THE ARCHIVE
Ian Dickerson interview, a comparison of the 1969 and 1979 Saint annuals and look at a 1967 edition of The Saint mystery magazine, a look at The major Saint movies, what we know about the forthcoming TV pilot and for the finale - the digital publication debut of an ultra rare Saint comic strip written by Archive fave Keith Chapman AKA western writer, Chap O'Keefe. Shit this strip is rarer than a honest politician...

So Watch out for the sign of The Saint.