Daredevil (novel)

1929 novel by Leslie Charteris

Daredevil

First edition cover

Author| Leslie Charteris
Language| English
Series| none, but related to The Saint
Genre| Mystery novel
Publisher| Ward Lock

Publication date

| 1929
Publication place| United Kingdom
Media type| Print (Hardback)

Daredevil is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris which was first published by Ward Lock in 1929 (followed by an American edition that same year by The Crime Club). This was Charteris' fourth full-length novel, and is one of the few full-length books in his canon that does not feature the character of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". However, the book does have a connection to the Saint series.

The novel was a follow-up to an earlier work entitled X Esquire, which was Charteris' first novel, published in 1927. Daredevil followed the exploits of Christopher "Storm" Arden, described as "the fighting daredevil". The character featured many elements that would later be incorporated into The Saint (including the car he drove, a Hirondel, of the type later used by Simon Templar in the early Saint novels and stories).

The most notable element of the book is that it featured the first appearance of Scotland Yard Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the gum-chewing detective who later became a recurring character in the Simon Templar novels, novellas, and short stories starting in 1929 (Templar had been introduced in the 1928 novel, Meet - The Tiger! but this book did not feature Teal; the earliest stories to feature Teal and Templar together can be found in the 1930 collection Enter the Saint).

Other than the character, there is no indication of narrative continuity between this novel and the Saint series, and it has never been reprinted alongside the Saint books.

Charteris would go on to write one further novel in 1929, The Bandit, before focusing almost exclusively on writing Simon Templar adventures (with a few exceptions) for the remainder of his literary career.

## References

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* Burl Barer, The Saint: A Complete History in Print, Radio, Film and Television 1928–1992. Jefferson, N.C.: MacFarland, 2003 (originally published in 1992).

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The Saint, created by Leslie Charteris

Characters|

* The Saint (Simon Templar)
* Patricia Holm
* Claud Eustace Teal

Books by Leslie Charteris|

* Meet the Tiger (1928)
* Enter the Saint (1930)
* The Last Hero (1930)
* Knight Templar (1930)
* Featuring the Saint (UK only – 1931)
* Alias the Saint (UK only – 1931)
* Wanted for Murder (US only – 1931)
* She Was a Lady (1931)
* The Holy Terror (1932)
* Getaway (1932)
* Once More the Saint (1933)
* The Brighter Buccaneer (1933)
* The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal (1934)
* Boodle (1934)
* The Saint Goes On (1934)
* The Saint in New York (1935)
* Saint Overboard (1936)
* The Ace of Knaves (1937)
* Thieves' Picnic (1937)
* Prelude for War (1938)
* Follow the Saint (1938)
* The Happy Highwayman (1939)
* The Saint in Miami (1940)
* The Saint Goes West (1942)
* The Saint Steps In (1942)
* The Saint on Guard (1944)
* The Saint Sees it Through (1946)
* Call for the Saint (1948)
* Saint Errant (1948)
* The Saint in Europe (1953)
* The Saint on the Spanish Main (1955)
* The Saint Around the World (1956)
* Thanks to the Saint (1957)
* Señor Saint (1958)
* The Saint to the Rescue (1959)
* Trust the Saint (1962)
* The Saint in the Sun (1963)

Collaborations
(credited to Charteris)|

* Vendetta for the Saint (1964)
* The Saint on TV (1968)
* The Saint Returns (1968)
* The Saint and the Fiction Makers (1968)
* The Saint Abroad (1969)
* The Saint in Pursuit (1970)
* The Saint and the People Importers (1971)
* Catch the Saint (1975)
* The Saint and the Hapsburg Necklace (1976)
* Send for the Saint (1977)
* The Saint in Trouble (1978)
* The Saint and the Templar Treasure (1979)
* Count On the Saint (1980)
* Salvage for the Saint (1983)

Books by Burl Barer|

* The Saint (film novelization) (1997)
* Capture the Saint (1997)

Unpublished works|

* The Saint's Second Front (1941)
* Bet on the Saint (1968)
* The Saint's Lady (1979)

Cinema films|

* The Saint in New York (1938)
* The Saint Strikes Back (1939)
* The Saint in London (1939)
* The Saint's Double Trouble (1940)
* The Saint Takes Over (1940)
* The Saint in Palm Springs (1941)
* The Saint's Vacation (1941)
* The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943)
* The Saint's Return (1953)
* Le Saint mène la danse (1960)
* Le Saint prend l'affût (1966)
* The Saint (1997)

TV films|

* The Fiction Makers (1968)
* Vendetta for the Saint (1969)
* The Saint and the Brave Goose (1983)
* The Saint in Manhattan (1987)
* Fear in Fun Park (1989)
* The Saint: The Blue Dulac (1989)
* The Saint: The Brazilian Connection (1989)
* The Saint: Wrong Number (1990)
* The Saint: The Software Murders (1990)
* The Saint: The Big Bang (1990)
* The Saint (2017)

Radio and TV series|

* The Saint (radio program)
* The Saint (TV series)
* episodes
* theme music
* Return of the Saint
* "Vicious Circle"

Related articles|

* Daredevil (1929) (Teal's first appearance)
* S.W.O.R.D. (fictional organization)
* Hirondel (Templar's car)

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