''Follow the Saint'' is a collection of three mystery

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

s by Leslie Charteris, featuring the criminal and crimefighter Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The collection was first published in 1938. ''Follow the Saint'' marked a change in the publication order for the Saint books. Up to this point, the books were always published first in the United Kingdom, followed by an American publication later in the year or sometimes a year later. The order was switched beginning with this book, with the American edition (by

The Crime Club ''The Crime Club'' was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series, and a 1937-1939 film series. Literature Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their fir ...

) preceding the UK edition by

Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher ...

, which was not released until 1939.

Stories

The book consisted of the following stories: #"The Miracle Tea Party" — Simon Templar investigates an unprovoked attack on his "nemesis",

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, which appears to be connected to the smuggling of high-denomination

pound sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and t ...

notes hidden inside tea bags. #"The Invisible Millionaire" — Templar is invited to meet a young woman at a secret rendezvous where she plans to provide information regarding a major swindle. The case becomes complicated when the Saint and his assistant

Hoppy Uniatz Hoppy or Hoppie may refer to: __NOTOC__ Fictional characters * Hopalong Cassidy, a cowboy in novels and films * Hoppy (The Flintstones), on the television series ''The Flintstones'' * Hoppie Groenewald, in the 1989 novel ''The Power of One'' an ...

find the woman stabbed to death, with Templar (as usual) blamed for her murder. Templar and Uniatz don't know what to think when their accusers subsequently invite them to come home for dinner. #"The Affair of Hogsbotham" — Self-appointed guardian of public morality Ebenezer Hogsbotham annoys Templar with his attempt to turn Britain into a chaste society, so Templar decides to bring him down a peg or two by robbing his home. But Templar and Uniatz invade the wrong house and find themselves in the midst of a bank-robbing conspiracy.

Television adaptations

Two of the stories were later adapted as episodes of the TV series ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

''. "The Invisible Millionaire" aired on February 13, 1964, during the programme's second season. "The Miracle Tea Party" opened the third season on October 8, 1964. 1938 short story collections Simon Templar books Short story collections by Leslie Charteris The Crime Club books Hodder & Stoughton books {{1940s-mystery-novel-stub