Patricia Holm is the name of a fictional character who appeared in the novels and short stories of

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner of

Simon Templar ''The Saint'' is the nickname of the fictional character Simon Templar, featured in a series of novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books un ...

, alias "The Saint", and shared a number of his adventures. In addition, by the mid-1930s, Holm and Templar shared the same flat in London, although they were unmarried. Although such co-habitation between unmarried partners is commonplace today, it was rare, shocking (and in some areas, even illegal) in the 1930s. The two also appeared to have a somewhat "open" relationship, with Holm accepting (or, at least, tolerating) Templar's occasional dalliances with other women. Charteris wrote Holm out of the series after 1948. A fleeting reference in the final novel credited to Charteris (1983's '' Salvage for the Saint'') reveals that at some point in the past, Holm had left Templar.

Early appearances

Holm is 20 when she first encounters Templar in the inaugural Saint adventure '' Meet - The Tiger!'' (published in 1928). She and Templar encounter each other on the street in a quiet seaside English village, and she is initially annoyed by his flippant, almost comical behavior. Later, following more encounters, she begins to fall in love with Templar and literally talks herself into assisting the Saint on a scheme to uncover the identity of a crime boss named The Tiger and make off with a hoard of illegally obtained gold. Templar, after some initial hesitancy, recognizes Holm as a kindred spirit, with "Saintly" qualities not unlike his own. Holm actually becomes the main protagonist for the middle third of the novel, as at one point the Saint is incapacitated and Holm is led to the assumption that he is dead. She decides to complete his mission and take revenge upon the Tiger, but is reunited with Templar before things get out of hand. Charteris' physical description of Holm (which remained consistent) is of a tall and willowy woman with long, golden-blonde hair. Following ''Meet - The Tiger!'', Holm fades into the background for the next Saint book, 1930s '' Enter the Saint'' (a novella collection), and is relegated to cameo status, the character being sent on a Mediterranean cruise, ostensibly to keep her out of trouble. In the third Saint book, the novel ''

The Last Hero ''The Last Hero'' is a short fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-seventh book in his ''Discworld'' series. It was published in 2001 in a larger format than the other ''Discworld'' novels and illustrated on every page by ...

'', Holm alternates between being an active heroine (she and Templar witness a test of the electroncloud device, a machine that has the potential to spark a second world war) to " damsel in distress" as she is kidnapped by the villain, millionaire Rayt Marius, an action that sends the Saint into a murderous rage. In the same book, the reader - but not Holm herself - learns that Templar's friend Norman Kent is deeply and hopelessly in love with her, a futile love which has a significant part in bringing Kent to decide upon the self-sacrificing act which he takes at the book's conclusion. After ''The Last Hero'', Holm all but vanishes from the series for a time. She is only briefly mentioned in ''

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

'', a direct sequel to ''The Last Hero'' (Charteris writes that she's on another Mediterranean cruise), and appears only briefly in the next two novella collections ''

Featuring the Saint ''Featuring the Saint'' is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in February 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the fifth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The ...

'' and '' Alias the Saint'' (initially released in the United States as the omnibus ''

Wanted for Murder ''Wanted for Murder'' is the title of a collection of six mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris which was first published in the United States in August 1931. This book was part of an ongoing series of novels and novellas by Charteris featuring ...

''). She is completely absent from the following novel, ''

She Was a Lady ''She Was a Lady'' is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The novel was first published in serialized form in the magazine ''Thriller'' in February and March 1930, and after be ...

'', however her presence is felt as Templar, despite finding himself in partnership with a beautiful crime boss for a number of weeks, states that his heart belongs to another and that his relationship with Jill Trelawney is nothing beyond platonic.

Relationship with the Saint

Beginning in the next book, 1932's '' The Holy Terror'', Charteris returns to using Patricia Holm in the same way in which she made her debut in ''Meet - The Tiger!'' - as a willing and loyal partner to The Saint, who is willing to do almost anything (within reason) to help Templar achieve his goals. Templar reaffirms his love for Holm several times in ''The Holy Terror'', even going so far as to considering proposing marriage, but Holm replies that she has no interest in marrying, fearing it would spoil her unique relationship with Templar. Considering that these early adventures were written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the relationship shared between Holm and Templar was progressive for its day. In ''Meet - The Tiger!'' they make love not long after their first meeting, and in ''Enter the Saint'' it is suggested they may be living together; by the time of ''The Holy Terror'' there is no ambiguity at all that they share the same flat in London, an extremely rare event in the era. The two also appeared to have a somewhat "open" relationship, with Holm accepting (or, at least, tolerating) Templar's occasional dalliances with other women. For example, in the short story "The Bad Baron" (in the collection '' The Brighter Buccaneer''), Templar briefly goes off with another woman (and steals a kiss from her); Holm's response is to simply ask if Templar has started a new romance; in ''

Prelude for War ''Prelude for War'' is a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his Robin Hood-inspired crime fighter, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1938 by Hodder and Stoughton, and in the United S ...

'', in which Holm plays a major supporting role, Holm refers to Lady Valerie (the lead female character in the book who Templar briefly woos) as the latest addition to Simon's

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

. The novel '' Getaway'' sees Templar and Holm taking a European vacation, although they soon find themselves battling Prince Rudolf, who had been the power broker behind Rayt Marius in ''The Last Hero''. At one point, Holm and another colleague, Monty Hayward, are left to fend for themselves and Holm reveals that Templar has been training her in the ways of crimefighting, and she takes charge of the situation from Monty. Holm dons several disguises during this adventure, and at the end of the book safely escapes a police station shootout with Templar. Soon after (in the novella "The Gold Standard" in ''

Once More the Saint ''Once More the Saint'' is a collection of three interrelated mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in January 1933. This was the tenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, ...

''), she and Templar return to London by separate ways. Templar is apprehended for questioning by Scotland Yard Inspector Claud Eustace Teal; while Templar is in custody Teal receives word that a petty crook has himself been robbed at gunpoint in another part of England. The robber left behind a copy of Templar's trademark stick figure-with halo calling card. Templar claims that someone is impersonating him, a charge Teal initially believes; later, the reader learns that this second "Saint" was in fact Patricia Holm, who committed the act in order to provide Templar with a handy alibi (that an impersonator is responsible for the crimes attributed to him).

Later career

Holm's interests and involvement outside of Templar's inner circle are rarely touched upon. In "The Gold Standard" she is shown attending a party thrown by some friends, but her thoughts remain with Templar throughout and she is described as carrying a gun in a holster under her left arm. In "The Simon Templar Foundation" (a novella in ''

The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal ''The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal'' is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in May 1934 by Hodder and Stoughton and the United States by The Crime Club. The book was republished under two a ...

''), Charteris describes her as having the same look in her eyes as Templar has (i.e. the look of someone converted to a cause) but her attempt at emulating Templar in that story (trying to divert Teal's attention away from discovering a piece of anti-Saint evidence) is unsuccessful. On a couple of occasions in the short story collection ''

Boodle Boodle is a slang term for money derived from the Dutch word 'boedel' meaning property or estate. Afrikaans inherited the word and its meaning from the Dutch, which probably accounts for its widespread use for money amongst English-speaking Sout ...

'' (a.k.a. ''The Saint Intervenes'') Holm goes undercover as a secretary in order to help move Templar's plots along; in one of these stories, "The Loving Brothers", Holm adopts Templar's physical mannerisms and even mode of speech as she play-acts the role of a fired secretary. Although she is reduced to a one-line cameo in what is arguably the most famous Saint novel, '' The Saint in New York'', her presence is still felt at a crucial point in the book where Templar is tempted to fall in love with the troubled Fay Edwards. Instead, Charteris writes, Templar remembers that his heart belongs to someone else. (This doesn't stop him from kissing the woman several times, however.) In the very next novel, however, '' Saint Overboard'', not only is Holm conspicuous by her total absence, but Templar explicitly falls in love with Loretta Page, the heroine of the book. By the next book, '' The Ace of Knaves'', Templar is once again back with Holm and no reference to Page is made. Holm is absent once again from the next book, '' Thieves' Picnic'' and Templar briefly woos another heroine, but the following novel, ''

'' places Holm back at the forefront again, described by Charteris as the one constant in Templar's life. She is nowhere to be found in 1939's short story collection '' The Happy Highwayman'' which sees Templar romancing several different women. The next book in the series, 1940s '' The Saint in Miami'', makes Holm the instigator of the book's plot, but she otherwise spends much of the novel either "off-screen" or captured by the villains, awaiting Templar's rescue; meanwhile Templar romances a female British

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

, with hardly a complaint from Holm. Holm subsequently disappears from the series for a number of years, being absent from the next few books, all of which were set in the United States.

Leaves the series

Following an appearance in '' The Saint in Miami'' (1940), Holm was absent from the Saint stories until the 1948 novella "The Masked Angel", published as part of '' Call for the Saint''. Later in 1948, the character finally disappeared from the series for good following the short story collection ''

Saint Errant ''Saint Errant'' is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1948 by The Crime Club in the United States and in 1949 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom. This was the 28th book to feature the adventures of Si ...

'' (her final appearance, in order of publishing chronology, being in the story titled "Luella"), and Charteris declined later suggestions for her to return. Nonetheless, according to ''The Saint: A Complete History in Print, Radio, Film and Television 1928-1992'' by

Burl Barer Burl Barer (born 1947 in Walla Walla, Washington) is an American author, literary historian and radio host. He is best known for his writings about the character Simon Templar. Career Fiction ''The Saint'' ''The Saint: A Complete History in ...

, Charteris did attempt to get a fan-written novel entitled ''

The Saint's Lady ''The Saint's Lady'' is an unpublished novel by Joy Martin featuring the character of criminal-turned-detective Simon Templar (alias "The Saint") who had been created by Leslie Charteris in 1928. According to the book ''The Saint: A Complete Hist ...

'' published as part of the official series in the late 1970s; the book featured Holm.Barer Th
Saintly Bible
website also tells of a plan for a film script entitled ''Son of the Saint'' that would have revealed that Holm had a child by Templar. This close relationship could, of course, explain the distance which is always kept between Templar and Pat Holm – if they were close it would be easy for many of the Saint's enemies to revenge themselves on her or her child, something which nearly happened early in Templar's career in ''

''. Ultimately a brief reference to Holm was included in the final Saint novel published under Charteris' tenure, '' Salvage for the Saint'', revealing that at some point in the past, Holm had left Templar. Charteris' depiction of Holm was fairly consistent, though the character herself could vary wildly in her mood and attitudes. Although often seen as wide eyed and innocent, she is anything but, and is more than willing to kill in order to protect herself or Templar, although in ''The Holy Terror'' even Templar momentarily questions her sanity when she expresses disappointment that she didn't get to kill a villain. Charteris often describes her as being cold and dispassionate in her reactions to things and her interactions with others, but at other times she uses affectionate terms like "lad" and "boy" when referring to Templar. The banter between the two frequently resembles that later seen between

John Steed Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the 1960s British spy series '' The Avengers'' and its 1970s sequel '' The New Avengers'', played by Pa ...

and

Emma Peel Emma Peel is a fictional spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s adventure television series '' The Avengers'', and by Uma Thurman in the 1998 film version. She was born Emma Knight, the daughter of an industrialist, Sir John Knight. She ...

in the television series '' The Avengers''. Holm doesn't blindly follow Templar's every whim, however. She is often described as being exasperated by Templar's tendency to be oblique in his discussion of a situation as well as his obsession with writing poetry; in ''Once More the Saint'' she also criticizes Templar for his blackmailing of Inspector Teal in ''The Holy Terror'', and on occasion (such as in "The Gold Standard") questions Templar's tendency to act as judge, jury and executioner.

In other media

Film The character of Patricia Holm was first portrayed on screen by

Jean Gillie A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

in a 1943 film adaptation of ''Meet – The Tiger!'' entitled ''

The Saint Meets the Tiger ''The Saint Meets the Tiger'' is the title of a crime thriller produced by the British unit of RKO Pictures, produced in 1941, but not released until 1943. This was to be the last of the eight films in RKO's film series about the crimefighter ...

'', produced by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

. Subsequently, in all other film and TV adaptations of stories in which Holm originally appeared, the character name has been changed, until December 2012, when American actress

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (2000–2003). She als ...

stepped into the role for a

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

produced by Roger Moore and shot under the direction of

Simon West Simon Alexander West (born 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', '' The Mechanic'', and '' The Expenda ...

. The subsequent pilot, which recast Holm as a high-tech and deadly thief, was not picked up as a series and was eventually released in 2017 (digitally and

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

) in tribute to the recently deceased Moore. Radio

Kim Thomson Kim Ellen Thomson (born 30 October 1959) is an English actress who has appeared on stage, television and film since the early 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Early life Thomson was born on 30 October 1959, altho ...

played Holm in a series of adaptations broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in the 1990s. Comics The character also appeared in the ''Saint'' comic strip of the 1940s, although according to Barer the comic strip version of the character barely resembled that of the books. (Barer points out that a comparison between the literary and comic strip versions of Holm can be found in the short story collection ''Saint Errant'' which featured "two Patricias" – one story featured a character consistent with her previous book and story appearances, while another story was adapted from the comic strip and shows the other version of Patricia.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holm, Patricia The Saint (Simon Templar) Fictional female detectives Characters in British novels of the 20th century Literary characters introduced in 1928 Spy film characters