Getaway (The Saint)
First edition
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| Author | Leslie Charteris |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Saint |
| Genre | Mystery fiction |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
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Publication date
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1932 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Holy Terror |
| Followed by | Once More the Saint |
Getaway is a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom in September 1932 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the fifth full-length novel featuring the adventures of the modern day Robin Hood-inspired crimebuster Simon Templar, and the ninth Saint book published overall since 1928. When first published in the United States by The Crime Club in February 1933, the title was modified to The Saint's Getaway which was later adopted by future UK editions.
Prior to being published in book form, Getaway had appeared in The Thriller magazine under the titles Property of the Deceased and Two Men from Munich.
Charteris, in his introduction to a mid-1960s reprint of the book for Fiction Publishing Company, describes Getaway as the third part of a trilogy of novels that began with The Last Hero and Knight Templar.
The novel begins approximately three weeks after the events of the story "The Melancholy Journey of Mr. Teal" from The Holy Terror. Simon Templar, accompanied by his lover/partner Patricia Holm, has departed England on a well-deserved holiday from crime-fighting.
While visiting Innsbruck, Austria with their friend, book editor Monty Hayward (making his first appearance in the series), the trio are out for a late-night walk when they see a man being attacked by thugs. They stop the attack, but the victim is particularly ungrateful, forcing Templar to knock him out, too. Intrigued by the man's attitude—as well as by a steel box attached to his wrist (which later turns out to be a miniature safe filled with recently stolen diamonds), Templar decides to take the unconscious man back to his hotel room. Before long, however, the man is stabbed to death in Templar's bed and Templar finds himself in yet another encounter with Prince Rudolf—one of the men responsible for the death of his friend Norman Kent in The Last Hero.
Simon and Patricia (with very reluctant adventurer Monty in tow) find themselves on a cross-continent race against Rudolf and his minions (who are pursuing the diamonds) and the police (who want Templar and Monty for the murder of the courier). Along the way, the trio picks up a female crime reporter who takes part in the adventure in her quest for a career-making scoop on The Saint.
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