A collection of suspense stories, puzzle stories, whodunits and tricky whydunits involving police detectives, private eyes, talented and sometimes lucky amateurs, armchair detectives, and ethnic detectives.

On the eve of World War II the redoubtable Simon Templar (better known as THE SAINT) finds himself in the imperial city of Vienna, his attentions divided between a very sensuous countess and some legendary diamonds — both of which he is trying to keep out of Nazi hands. Since the days of the Holy Roman Empire, the legendary Hapsburg Necklace has been guarded by members of the Austrian nobility. But never before has it had so beautiful a protector as one Francesca, the Countess Malffy (also known as Frankie). And never before has it been so in danger of being stolen. For its hiding place, the Malffy ancestral manor, has recently been occupied by a new tenant — the Gestapo. And as THE SAINT...

The indomitable Simon Templar, better known as “the Saint,” is in Covers for a boat race when he is accosted by a damsel in distress (his favorite kind of damsel). Arabella Tatenor’s husband, Charles, is killed when his boat the Candecour explodes during the race, and she is shocked to learn that he was flat broke — the only thing he has to leave her besides debts is the Phoenix, his half-million-dollar yacht, which is docked in France. Simon does a bit of checking and finds that Charles seems to have been the accomplice in the robbery of five million dollar’s worth of gold bullion some years ago. Before he has time to warn Arabella she has gone to France and unknowingly meets up with some...

Two stories set in 1950, when Simon Templar was still proving that a wartime interlude of at least semi-respectable endeavour had not permanently impaired his piratical propensities. “The Midas Double”, in which the Saint’s assistance is called upon by a Greek shipping magnate who is being brilliant impersonator, is a convolution of false identities and double-dealing. And hard-hitting action is promised when he is enlisted to infiltrate a gang of ruthless mercenary commandos in “The Pawn Gambit”. In this duet of hitherto unrecorded adventures the Saint shows himself at his reckless and impudent best.

They didn’t figure in the trade figures but somebody was importing goods into Britain —human goods When a waiter at an Indian restaurant is crucified in a Soho garage and when a patron of that restaurant is the famous Simon Templar, it spells trouble for the most nefarious export-import business ever. In particular it spelled trouble for: Shortwave —a man so tuned-in, he couldn’t turn off. Kalki —who takes an underwater plunge which lasts a whole lot longer than the regulation three minutes. Fowler —the Boss who plays very dirty indeed — and fouls once too often.

On an errand of mercy to help an elderly neighbour, the Sainted Simon Templar meets a very distraught — and very beautiful young woman. Seems she is missing a brother, and someone is missing a Rembrandt. Together they track the fiend behind it all: The Masterpiece Merchant. On the other side of the Atlantic our “afficionado of the unexpected, the master of the unpredictable,” Simon Templar, makes the acquaintance of a lovely young heiress at a Mainline charity ball. But a little sleuthing reveals that one member of the Social Register is also listed on the Who’s Who of Organised Crime...

The Saint is in Portugal on the trail of a young woman whose father was in the US Army and disappeared towards the end of the war. Her father worked as an investigator, tracing large sums of money. Soon the Saint and the Ungodly are on the trail of Nazi gold.

Otto Penzler rounds up the most cunning, ruthless, criminals in mystery fiction. The best mysteries — whether detective, historical, police procedural, cozy, or comedy-have one thing in common: a memorable culprit. For all the heroes in earnest pursuit, there are malefactors on the loose, determined to outfox their efforts and sow trouble in their wake. These are the rogues and villains who haunt our imaginations, but they often have more in common with their heroic counterparts than we might expect (and, as we shall see, some even moonlight as detectives or do-gooders themselves). The seventy-two handpicked stories in this collection introduce us to the miscreants who have schemed and...