.gif)
Daredevil (novel)
Encyclopedia
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 would go on to become 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
).
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.
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novel by Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris
Leslie Charteris , born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, was a half-Chinese, half English author of primarily mystery fiction, as well as a screenwriter. He was best known for his many books chronicling the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint."-Early life:Charteris was born to a Chinese father...
which was first published by Ward Lock in 1929 (followed by an American edition that same year by The Crime Club
The Crime Club
The Crime Club was an imprint of the Doubleday publishing company, which later spawned a 1946-47 anthology radio series.Many classic and popular works of detective and mystery fiction had their first U.S. editions published via the Crime Club, including all 50 books of The Saint by Leslie Charteris...
). 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
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, 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
Hirondel
The Hirondel is a fictional car driven by Simon Templar, the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris. The Hirondel is an opulent, eight-cylinder, cream and red vehicle weighing more than and is a recurring element in many of The Saint books. It was featured in a 1972 issue of Automobile...
, 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
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
Inspector Claud Eustace Teal
Claud Eustace Teal
Claud Eustace Teal is a fictional character who made many appearances in a series of novels, novellas and short stories by Leslie Charteris entitled The Saint, starting in 1929...
, the gum-chewing detective who would go on to become 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
Enter the Saint
Enter the Saint is a collection of three interconnected adventure novellas by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in 1930, followed by an American edition by The Crime Club in 1931....
).
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.