Customer Reviews

Saint Overboard

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While sleeping comfortably one night aboard a friend's yacht, Simon Templar is rudely awakened by shouts in the night followed by gunshots. Soon after -- and much to the Saint's surprise -- a pretty bikini-clad lady climbs aboard. Loretta Page works for an investigation company that is busy investigating one Kurt Vogel. Vogel is after a prize entombed in a sunken ship and will stop at nothing to get it. The thought of sunken treasure interests the Saint enough to help Miss Page, stop Vogel, and pocket as much of the treasure as he can pilfer.

This full-length Saint adventure finds Simon in search of sunken treasure -- or rather, in search of people in search of it.

The background to the story is impeccably set up. The breadth of Charteris's knowledge was astonishing: there is even a passing reference to verifying Wegener's Theory of Continental Drift, which at that point (1936) had collected nothing but ridicule.

In terms of continuity there are several references to earlier Saintly adventures, Orace figures prominently, and Roger Conway and Peter Quentin join in.

Nevertheless, I like this book much less than other Saint stories of the same period. But I'm not sure why, unless it's the predictability of the plot and the ordinariness of the heroine. Perhaps there just isn't as much fun in it.

So only three stars, for me. Your mileage may differ.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.