Thieves' Picnic
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Author | Leslie Charteris |
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Language | English |
Series | The Saint |
Genre | Mystery novel |
Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
Publication date | 1937 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
Pages | 320 pp |
Preceded by | The Ace of Knaves |
Followed by | Prelude for War |
Thieves' Picnic 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 1937 by Hodder and Stoughton, and in the United States by The Crime Club the same year. Later editions of the book were retitled The Saint Bids Diamonds; another alternate title is The Saint at the Thieves' Picnic.
Plot summary
After Simon Templar intercepts a mysterious message intended for a jewel-smuggling ring during a trip to Spain, he and his sidekick Hoppy Uniatz follow the message's trail to Tenerife, Canary Islands where they rescue an elderly Dutch diamond cutter and his daughter from being beaten to death.
Templar learns that the old man is a reluctant member of the smuggling ring and, assisted by the daughter, sets out to bring down the gang. Things become more complicated when Templar learns that the man had been in possession of a lottery ticket worth the equivalent of $2 million, and that this ticket is now missing. So not only does The Saint have to rescue the diamond cutter and his daughter from the smuggling ring, he also has to track down the missing lottery ticket, which has sparked instability within the gang. Soon after, Hoppy and the diamond cutter go missing.
Templar, using his frequent "Sebastian Tombs" cover name, infiltrates the gang, posing as a freelance diamond cutter who is hired to replace the old man. (This despite the fact that Templar hasn't the slightest idea as to how to cut diamonds.) From within the gang, Templar plans to start the members double-crossing each other, but finds his work is already half done thanks to that missing lottery ticket.
Some later editions of this book include an afterword entitled "The Last Word" in which Charteris invites readers to join The Saint Club, a fan club that he founded in the 1930s. The annual dues for the club, Charteris writes, went to support the Arbour Youth Club located in east London, which at the time Charteris composed "The Last Word" was still recovering from the Blitz of World War II.
Television adaptation
Thieves' Picnic was adapted as an episode of the TV series The Saint as "The Saint Bids Diamonds". The episode aired during the fourth season on August 12, 1965. It was one of the few full novels used as source material for the series.
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- The Saint (Simon Templar)
- Patricia Holm
- Claud Eustace Teal
- Meet the Tiger (1928)
- Enter the Saint (1930)
- The Last Hero (1930)
- Knight Templar (1930)
- Featuring the Saint (UK only – 1931)
- Alias the Saint (UK only – 1931)
- Wanted for Murder (US only – 1931)
- She Was a Lady (1931)
- The Holy Terror (1932)
- Getaway (1932)
- Once More the Saint (1933)
- The Brighter Buccaneer (1933)
- The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal (1934)
- Boodle (1934)
- The Saint Goes On (1934)
- The Saint in New York (1935)
- Saint Overboard (1936)
- The Ace of Knaves (1937)
- Thieves' Picnic (1937)
- Prelude for War (1938)
- Follow the Saint (1938)
- The Happy Highwayman (1939)
- The Saint in Miami (1940)
- The Saint Goes West (1942)
- The Saint Steps In (1942)
- The Saint on Guard (1944)
- The Saint Sees it Through (1946)
- Call for the Saint (1948)
- Saint Errant (1948)
- The Saint in Europe (1953)
- The Saint on the Spanish Main (1955)
- The Saint Around the World (1956)
- Thanks to the Saint (1957)
- Señor Saint (1958)
- The Saint to the Rescue (1959)
- Trust the Saint (1962)
- The Saint in the Sun (1963)
(credited to Charteris)
- Vendetta for the Saint (1964)
- The Saint on TV (1968)
- The Saint Returns (1968)
- The Saint and the Fiction Makers (1968)
- The Saint Abroad (1969)
- The Saint in Pursuit (1970)
- The Saint and the People Importers (1971)
- Catch the Saint (1975)
- The Saint and the Hapsburg Necklace (1976)
- Send for the Saint (1977)
- The Saint in Trouble (1978)
- The Saint and the Templar Treasure (1979)
- Count On the Saint (1980)
- Salvage for the Saint (1983)
- The Saint (film novelization) (1997)
- Capture the Saint (1997)
- The Saint's Second Front (1941)
- Bet on the Saint (1968)
- The Saint's Lady (1979)
- The Saint in New York (1938)
- The Saint Strikes Back (1939)
- The Saint in London (1939)
- The Saint's Double Trouble (1940)
- The Saint Takes Over (1940)
- The Saint in Palm Springs (1941)
- The Saint's Vacation (1941)
- The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943)
- The Saint's Return (1953)
- Le Saint mène la danse (1960)
- Le Saint prend l'affût (1966)
- The Saint (1997)
- The Fiction Makers (1968)
- Vendetta for the Saint (1969)
- The Saint and the Brave Goose (1983)
- The Saint in Manhattan (1987)
- Fear in Fun Park (1989)
- The Saint: The Blue Dulac (1989)
- The Saint: The Brazilian Connection (1989)
- The Saint: Wrong Number (1990)
- The Saint: The Software Murders (1990)
- The Saint: The Big Bang (1990)
- The Saint (2017)
- The Saint (radio program)
- The Saint (TV series)
- episodes
- theme music
- Return of the Saint
- "Vicious Circle"
- Daredevil (1929) (Teal's first appearance)
- S.W.O.R.D. (fictional organization)
- Hirondel (Templar's car)
Category
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