The Ace of Knaves

The Ace of Knaves
First edition (UK)
AuthorLeslie Charteris
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Saint
GenreMystery fiction
PublisherHodder & Stoughton (UK)
The Crime Club (US)
Publication date
1937
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Preceded bySaint Overboard 
Followed byThieves' Picnic 

The Ace of Knaves is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in 1937 by Hodder and Stoughton, and in the United States by The Crime Club. This book continues the adventures of Charteris' creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. Later editions of the book were retitled The Saint in Action. The adventures in this book mark the return of Templar's longtime girlfriend and partner Patricia Holm and his nemesis, Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal since The Saint Goes On.

Two of the three novellas were first published in Thriller magazine several months before the book was released; this marked the return of the character to the magazine after a hiatus during which Charteris focused on writing novels.[1]

  1. ^ Lofts, W.O.G.; Adley, Derek (1971). The Saint and Leslie Charteris. London: Hutchinson Library Services. pp. 80–81.