Daredevil (novel)


Daredevil is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris which was first published by Ward Lock in 1929. 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.
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 later became a recurring character in the Simon Templar novels, novellas, and short stories starting in 1929.
Other than the character, there is no indication of narrative continuity between this novel and the Saint series, and it has never been reprinted alongside the Saint books.
Charteris would go on to write one further novel in 1929, The Bandit, before focusing almost exclusively on writing Simon Templar adventures for the remainder of his literary career.