Boodle is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in August 1934. This was the thirteenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", and the second short story collection featuring the character. The title is taken from the British slang term "boodle" meaning bribery, stolen goods or loot (it is also a term frequently used by Templar). When first published in the United States by The Crime Club, the unfamiliar-sounding title was changed to The Saint Intervenes, and this title was later applied to future UK editions. As with the earlier collection, The Brighter Buccaneer, Boodle consists of stories written by Charteris under contract with the UK magazine Empire News during 1933. One story, "The Man Who Liked Toys", was first published in The American Magazine as a non-Saint story featuring a lead character named Kestry; Charteris later revised the story to include the Saint. Three stories, "The Noble Sportsman", "The Art Photographer", and "The Mixture as Before" received their first publication in Boodle.

Stories

The book consists of between 12 and 14 stories, depending upon the edition:

Variation

For reasons unknown, later British editions of this collection omit either one or both of the two stories "The Uncritical Publisher" and "The Noble Sportsman". "The Uncritical Publisher" has been released by the Saint Club and as a DVD extra.

Publication history and alternate titles

Most of the stories, save for three - noted as applicable - were first published in the UK newspaper Empire News, and most were retitled for omnibus publication (alternate titles listed where applicable). The Empire stories are collected in the order of first publication:

Television adaptations

"The Noble Sportsman" was adapted for the TV series The Saint during its second season, first airing on 9 January 1964. (The story itself was one of two that was not included in British editions of the book.) Three stories were adapted for the programme's third season: "The Loving Brothers" (19 November 1964), "The Man Who Liked Toys" (26 November 1964), and "The Damsel in Distress" (31 December 1964). "The Newdick Helicopter" was retitled "The Chequered Flag" and aired on 1 July 1965, as the first episode of the fourth season.