Reviews for Getaway

The average rating for Getaway based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-10-25 00:00:00 Shawn Ryan A very ruthless Saint A major part of the resolution of this third and final volume of the trilogy of the Saint vs Crown Prince Rudolph hinges on some improbable coincidences and occurrences. In his introduction to this edition, Burl Barer explains it thus: "Here then is The Saint’s Getaway, one of the most action packed and entertaining of all Saint novels. Yes, the explanation for much of the mayhem hinges on a most outrageous and unlikely coincidence, but Charteris’s impudence is obvious. Both Charteris and his editor, Monty Haydon, were perfectly aware that the sudden explanation offered in the finale is wildly improbably, perhaps even absurd. In the world of Simon Templar, absurd is simply one more endearing attribute. Come then, there is a train pulling out…and you’re invited…get on board and hold on tight…there is an adventure rolling down these tracks, and you don’t want to miss it!" Not only did Barer forgive the coincidence, but apparently so did the public, this book being one of the best selling Saint titles. At first, this final volume of the Saint saving Europe from the machinations of Crown Prince Rudolph seems to be no more than a tale of stolen Montenegrian crown jewels. (The first two volumes are The Saint Closes the Case aka The Last Hero and The Avenging Saint.) Yet the Saint becomes suspicious. Why would a man as rich as Rudolph care about the comparatively small value of the jewels? The previous volumes left me with an impression of Crown Prince Rudolph as a ruthless but urban, mannerly, almost sporting opponent. This volume reveals his cruelty as well as his ruthlessness. At one point Leslie Charteris describes him as, "His Indescribable Pulchritude the Crown Prince Rudolf." Unfortunately the Saint is also revealed as more ruthless and callous than I have ever before known him to be: "He had one glimpse of the man who came stumbling out—a man in the railroad uniform, capless, with a gash over his temple and his face straining to a shout of terror...Verweile doch—du bist zu schnell,” said the Saint gently. They were face to face for an instant of time, and Simon saw the man’s eyes wide and staring. “Let’s take a walk,” said the Saint. He screwed the wrist he was holding up into the nape of the brakeman’s neck, and pushed him back into the van. There was another shot as they came through, and the man flopped forward like a dead weight. Simon let go and let him fall sideways." So much for the railway brakeman. He is never mentioned again. I am reducing my normal 4 or 5 star Saintly review to 3 for this hitherto unsuspected, by me, facet of the Saint's character. Surely Charteris did not really intend that scene to play out as it did. Naturally, in the end the Saint sees it through, foils Rudolph and makes his getaway with Patricia.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-09-25 00:00:00 Kaptin Kurt Published in 1933, this installment of the Saint's adventures takes place in about 24 hrs start to finish. The whole adventure starts with a mistake: thinking they are rescuing a poor little nebbish from three muggers, the Saint and his pal Monty step in, only to discover they have intervened on the side of the ungodly this time! The eponymous "getaway" is not only from the law but from just about everyone they meet, as they proceed to hare across a couple of countries in their attempt to save their skins and keep the boodle. Templar is of course too good to be true--even in those days one couldn't "step down" onto the top of a passing limosine and go unnoticed by the occupants, let alone ride there for miles at speed. But Templar knows all, sees all, does all--and apparently enjoys all. Patricia is still with him; though rather in the background for most of the book, she does pop up when needed and make a valuable contribution. This is the purplest of purple prose. Apparently Charteris freely admitted to overwriting, over describing, and generally taking things too far. Here's just a sampling of his mixed metaphors and gigglingly good over-the-top narration: He knew that his only way out lay along the precarious alleyways of peace with honour--with black italics for the peace, if anything. It was unfortunate, admittedly, but it was one of the immutable verities of the situation. Was it, now. I never did figure out why "black italics" would be necessary. Everything was a matter of split seconds in that discreet getaway, and no one knew better than Simon Templar that only an exhibition of agility that would make cats look silly was going to skin a ninth life out of the hornet's nest that had blown up under his feet. Trying to follow that sentence could give you whiplash. And then there's my personal favourite: The smile on the Saint's lips was as superficial as a reflection in burnished bronze. And as distorted, apparently. Once again, the close ties of 1930s upperclass Britain with Germany are evident in the fact that everyone speaks German fluently, and some important conversations are expressed in that language without benefit of translation. Others are supposedly translations-for-the-reader; one wonders how Templar's badinage flowed in a different language, but then he's a perfect Gary Stu--or in this case, Wolfgang Amadeus. The last of Charteris' "evil political puppeteer" novels; apparently even he grew tired of the evil genius behind the scenes, manipulating world events. It never stopped Ian Fleming, though.