Salvage for the Saint

Forenote

After some thought, I am making a brief intrusion here, in preference to a footnote later.

This offspring of the successive talents of John Kruse and Peter Bloxsom, whom attentive readers will recognise as seasoned veterans of the latter-day genre of Saint adventures, is linked with just one feature unique among these semi-pastiches with which I have tried to beguile you over the last few otiose years.

Besides performing my usual role of meddler with the original television script (in which I frankly had a lot less authority than I had in revising this book which is now based on it) I had on this occasion the rare pleasure of spending a couple of weeks with the crew shooting in the south of France, making myself fractionally useful in suggesting and scouting locations and so forth. I even had the privilege of making a short but necessary voyage on the luxury yacht chartered at awful expense to play the part of the Phoenix — an experience in sampling how a real millionaire can live which I shall never forget.

But to make the memory even more special, by being on the spot I was able to con the amiable director into letting me walk through a tiny and totally unimportant scene. Thereby consigning myself, for once only, to video immortality.

No prizes are offered for spotting me in this extraordinary appearance. But when the TV Movie is re-run — as it assuredly will be — this Forenote might just give you a hint of what to watch for.

Or maybe not.

St Jean — Cap Ferrat

October 1982 L.C.