Reading order#
| # |
Title |
Published |
Author |
Buy on Amazon |
| 1 |
X Esquire |
1927 |
Leslie Charteris |
Buy |
| 2 |
The White Rider |
1928 |
Leslie Charteris |
Buy |
The Bill Kennedy series represents Leslie Charteris’s earliest published fiction, predating his famous creation Simon Templar by about a year. These two adventure novels show a young Charteris developing the fast-paced, witty style that would later define The Saint books.
X Esquire (1927) was Charteris’s debut novel, written when he was just twenty years old. The White Rider followed in 1928, the same year Charteris introduced The Saint in Meet the Tiger. After the immediate success of Simon Templar, Charteris abandoned Bill Kennedy to focus entirely on his more popular creation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Bill Kennedy?
Bill Kennedy is a protagonist in two early Leslie Charteris novels written before the author created Simon Templar. X Esquire (1927) and The White Rider (1928) feature Kennedy in adventure stories that showcase Charteris’s developing style as a thriller writer.
How does the Bill Kennedy series relate to The Saint?
The Bill Kennedy novels predate The Saint series and represent Charteris’s first published works. While Kennedy shares some characteristics with Simon Templar—a dashing hero involved in adventure—The Saint would become Charteris’s signature creation starting with Meet the Tiger in 1928.
Are the Bill Kennedy books still in print?
The Bill Kennedy novels are rare and primarily available as used copies or digital editions. They appeal mainly to collectors and completists interested in Leslie Charteris’s early work before he found success with The Saint series.