In which Simon Templar, alias The Saint, that Robin Hood of Modern Crime, pursues a strangely impersonal vendetta which takes him to Sicily and pits him against the Black Hand of the mafiosi....

It all started one day while Simon Templar was relaxing at a sumtuous midday meal in Naples only to have his lobster alla Vesuvio interrupted by a brawl. An English tourist had casually addressed an Italian as Dino Cartelli and in return for this pleasantry was promptly battered by the man's henchmen. The Saint's curiosity is piqued. Why does the name Dino Cartelli arouse such violence? And why is an Englishmant called James Euston assassinated?