The Brighter Buccaneer is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in June 1933. This was the eleventh book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". It was the first volume to make use of the short story format; previously Charteris had written either short novels (a.k.a. novellas) or full-length novels featuring the character. This format would dominate the series during the late 1940s and through the 1950s. Charteris originally wrote these stories for Empire News, a British publication that contracted the author to provide a weekly series of stories featuring The Saint. These stories were published in Empire (many were retitled for the book) between August and November 1932, and therefore predate several of the stories in the preceding book, Once More the Saint, though little attempt is made at maintaining continuity with the major novellas and novels. Charteris would publish a second collection of Empire News shorts as Boodle (also published as The Saint Intervenes). The story "The Unblemished Bootlegger" introduces a new member of Templar's "family" – Peter Quentin. Stories The book consisted of 15 stories, the most of any Saint collection. Some editions list the separate stories as chapters. The stories are each approximately 10 pages in length. (Some editions appear to present these stories in different order). Although most of the stories are stand-alones, a few are connected to each other through plot or characters. The Brain Workers: Templar engages in a minor bit of stock swindling. The Export Trade: Templar is hired to transport a valuable necklace to Paris, but the Saint has other ideas. This story takes place prior to the events of the story "The Man from St. Louis" (from the preceding book, Once More the Saint). This is also the first Saint story since She Was a Lady in which recurring character Patricia Holm does not appear. The Unblemished Bootlegger: Melford Croon is a con artist who specialises in swindling people in the name of non-existent benevolent causes. Templar decides it is time for Croon to make a donation to his own benevolent cause. The Owner's Handicap: Simon and Patricia go to the horse races to turn the tables on a notorious loan shark. The Tough Egg: Max Kemmler runs the busiest illegal gambling den in London, and after making his mint has decided to get out