Lie of the Tiger

All right, let's get one thing straight - Lie of the Tiger isn't about tigers that lie down. It's about old blokes who lie through their teeth. I oughta know. I'm one of those mischievous octogenarians. They call me Wish-Wash, and I'm one of the key characters. This is where it all begins - the first madcap tale from the Windy Mountain series, and believe me, the author was only just getting started. You might say this one's the test run for the chaos to come. The characters are already strange enough, but they're going to get deeper, dafter and far more unpredictable as the 10-book series unfolds. This story begins in Windy Mountain, where a hapless Irishman arrives to manage the Tasmanian Tiger museum that the dodgy owners have run into the ground. Me and my mate Oodles feel we have no choice but to help the big Irishman. Is it anyone's business if we break a silly law to make his chances of success better? Just because they say the Tassie Tiger's been extinct for decades doesn't mean it is, eh? Then there's the town itself. It's full of eccentrics, dreamers, and people who think the truth is whatever they can say loudest. What I like best about this book (and I should know - I've read them all, being a figment of the same imagination) is how it sets the tone. The author's still limbering up here, finding his rhythm, and as the series grows, so do the characters. By book 10, you'll know them like neighbours - the sort you're fond of but wouldn't trust with your tools. Lie of the Tiger is where the whole circus starts rolling. It's funny, a bit dark round the edges, and full of that dry, slightly risky humour you only find Down Under. So go on - start at the beginning. Every tall tale needs its first lie.