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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where it all began...,
By Richard E. "Nick" Noble (Southborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Saint Meets the Tiger (Audio Cassette)
THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER (originally entitled simply MEET THE TIGER) was Leslie Charteris' very first novel about his now long-running series hero Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". First published in 1928, certainly it is somewhat dated. Still, the setting is interesting, the mystery at least clever, and the characters range from impressive (Templar himself and Patricia Holm), to stereotyped but delightful ('Orace), to a little ctoo much P.G. Wodehouse/Bertie Wooster in many of the supporting players. That being said, THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER is a rousing debut, and this early Simon Templar is much harder and more resourceful than his later television incarnation, while at the same time his optimistic determination and rakish smile continue to amuse and delight. Charteris followed MEET THE TIGER with some "prequel" Saint short stories, and then perfected his hero in a series of novels about the encroaching war. A couple of other strong Saint novels (and several perfect short stories) followed, before the character lapsed into formula. Still, there were a few gems in those later decades-- and The Saint has been around a very long time. Still, THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER was first, and should be experienced.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great start, a flawed book,
This review is from: The Saint Meets the Tiger (Paperback)
"Meet the Tiger", as my old copy calls this, introduces us to Simon Templar and a selection of his cohorts. The Saint (as he becomes known) is drawn with very broad brush-strokes in this first outing, but he is clearly the character that became one of the top fiction characters of a generation or two. Darker than he would later be in the 30s books (although no the cypher he eventually became once the war started), the Templar of "Meet the Tiger" has all the charm of the later Saint, while lacking the moral ambiguity that later made him such a favourited. In short, he's a crook, who transcends his criminal tendencies through (let's be honest) lust rather than a higher moral code - a personality error that was quickly fixed by Charteris.
A real plus for this book is that Charteris had yet to fall into the trap of clumsy, polysyllabic hunmour that marred some of his other works. He tells the story and tells it straight - and it's (in the best sense) a ripping yarn. They don't write them like this anymore - it's like a bridge between Bulldog Drummond and James Bond.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining start to the series,
By
This review is from: The Saint Meets the Tiger (Paperback)
Although I enjoyed "The Saint Meets the Tiger", it certainly isn't worth the $30+ for a used paperback that I see listed above as I type this. Luckily I obtained the book at no cost, and at that price it was a good read.
Understandably for an early work, this adventure has some rough spots. Some of the plotting is not quite as crisp as I'd like to see, and not all of the characterizations are convincing. However, despite understandable flaws in an author's early work, the book is interesting and charming. The Saint has a penchant for walking into the jaws of danger with nothing but his wits to help him escape the consequences. That theme was present here in the very first volume, and on more than one occasion. Here, the Saint gets wind of a criminal who has stolen an LOT of gold, and is keeping it hidden prior to moving it to realize the profits of his crime. Aided by his loyal man servant and a local girl who quickly becomes a love interest, Simon Templar moves into a sleepy seaside Devon village to uncover the identity of the main criminal, his accomplices, and the details of the gold itself. The story has plenty of sleuthing and action, and a few interesting twists along the way. Recommended for those who like authentic period mysteries.
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