"Meet the Tiger" by Leslie Charteris: Classic mystery thriller introducing The Saint. "Meet the Tiger" marks the debut of Leslie Charteris's iconic character, Simon Templar, also known as The Saint. This gripping mystery thriller falls within the genre of detective fiction and introduces readers to the suave and resourceful anti-hero who would go on to become one of the most beloved figures in crime literature. Set against the backdrop of 1920s London, the novel follows Templar as he embarks on his first adventure, unraveling a complex web of intrigue and deception. With his sharp wit, cunning intellect, and unyielding sense of justice, The Saint navigates the seedy underbelly of the city, confronting villains and righting wrongs along the way. Charteris's prose is fast-paced and action-packed, drawing readers into a world of danger and excitement where no mystery is too challenging for The Saint to solve. Through clever plot twists and exhilarating escapades, "Meet the Tiger" keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. As the inaugural installment in the long-running series featuring Simon Templar, "Meet the Tiger" lays the foundation for a literary phenomenon that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
Leslie Charteris was a British-Chinese adventure fiction author and screenwriter. He was most known for his many works on his hero, Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint". Charteris was born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin in Singapore. His mother, Lydia Florence Bowyer, was English. His father, Dr. S. C. Yin (Yin Suat Chuan, 1877–1958), was a Chinese physician who claimed to be descended from Shang dynasty monarchs. Leslie grew interested in writing at a young age. He formerly published his own magazine, which included essays, short stories, poems, editorials, serials, and even a comic strip. He attended Saint Andrew's School in Singapore then, after migrating to England, Rossall School in Fleetwood, Lancashire. In 1926, Leslie formally changed his surname to "Charteris". In the BBC Radio 4 program Leslie Charteris - A Saintly Centennial, his daughter revealed that he chose the name from a telephone book. However, other sources contradict this information. In an introduction to the 1988 edition of The Saint in New York, William Ruehlmann (author of Saint with a Gun: The Unlawful American Private Eye) wrote, "He acquired, in 1928, the legal name of Charteris, after the roguish Col. Francis, gambler, duellist, and founder of the Hellfire Club" (confusing Col. Francis Charteris (rake) with Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer, also a rake and founder of the Hellfire Club).
