Who Knew Tasmanian Tigers Eat Apples! by John Martin

‘Birty coughed. ‘Mr Mayor, is that you?’

Welcome to Windy Mountain, a quirky little town somewhere in rural Tasmania. Quirky? Well, wait until you meet some of the characters. There’s Mayor James Northan (from a long line of mayoral Northans) who wants to rip out his historic apple orchard to develop the land. There are a group of green protestors meeting (and arguing) frequently to decide which cause they want to support, and there’s a police sergeant who is about to retire. But things really start to get involved (and humorously interesting) when a man is arrested for being dressed as a woman between sunset and sunrise.

Can the historic orchard be saved? Will Moose Routley, Tasmanian tiger hunter, help the local team win the football grand final? And are there really Tasmanian tigers near Windy Mountain? In the meantime, spare a thought for poor Foetus, a bikie abandoned by his club in Windy Mountain.

Spend some time in Windy Mountain and get to know the characters. This is the first book of a series and while I have no idea what will happen next, I know I’m going to read the rest of the series if I can. I found myself laughing out loud at places in this story (especially at the particular, peculiar theft from the hospital, and the football grand final with a twist) and smiling wryly in other places.

The only thing I’m not sure about is the title: ‘Who Knew Tasmanian Tigers Eat Apples’ doesn’t really grab me. But, if you like your humour with a touch of mystery and quirky townsfolk, then you may also enjoy this story.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith