Tall tales, all true, about guns, bombs, car chases, spiders, exotic locales, men in uniform and dancing girls - with deadpan delivery and a social conscience.

I remember the advertisement to join the Army. It asked for guys who were fit, committed, tough, volunteer parachutists, comfortable in the ocean, and mature. As a surfer, that sounded like me - except for the mature bit.

Nathan Mullins is an ex-cop, ex-soldier, ex-security consultant and an Australian Aid International volunteer, so he's experienced all sorts of dangerous stuff involving guns, explosions, surgical procedures, combat, sword-play, rioting and other potentially life-threatening behaviours all over the world. He has been lucky to survive some of his assignments and hijinks so he decided to share a few cautionary tales so everyone else can learn from his near misses.