News from Zoë Sharp and Charlie Fox
Third Strike − seventh in the thriller series featuring Charlotte 'Charlie' Fox − will
shortly be in the bookshops.
The UK version will be published by Allison & Busby in June, with the US version available
from St Martin's Press in October.
'Third Strike hits home with the impact of a high-velocity jacketed round.
Breathlessly compelling and utterly real, this novel will keep you turning pages till dawn. Charlie Fox is simply the best.'
Jeffery Deaver
Charlie Fox, now based in New York, is slowly recovering from the wounds suffered during her previous assignment and is itching to prove herself to her new boss. Little does she know there's a personal matter on the horizon that's going to take up all her attention. There's no love lost between Charlie and her disapproving family, but when she realises her father is in trouble, she doesn't think twice before jumping in to help him.
It appears that Richard Foxcroft, highly regarded surgeon and pillar of the community, has upset the wrong crowd and they're using rather underhand and increasingly violent methods to systematically destroy the man's immaculate reputation. But why? It's up to Charlie to find out; the only trouble is, it means spending quality time with her parents.
Advance readers of Third Strike have commented on the effects this story has on the people closest to Charlie. In particular, her coolly professional father turns out to have a disturbingly ruthless streak of his own . . .
The UK edition of Second Shot will be out from Allison & Busby in mass market paperback in June, with St Martin's Press publishing the US edition in October.
'. . . thrills and twists aplenty in an absorbing mystery, which proves that
she can hold her own against crime fiction's toughest men.'
Susannah Yager, Sunday Telegraph
Our loyal library supporters and readers' groups will welcome the news that Second Shot will be available in large print in May from ISIS Publishing, who issue 150 new titles a year in their Large Print list.
Actress Clare Corbett will be the voice of Charlie Fox when Second Shot comes out from BBC Audiobooks in June. Great news for Charlie Fox fans who are sight-impaired, and also for the massive iPod generation. Meanwhile, hear the author's own spoken excerpts by clicking where you see the loudspeaker on the book pages.
Short stories are enjoying something of a resurgence, and I find myself increasingly being called on to contribute them to anthologies.
I have two stories out in anthologies so far this year. The first was 'Served Cold' in A Hell of a Woman: an Anthology of Female Noir from Busted Flush Press, edited by Megan Abbott. The second is 'Tell Me' in The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries from Constable & Robinson in the UK and Running Press in the States, edited by Maxim Jakubowski.
There's a new short story page on my website where you can read various excerpts.
Since the New Year, I have been blogging every other Thursday on the Murderati mystery site. There is a fine collection of regular contributors, including Brett Battles, Robert Gregory Browne, Ken Bruen, Toni McGee Causey, JT Ellison, JD Rhoades, Alexandra Solokoff, Pari Noskin Taichert and Louise Ure. The debate is always lively and the topics wide-ranging and thought-provoking. Join us if you can.
My US signing tour last autumn was a great success. Andy and I covered 17,000 miles by air and road in 23 days, taking part in 30 events at bookstores and libraries across 12 states. We met up with many old friends and new, teaming up with a host of fellow authors along the way.
We were out there to promote the launch of Second Shot in hardcover and First Drop in mass market paperback − complete with brand new short story. Encouragingly, both titles featured in the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association bestseller lists for September, with First Drop the top paperback and Second Shot sharing honours with the latest books from Stephen Hunter and Kathy Reichs.
So, we're already planning to do the same again in October, when Third Strike will be out in the States in hardcover, and Second Shot in mass market paperback. I am already pencilling in venues and dates following the 'Charmed to Death' Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Baltimore, Maryland (October 9-12).
If you want to be kept right up-to-date with my latest events and appearances, check out Book Tour. You can sign up to receive an email every time there's an update. I always enjoy meeting readers, so if I'm going to be at a bookstore or event near you, please do come along!