At the Sharp End . . .
News from Zoë Sharp and Charlie Fox

Spring 2010

Spring at last has more or less sprung up here in the wilds of Cumbria, although we still have a smattering of snow on the hills. Still, summer is on its way and things are starting to hot up in more ways than one.

I'm very excited that Busted Flush Press are bringing out a US trade paperback edition of the very first Charlie Fox novel, Killer Instinct, on May 1st. The book now has a brand new introduction from Lee Child, and an afterword from myself, and Busted Flush's talented designer, Lisa Novak, has given the early books in the series a snazzy new look.

Jon Jordan at Crimespree Magazine said of Killer Instinct:

"Sharp is part of a very small group of writers who actually talks the talk and walks the walk. She really knows this stuff and so when she writes it, it feels more real than most non fiction books. Sharp deserves a genre all her own . . . if you are just discovering Zoë Sharp then you are in for a real treat."

Book two, Riot Act, will be out in the States in June.

Click here to read an excerpt from Killer Instinct.

And then, just a few days later, Allison & Busby publish the latest instalment here in the UK, Fourth Day, which sees Charlie going undercover into a California cult suspected of training terrorists. A fast covert op. No real danger for someone with her mindset and training. But Charlie has her own secrets, even from Sean, and she’s not prepared for the lure of the cult's charismatic leader, Randall Bane, or how easily he will pinpoint her weaknesses . . .

I think A&B have really nailed the cover for this book, too.

Click here to read an excerpt from Fourth Day.

Also in the UK, both Killer Instinct and Riot Act are out in large print format from ISIS/Ulverscroft − good news for library readers!

The hardbacks have been out of print for a while, so these large print editions have been particularly welcomed by libraries, whose reading groups are keen to follow Charlie Fox's early adventures.

ISIS/Ulverscroft also have two other Charlie Fox titles in their portfolio: Second Shot and Third Strike.

On the cards in May is the CrimeFest convention in Bristol. Although only in its third year, CrimeFest is already a mainstay of the crime writing calendar, and I'm looking forward to the panel events − not to mention the erudite discussions that will no doubt take place in the bar late into the evenings.

I'm also giving a talk on Lee Child's latest Reacher thriller, 61 Hours, at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal on May 4th, which should be a lot of fun.

For other appearance dates, check out my schedule on BookTour.

With the upcoming Busted Flush trade paperbacks of Killer Instinct (early May) and Riot Act (late June) out in the States, I'm planning a bit of a whirlwind tour at the end of June, including Houston, Phoenix, New Orleans and New York. More details later, but I can tell you that, while I'm in Arizona, Barbara Peters has invited me to take part in the Poisoned Pen Conference in Phoenix, June 24-26th, and I'll also be one of the Authors @ the Teague, at the Velma Teague Library in Glendale, on June 24th.

For anyone who wants to get hold of signed copies of any of my books − including some of the early, hard-to-get editions − I've teamed up with local internet booksellers, Loads-A-Books, who are close enough for me to call in and sign or personalise a book as you wish. Contact Chris on loadsabooks@googlemail.com

www.zoesharp.com