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St Martin's Press US Paperback Oct 2008 |
St Martin's Press US Hardcover Sep 2007 |
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| BBC Audiobooks UK Audio CD Set Jun 2008 |
ISIS/Ulverscroft UK Large Print May 2008 |
Allison & Busby UK Paperback Jun 2008 |
Allison & Busby UK Hardcover & Trade Paperback Aug 2007 |
The American Library Association
awarded Second Shot a Starred Review, reserved for books of outstanding merit.
'James Bond, watch your back. There’s a tough new breed of British muscle on the block, and her name is Fox, Charlie Fox. A former British Army soldier (and survivor of a brutal gang rape), Charlie now earns her living guarding others, a duty that has a nasty habit of putting her in harm’s way. Her latest assignment is no exception. She’s protecting beautiful British engineer (and recent lottery winner) Simone and her four-year-old daughter from an obsessed ex-boyfriend. She’s also helping Simone search for her long-lost father. The trio travels to New England to follow leads on Simone’s dad. (Charlie also figures they’ll be safer there, a good distance from the ex-boyfriend.) Trouble ensues soon after arrival, when charismatic Greg Lucas claims he’s Simone’s father. (Is Lucas really her flesh and blood, or does he just want her money to bail himself out of a precarious financial situation?) Two bullets add wounds to Charlie’s scar repertoire, but even in a weakened condition, the gutsy twenty something is undeterred. British novelist Sharp’s second thriller to appear in the U.S. (after First Drop, in 2005) crackles with suspense, showcasing crisp prose, plenty of plot twists, and a heroine who adds new meaning to the term femme fatale.'
'Sharp expertly builds the suspense . . . should win her many new American fans.' Publishers Weekly
'Sharp’s second Charlie Fox thriller to be published in the U.S. (after 2005’s acclaimed First Drop) opens with a harrowing scene of the hard-hitting British bodyguard slowly bleeding to death in the frigid New Hampshire woods. Flashback to London: under the watchful eye of her boss and sometimes lover, Sean Meyer, Charlie reluctantly takes a job protecting recent lottery winner Simone Kerse and her young daughter, Ella, from Simone’s ex-boyfriend. Determined to find her long-estranged father, Simone travels to Boston with Charlie and Ella in tow. Charlie has her suspicions when a mysterious man approaches Simone, claiming to be her father, and these suspicions soon become frighteningly real when secrets about the Kerses’ past come to light, culminating in a gun battle that leaves Charlie struggling to piece together why a client shot her own bodyguard. Sharp expertly builds the suspense in a nonstop thrill ride that should win her many new American fans.'
' . . . a challenging read . . . doesn't let up from page one to the end of the book . . .'
'The liner notes for this book say that Zoë Sharp spent most of her childhood aboard a catamaran on the northwest coast of England, opted out of mainstream education at age 12, and wrote her first novel at 15. After a start like that, of course the next step would be for Zoë to invent a series that makes readers into instant addicts of the adventures of Charlie Fox.
'Charlie (Charlotte in another life) was in the SAS, and has put the skills she learned there to good use as a bodyguard. Her present job is guarding a new lottery millionaire and her daughter from what seems to be a threat from the ex-partner. It isn't long before it become apparent to Charlie and her boss Sean that there are a lot more dangerous predators after Simone and little Ella than the rather ineffective Matt.
'There's a complex web of subplots in this story, involving a bunch of very dangerous people, all of whom have an interest in Simone and Ella. Some who seem to be friends turn out not to be, and others who might be enemies are, for their own reasons, sometimes friendly. Every second character has an ulterior motive, most of them based on greed of one sort or another, so when murder enters the scene nobody should be surprised. Sharp skillfully twists all the various threads into a firm rope, one that looks suspiciously like a noose from some angles.
'The action takes place in England and New England, and action there is in huge measure. Charlie is shot twice in the early stages of the story and faces incredible danger hampered by an injured body that can't keep up with her tenacious determination. Used to overcoming barriers by physical means, Charlie is forced back on her mental reserves to deal with the dangers that come at her like line drives from Fenway Park.
'Charlie Fox has all the attributes of a superheroine, with the added blessing of a conscience, which makes her more than just a two-dimensional bash-'em-up character. If you want a challenging read, one that doesn't let up from page one to the end of the book, seek out this book.'
' . . . a pacy thriller with an added dimension. One day soon some big shot producer is going to cotton on to the complex Charlie Fox and put her in the movies. I can't wait!'
'Macho adventures written by and about women, full of bullets and betrayal, are popular, but as they go this one goes faster and more exciting than most.' Morning Star
' . . . a page-turner . . . strong characterisations and tetchy relationships to drive you forward.'
'Second Shot from Zoë Sharp is a Charlie Fox thriller and what a thriller it is too. This is the sixth novel in the series and here Charlie is charged with providing bodyguard services to a recent lottery winner Simone, mother of four year old Ella. Simone is estranged from her partner Matt and is hell-bent on finding her ex-SAS soldier father with whom she lost contact when a child. Simone needs protection as her now tempestuous relationship with Matt following the lottery win makes her life and story wonderfully delicious fodder for the hunt-as-a-pack tabloids. Someone has become quite close to locating Simone's father in the States, but he then dies in suspicious circumstances and it appears that her father wants to remain resolutely hidden, up to a point. When the action moves from London to Boston, Charlie discovers that Simone makes a difficult subject, as she simply cannot grasp the risks she's under. . .
'This is an easy read and a page turner of a novel; the plot competes heavily with the strong characterisations and tetchy relationships to drive you forward. Even minor characters are strong and well drawn. There's a perfect old school City private banker. There's a father-in-jeopardy not about to allow his child to be taken out of his life for good. There's a father who can only function as he does at work: controlling and with clinical precision.
'At the centre, there's an engaging, sometimes sweet but always typical four year old caught up in what becomes a maelstrom of events. And it's seeing the impact on young Ella that brings home the reality of the impact of crime on innocent victims.
'Like all good crime novels, Second Shot also tests perception versus reality, removing another layer of the onion as the chapters are read. Is all what it seems? Well, you have to read it to find out. Like Charlie, you'll feel protective of Ella and develop a bond with her; she's as strong on the page as she would be in flesh and blood and she grabs you emotionally. At the end of this novel you'll want her to be safe. Is she? Again, you have to read to find out and I hope that you do.
'Zoë Sharp has garnered a great following in the US for her novels and it's now time that the UK's crime readership contingent joined the bandwagon in legions. Well, you wouldn't want to miss out, would you?'
'Second Shot is, simply, a brilliantly executed (if you'll pardon the pun) action thriller. . . it's great to see a female protagonist who can kick ass equal to − if maybe better than − her male counterparts.'
'Charlie Fox, the protagonist of Zoë Sharp’s popular series, is what a Scottish mother might call a “tough cookie”. But even this kick-ass heroine’s mortality may be in doubt as Sharp’s latest novel opens, finding Charlie shot and bleeding out in the bleak wilderness. It’s a dramatic start for a series, and makes an immediate impact, even for a reader who’s never read this particular series before.
'Like Lee Child, Barry Eisler and Brett Battles, Sharp is shooting for fast-paced heroics in her books. Her protagonist is tough and capable, but in contrast to Reacher or Rain, she seems believably vulnerable. Perhaps because her profession is more accessible than those of her male counterparts. Charlie Fox is a working bodyguard, and this status adds a touch of realism to her character that helps cement her world. She has to balance a real life with her more outlandish exploits, unlike the other characters whose status is often closer to archetypal than fully rounded individual.
'The contrast Sharp draws between keeping Charlie professional and maintaining her humanity is evident in the tortured relationship she has with her boss. It is a small cliché, the romantic relationship with the boss, but is used here to illuminate Fox’s character and add some much needed tension to her professional outlook. Toeing the line between caring for someone and keeping them in line is tough, and Sharp piles the pressure perfectly, especially in one confrontational scene where Charlie is having doubts about accepting her latest assignment.
'That’s not to say that Charlie is a hand-wringing heroine by any means. Unlike the more “chick lit” protagonists of certain current crime series, she is believably female without resorting to typically “girly” clichés. Her bloody-mindedness and dedication to her own professionalism are intense enough to both intrigue and unnerve the reader. Push this girl the wrong way, and you could end up in hospital or worse.
'But a character like Charlie needs a plot to use her full potential. And Sharp provides a nicely twisting narrative that manages to use both the personal − there’s a great “family” theme running through the novel, especially the relationship between fathers and daughters − and the visceral to excellent effect.
'Second Shot is, simply, a brilliantly executed (if you’ll pardon the pun) action thriller. More than that, its great to see a female protagonist who can kick ass equal to − if maybe better than − her male counterparts.'
'Find a quiet corner and spoil yourself by reading one of the best thrillers written this year.'
'Those in the know always look forward with immense anticipation to Zoë Sharp’s Charlie Fox series and I am no exception. In Second Shot, ex-Special Forces soldier turned bodyguard Charlie finds herself looking after a young woman who has just won the lottery along with her young daughter. This is not an easy case, as not only does she have the attentions of the young woman’s ex-partner to contend with but also the fact that the woman herself is unwilling to comply, listen or abide with any of the security measures that Charlie is trying to put in place. It is as if Simone is intent on putting herself and her young daughter in danger.
'With Charlie barely managing to survive with her life after a gory battle in a freezing forest and still fiercely protective of Simone’s daughter she finds herself once again back in the midst of the action with very little strength to battle on. Will she manage to survive this time?
'Second Shot is the sixth book in the series to feature the brilliant, tough but also vulnerable Charlie Fox and is a page-turner from the start. Loaded with excitement, twists, turns, and breathtaking activity it is a fast-paced novel that grips you with a ferocious determination. Charlie Fox is one of the best action heroines around at the moment and Zoë Sharp is certainly an author not to be ignored. Find a quiet corner and spoil yourself by reading one of the best thrillers written this year.'
'Charlie Fox feels the pain in Second Shot.' Polly G Koch, Houston Chronicle
'Action thrillers can be hard on their protagonists, but Zoë Sharp really makes the reader feel the pain. The second in her series featuring ex-Army bodyguard Charlie Fox, Second Shot (Thomas Dunne, 320 pp. $23.95), opens as Charlie describes being shot. A through-and-through in her thigh feels like a burning poker, and the one lodged in her shoulder has her torso screaming. Plus she's lying in a ditch of icy water.
'With the reader hooked, Sharp then swings back to the beginning, as Charlie and the calmly cool Sean meet in London with Simone Kerse, who has won $13 million in a lottery. Her ex is making trouble, and her banker wants her to get a bodyguard for herself and 4-year-old daughter Ella. Simone grudgingly agrees, but her real focus is on finding her father, a British soldier who followed her American mother home but didn't stick around.
'A Boston PI hired by Simone has dug up a lead. America, though, is the last place Charlie wants to go, having seen a recent job in the United States unravel disastrously. What's worse, once she gets Simone and Ella there, her client proves maddeningly uncooperative, wandering off, trusting strangers, taking risks.
'The ever-shifting shades of deception surrounding Simone's search keep the reader off balance, but watching Charlie in action is the real payoff. She's gratifyingly good at her job. That she is also prone to hesitate before blowing people away, to the protective Sean's fury, keeps her at a human scale. Still, even hobbling around, favoring her torn shoulder, she can be one scary chick.'
' . . . thrills and twists aplenty in an absorbing mystery . . .' Susanna Yager, Sunday Telegraph
'Zoë Sharp has got well into her stride in Second Shot, her best book so far in this series. Her regular heroine, professional bodyguard Charlie Fox, has her hands full with an obstreperous new female client, a lottery winner who wants protection against her estranged partner, the father of their five-year-old daughter. Constantly ignoring Charlie's advice, the woman makes the job even harder when she insists on going to America to look for her own father, who walked out on her when she was a child. The book begins with a shoot-out that leaves Charlie badly wounded and from then on there are thrills and twists aplenty in an absorbing mystery, which proves that she can hold her own against crime fiction's toughest men.'
'Charlie is one of those rare creatures in crime literature − a true original.'
'You can't accuse Zoë Sharp of easing you gently into her tales. In Second Shot, you begin with a near-death experience, described in excruciatingly clear, clinical detail, from the perspective of the hovering-on-life's edge protagonist, Charlie Fox. Charlie (never Charlotte) is the central character of Sharp's series of crime novels based on the life and times of a British "close protection" agent (that's "bodyguard" to us Americans). And Charlie is one of those rare creatures in crime literature − a true original.
'Former military, washed out of the British Special Forces (but not for lack of skills), Charlie is a trained killer with few comfortable niches awaiting her, now that she's back in the civilian world. Until, that is, her former commanding officer (and current lover) Sean Meyer recruits her into the security firm he runs, now that he's also back "on the outside."'
Click here to read the rest of this reviewer's perceptive analysis of the development of Charlie Fox's character.
'Scarily good. Today's best action heroine is back with a bang. Cross your fingers and toes that she survives for future adventures − you definitely want her to.' Lee Child
' . . . easily, the best installment of the series.' Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind
'It takes guts to open a series installment with the main character in serious enough jeopardy that her future is in doubt but then Sharp turns that scenario on its ear in depicting Charlie's protection of a new British millionairess and how everything goes horribly wrong. The action is relentless and Charlie is a heroine of extreme toughness without sacrificing her humanity. This is, easily, the best installment of the series.'
'. . . another riveting story . . . Zoë Sharp is becoming a master of the thriller.'
'Doubt is "a sword that kills", and it might just kill Charlie Fox. The opening of Zoë Sharp's Second Shot finds the bodyguard lying on her belly in the bottom of a snow crusted shallow ditch, shot twice. As Simone, the woman she was hired to protect, stands over her with a gun, Charlie saw grief and anger and shock in her eyes. It was never supposed to end this way.
'Sharp skilfully backtracks in the story to bring the reader to the beginning. Charlie's last case in the United States, as told in First Drop, ended in tragedy. Charlie is still suffering from the remorse and doubt afterward. When her boss and lover, Sean Meyer asks her to go to Boston, she's reluctant. But, a little girl needs her help, and she signs on for the job.
'Simone Kerse recently won $25 million in a lottery. At the same time, she dumped her daughter Ella's father. Now, Simone claims Matt is bothering them. The media certainly is stalking them. It's the stuff of tabloid dreams, "A scorned lover, a tug-of-love child, a whiff of violence, and best of all − money." Charlie's greatest concern is for the four-year-old, Ella, who doesn't understand what's happening. Simone's greatest wish is to find the father she hasn't seen in years. Sean says, "This should be a nice easy job. . . it's just a case of holding her hand while she reacquaints herself with Daddy." Simone, Ella and Charlie flee from the problems in England, only to find greater troubles in New England.
'Charlie discovers nothing is as it appears when she gets to the United States. The detective Simone hired has died in a car accident, but his partner wonders if it was more than that. Who is the well-dressed man who picks Simone up at the Aquarium? When Simone's father shows up to meet her, his story is fishy as to how he knew she was there. He has a life Simone knew nothing about, a wife and a threatening business partner.
'This is a painful book for Charlie, both mentally and physically. It's a tough book for the reader, because of Charlie's emotions and injuries. However, readers will be caught up in Second Shot, another riveting story that only proves that Zoë Sharp is becoming a master of the thriller.
'Who do you trust, when you no longer even trust your own skills and reactions? Charlie doubts herself. She isn't sure Sean still has her best interests at heart. She doesn't like the people and stories surrounding her client. As the opening scene reveals, she even has to doubt her principal, as Simone stands over her with a gun.
'Buddha said, "There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates. . . It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills." It might not give Charlie Fox the chance for a Second Shot.'
'The first word in chapter one hooked me until I excitedly arrived at the last word in the story.'
'Zoë Sharp and Charlie Fox are names I want to come across in fiction again and again. Charlie is ex-military, great with a gun and has learned to protect herself from bodily harm. She works for an ex-military man she also happens to love. In Second Shot, Charlie's company has accepted a job protecting a young woman, Simone, and her daughter from her ex-boyfriend or anyone who might want to get their hands on them due to her winning millions on a lottery. Simone wants to leave London for the United States in search of her long-lost father. She doesn't want a bodyguard at all, but her banker is demanding it. She's agreed to have Charlie accompany her. Charlie has bad memories from her last visit to the U.S., but being the trooper that she is, she puts her feelings aside in order to do her job and agrees to travel to New England with Simone and her daughter.
'While in the U.S., Simone doesn't listen to Charlie's advice, letting emotions cloud her judgment. They don't have to look far for Simone's father, who actually finds them. He conveniently shows up at their hotel after trying so hard not to be found for 20 years. But his story doesn't add up for Charlie. She implores Simone to be cautious. Reluctantly, Simone agrees to keep her wealth under wraps until she's sure, by DNA testing, that her father is truly who he says he is. Otherwise, Simone could care less what Charlie has to say.
'Things are not as they seem and before long, danger creeps up on them. Not wanting Simone's four-year-old to witness Charlie doing her job, Charlie makes decisions that could mean the difference between living or dying. There's some question as to whether Charlie has it in her to do her job − would she kill to protect her principal if need be? Some say she hesitates − and hesitating can be a fatal error.
'Second Shot is the second book in the Charlie Fox series introduced here in the United States. The first word in chapter one hooked me until I excitedly arrived at the last word in the story. Danger abounds in Second Shot, as well as the mystery and thrill of the plot. Zoë Sharp has an excellent understanding of her characters, revealing their internal strengths and weaknesses with exceptional ease. Charlie Fox is a true heroine, someone who fights her own conscience to decide if her actions are just and qualified. A woman, however, who's unafraid to do whatever it takes to protect her employers. Zoë Sharp has joined my must-read list. She definitely has me for an American fan.'
'Second Shot is a direct hit, center and clean through.' Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine
'I should know better. I've done it before and I should have learned my lesson. When I need to get up early I should not read Zoë Sharp when I go to bed. Second Shot had me get out of bed, make coffee and stay up till I was done.
'Charlie Fox is back in the States, this time she's body guarding a woman who just won the lotto and wants to find her father. People are hassling her because of her money, everybody is a celebrity these days, and Charlie is brought in to keep Simone and her daughter safe. Simone decides to leave home in England and go to Boston to look for her father, however the PI she had working the case has died in what may or may not be an accident. Things get hairy really quick and Charlie better be on the top of her game if she wants to see England again.
'Quite simply, Zoë Sharp kicks ass. The action scenes are ultra real, her descriptions are magic, and her pacing perfect. Second Shot is a direct hit, center and clean through. I urge you not to miss this book, just make sure you don't have to be anywhere for a few hours.'
'. . . an exhilarating thriller . . . incredibly exciting opening sequence . . .' Harriet Klausner
'In the frozen New Hampshire woods, British bodyguard Charlie Fox wonders if she will bleed to death before she freezes to death. She muses back to her home in London where her boss Sean Meyer asked Charlie to protect lottery winner Simone Kerse and her daughter Ella from the mom's former boyfriend. Charlie hesitantly agrees to keep the two females safe. Simone travels to Boston in hopes of finding her estranged father and patch things up with him. She takes Ella with her. Charlie also accompanies them. In New England, a man informs Simone that he is her father; Charlie has doubts about his claim. When Kerse family secrets surface, Simone shoots Charlie who now is bleeding to death in the New Hampshire woods wondering why her client would try to kill her bodyguard.
'Second Shot is an exhilarating thriller that starts off with an incredibly exciting opening sequence as the heroine, who knows she might be dying in New England, looks back to how she ended up here. Charlie is a terrific protagonist as she protects the Kerse pair from the ex, but wonders who will protect her from the Kerse pair. As with Charlie's First Drop in the States, her latest American adventure is a sharp thriller.'
'Charlie Fox is fast becoming the must-read heroine of mystery . . . Superb.' Ken Bruen
'With Second Shot, Zoë Sharp has become the UK answer to Laura Lippman. In a world where the Cornwells, Reichs etc seem to dominate with their forensic precision, here is a novel that has a superbly paced plot and wondrous characterisation. You need a lot of style, confidence, to shoot a lead series character in the opening pages and make it work − these opening pages contain the best description of what it's like to be shot. No glamour here, no heroic struggling up. What you get is the sheer agony and fear of desperation.
'Charlie Fox is fast becoming the must-read heroine of mystery. She's flawed, confused and makes mistakes and has you rooting for her all the way. The writing is a joy, immediate, sassy, and very moving. There is a section dealing with Charlie's relationship with a child that is wrenching and heartbreaking in its conclusion − like life. No movie bonding here. And a terrific set of villains with a marvellous twist that I never saw coming − deals with a man's reckless desire to earn the love of a woman who ultimately despises him and the fallout from this is one of the real shocks of the book, delivered in one bleak simple line.
'The last two sentences of the book describe the moral ambiguity of Charlie in a fashion that reflects the awful uncertainty of current times. The narrative moves like a banshee on speed and all the while, the characterisation is beautifully fleshed out − what makes Second Shot so evocative is the subtle way you come to care deeply about the characters, especially the apparent villain. This is mystery on the grand scale and yet so simply written that you nearly miss how cleverly it is constructed. Superb.'