First Drop by
Zoe Sharp
pbk out February 05
(Piatkus)
at £6.99
Bodyguard Charlotte (Charlie) Fox hits the ground running and doesn't let up in this
breakneck action thriller. Little wonder, as everywhere Charlie turns men with guns
are taking shots at her and her moody teenage charge, Trey. The pair go on the run
and are pursued across Florida by the bad guys and the good guys and just about
everybody else. Charlie uses the skills she acquired during army training and her
talent for sharp shooting, as well as her penchant for riding motorbikes, to survive. At
the same time she tries to figure out why she and Trey have become targets and where
they can go for sanctuary. A rollicking read with a good balance of action and
observation. Charlie is a tough cookie with a ghastly past and enough emotional
depth and vulnerability to convince. Her military history makes her physical prowess
credible. But it's not all guns and bullets as we also enjoy the odd couple pairing and
the account of a Brit transported to the larger than life and twice as weird setting of
the southern state. With love interest thrown in for good measure and a fluent writing
style First Drop, Sharp's fourth title, proves her to be in the front ranks of
contemporary crime writers and one who should appeal to readers across the board.
Manchester Evening News 7.2.04
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
First Drop by
Zoe Sharp
