- Paperback: 250 pages
- Publisher: Busted Flush Press, LLC; 1 edition (Jun 1 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1935415131
- ISBN-13: 978-1935415138
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #209,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Charlie Fox came on strong in Zoë Sharp's early novels but, like a lot of tough girls, softened up with time. Now, thanks to an enterprising small press, we can catch Charlie in the rough. Originally published in 2001, Killer Instinct finds this army-trained martial-arts expert on her first job, working security for a club in an English seaside town. Charlie looks like a made-for-TV model, with her red hair and motorcycle leathers, but Sharp means business. The bloody bar fights are bloody brilliant, and Charlie's skills are both formidable and for real." -- Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review, July 4, 2010
"A solid, very well-written debut... The urban English setting is nicely realised, and grimy enough to make the reader’s skin crawl on occasion, particularly Charlie’s work at the Adelphi Nightclub. And even so early in the series, the action is so well choreographed that you believe every bone crunching impact on the page. Killer Instinct is a sharp, punchy read; a brutally confident start to a series that would continue to evolve in the best possible ways. Busted Flush Press are going to be reprinting the early Fox novels over the next year or so, and you’d be well advised to check them out and get acquainted with one of the most well-defined and convincing series protagonists I’ve encountered in a long time." -- Russel McLean, Crime Scene Scotland
"One of the best crime debuts for years." -- Yorkshire Post
"An exciting... entertaining first novel." -- Sunday Telegraph
"A lively first book from Sharp, written with assurance and panache... a pacy read with a fresh and defiant heroine." -- Manchester Evening News
"A solid, very well-written debut... The urban English setting is nicely realised, and grimy enough to make the reader’s skin crawl on occasion, particularly Charlie’s work at the Adelphi Nightclub. And even so early in the series, the action is so well choreographed that you believe every bone crunching impact on the page. Killer Instinct is a sharp, punchy read; a brutally confident start to a series that would continue to evolve in the best possible ways. Busted Flush Press are going to be reprinting the early Fox novels over the next year or so, and you’d be well advised to check them out and get acquainted with one of the most well-defined and convincing series protagonists I’ve encountered in a long time." -- Russel McLean, Crime Scene Scotland
"One of the best crime debuts for years." -- Yorkshire Post
"An exciting... entertaining first novel." -- Sunday Telegraph
"A lively first book from Sharp, written with assurance and panache... a pacy read with a fresh and defiant heroine." -- Manchester Evening News
Product Description
“One of the best crime debuts in years.”—Yorkshire Post
“An exciting . . . entertaining first novel.”—The Sunday Telegraph
Introducing a tough new heroine in thriller fiction—Zoë Sharp's Charlie Fox! Charlie makes a living of sorts teaching self-defense to women. It’s a skill she picked up out of necessity, having been kicked out of the British Army for reasons she prefers not to go into. So when Susie Hollins is found dead after she mistakenly tussles with Charlie, Fox knows it’s only a matter of time before the police come calling. And when the real killer starts taking a very personal interest in Charlie, she finds herself in the middle of the investigation, where she has no choice but to stand and fight.
Fans of Lee Child, Greg Rucka, Gayle Lynds, and Stella Rimington should not miss this thriller series! Never before published in the United States, this is the highly-sought first novel in the Charlie Fox series. An original novel with an introduction by Lee Child.
Zoë Sharp lives in the English Lake District with her husband, Andy. Her hobbies are sailing, fast cars (and faster motorbikes), target shooting, travel, films, music, and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is the author of seven Charlie Fox novels, including Third Strike (St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2009). Sharp’s heroine Charlie Fox was featured in a story in Busted Flush Press’ A Hell of a Woman, “Served Cold,” which was nominated for the 2009 Crime Writers' Association Short Story Dagger.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent new British tough heroine,
By A Customer
This review is from: Killer Instinct (Paperback)
If you like US female PIs (VI Warshawski, Kinsey Millhone) then you'll like Charlie Fox.Charlie is tough. She teaches women's self-defence (which she took up after being raped in the army), rides a motorbike and is very independent. The book starts with Charlie's friend Clare being attacked during karaoke night at a local nightclub by reigning champion Susie Hollins. Charlie deals with the attack and is offered a job as a bouncer by the clubs owner. Hours later Susie Hollins is found dead - the latest victim of a homicidal rapist that has been terrorising the local community. Charlie suspects a link between the nightclub and the homicidal rapist and she begins to investigate. The book moves along at a cracking pace and Charlie is a believable tough heroine. The identity of the killer may be obvious in a plot that has been used many times before, but Charlie is interesting enough to carry you through.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews) 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I could give this book a perfect 10, I would,
By C.J. Ellisson "C.J. Ellisson" - Published on Amazon.com
I haven't read a traditional thriller novel in years, preferring my newer interest of strong heroines portrayed in urban fantasy novels. I like darker books, not books seeped in romance. Finding a good book is sometimes hard in a genre that mixes the two so much. After a while, those heroines with their supernatural powers and impossible skill sets often become cookie-cutter and formulaic, leaving a reader longing for something more believable, more *real*.Look no further than the heroine created by Ms. Sharp. You will quickly slip into the character's skin and see parts of yourself within her inner complexity. I felt like I walked the streets of Lancaster with her and felt the pain of her past that shaped her into who she is today. Charlie Fox is strong and a survivor through and through. She reminds me of Charlaine Harris' Lily Bard, in the author's popular woman sleuth Shakespeare series (one of two excellent mystery series she wrote before the one based on HBO's True Blood). While Fox's adventures are more bloody, more violent, and more heart stopping than Bard's, my comparison is more due to the smooth story telling, excellent pacing, and credible characters, which makes the portrayal of these fictional women very real and very believable. I raced through the pages eager to see where the writer would take us and how Fox would pull through. Very rarely do I give up an entire day of my life to a book. This one was the exception. I loved it so much I immediately bought a copy for my father and plan to buy the others in the series as well. Ms. Sharp has a fan in me for life and I can hardly wait to read what other adventures she dreams up for Charlie Fox. Simply outstanding! 18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent new British tough heroine,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Killer Instinct (Paperback)
If you like US female PIs (VI Warshawski, Kinsey Millhone) then you'll like Charlie Fox.Charlie is tough. She teaches women's self-defence (which she took up after being raped in the army), rides a motorbike and is very independent. The book starts with Charlie's friend Clare being attacked during karaoke night at a local nightclub by reigning champion Susie Hollins. Charlie deals with the attack and is offered a job as a bouncer by the clubs owner. Hours later Susie Hollins is found dead - the latest victim of a homicidal rapist that has been terrorising the local community. Charlie suspects a link between the nightclub and the homicidal rapist and she begins to investigate. The book moves along at a cracking pace and Charlie is a believable tough heroine. The identity of the killer may be obvious in a plot that has been used many times before, but Charlie is interesting enough to carry you through. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very worthwhile read - especially the foreword!,
By K. O'Leary "voracious reader" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
I am glad I purchased this e-book. I wanted to read those extra scenes, and it has been lovely to visit Charlie's story again from the beginning, particularly after reading the 'Fox Five' e-thology.Zoë recently wrote about her fondness for Dick Francis books growing up, and I can see similar elements in `Killer Instinct'. Clever use of words, twists and turns in the story, and a central core of justice. I like details and back story so it's really satisfying to read about Clare and Jacob, as well as background about where Charlie came from as a person. Overall it reads like an easy conversation, with intriguing and sometimes uncomfortable elements. My fondness for 'Killer Instinct' is also sparked by Lee Child's foreword; it is my favorite relateable anecdote for books - Lee,your story made me laugh out loud - thanks for the enjoyment! As for the book I devoured it in an afternoon, I couldn't put it down. For a first novel, it's impressive. The series and the writing has grown from strength to strength, I suppose I enjoyed the later books more because I came across them first - though this filled in story links alluded to in the later books. I find myself liking gory detail much less these days, so for me it's a well-balanced blend of a rollicking good read, without the stuff that keeps me awake nights. Charlie herself is someone I can relate to, in how she attempts to address the effects of pivotal events in her life - seeing how she handles her dilemmas has kept me engrossed. Character development is something that really keeps my interest, as well as the unexpected, and I've certainly been surprised. |
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