Killer Instinct is the first in Zoë Sharp's highly acclaimed crime thriller series, now available with previously deleted scenes and a foreword by Lee Child.
"Susie Hollins may have been no great shakes as a karaoke singer, but I didn't think that was enough reason for anyone to want to kill her."
Charlotte "Charlie" Fox makes a living teaching self-defense to women in a quiet Northern English city. It makes the best use of the deadly skills she picked up after being kicked out of army Special Forces training for reasons she prefers not to go into. So when Susie Hollins is found dead hours after she foolishly takes on Charlie at the New Adelphi Club, Charlie knows it's only a matter of time before the police come calling. What they don't tell her is that Hollins is the latest victim of a homicidal rapist stalking the local area.
Charlie finds herself drawn closer to the crime when the New Adelphi's enigmatic owner, Marc Quinn, offers her a job working security at the club. Viewed as an outsider by the existing all-male team, her suspicion that there's a link between the club and the killer doesn't exactly endear her to anyone. Charlie has always taught her students that it's better to run than to stand and fight. But when the killer starts taking a very personal interest, it's clear he isn't going to give her that option.
About the Author :
Zoë Sharp is the author of the Charlie Fox series of thrillers. She spent most of her formative years living on a catamaran on the northwest coast of England. She now lives in the English Lake District.
Angèle Masters is an actor and writer, born and raised in a small town in England. She has spent the past twenty years in the southern United States. While most of her background is in theater, she makes an occasional appearance in front of the camera and quite often behind the microphone recording audiobooks.
Review :
"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 realized, and grimy enough to make the reader's skin crawl on occasion...A sharp, punchy read; a brutally confident start to a series that would continue to evolve in the best possible ways."
-- "Crime Scene Scotland"
"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."
-- "New York Times Book Review"
"One of the best crime debuts for years."
-- "Yorkshire Post"
"Sharp manages to combine blood-and-guts action with a strongly feminist slant, as Charlie, who knows what it's like to be a victim, seeks to empower women with her training...This is a must for crime-fiction fans who like it rough."
-- "Booklist"
