
How quickly the weeks pass and it’s already Saturday again and time for Six Word Saturday. If you would like to participate please either click on the picture above or click this link.
PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB – I’M READING.
I awoke to a grey Saturday morning and decided that the best thing to do was to take my tea and toast back to bed with a good book. And this set the rest of the day in train.
I had planned to meet with my French speaking buddies for lunch but that plan was quickly discarded after I had a long telephone conversation with my friend who recently found the huge lump in her breast. While she didn’t want me to visit, she did want to talk. After hanging up I realised that it was too late for the proposed lunch and so I stayed home.
I had started a Zoe Sharp book this morning in bed and after making a quick sandwich for lunch settled down to read more. Have you come across this English writer? Her protagonist is a feisty woman called Charlie Fox. I read the first book in the series after reading somewhere that Lee Childs thought her one of the best thriller writers to emerge in recent times. High praise indeed.
Are you, like me, a trifle bored with all the macho male heroes protagonists that litter the current crop of best sellers? If so Charlie Fox is a breath of fresh air. Feisty as I said and not always charming, she takes life full on and faithfully stands by her friends and in this case, her charge even when it looks as if she is facing death herself.
So I settled down to read this book – First Drop. Charlie Fox is a British ex-soldier, has taught self-defence and now is a Bodyguard. In this novel she is tasked with minding the 15 year old Trey, son of a computer programmer. What starts out as a disappointing assignment for her, rapidly turns into a fight for her life, the life of her charge and her lover. Swift page turning and I couldn’t put it down.
I had almost finished the book when I realised it was getting dark (around 5pm) and Lotte hadn’t had a walk yet. So reluctantly I left the book at page 343 of 373 pages and did what any self-respecting dog owner does, I took my dog out for her walk. And her delight more than compensated for the fact that I hadn’t finished the book. But of course, once I returned, I finished it.
I understand that there are 8 9 Charlie Fox mysteries and while I can’t quite work out the order in which they were written, it is clear that each one stands alone and so one can start reading anywhere in the series. However, I read Killer Instinct first and this is the book that gives Charlie’s background and in some way, helps to understand why she does what she does. I certainly recommend this author to you if you are looking for something a little different.
“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”
Paul Sweeney
Footnote – Can you believe that I received a comment from Zoe Sharp (see below) and she has linked back to this post from her website.