Third Strike

Charlie Fox [nee Charlotte Foxcroft] is now living in New York City, away from the England of her birth, six months into her recovery from a near-fatal double gunshot injury. Both Charlie and her lover/colleague, Sean Meyer, are now working for Parker Armstrong's very exclusive close-protection agency in that city, alienating her even more from her parents. Charlie has an interesting background, as she describes it: "I had a fractured career dogged by scandal; an ability to kill without hesitation that even I shied away from exploring; no relationship with my parents to speak of; and a lover who'd been at least as damaged by this life as I had." To her astonishment, one day Charlie sees her father, a highly respected and world-recognized UK surgeon, being interviewed by a local TV reporter who has elicited some stunning admissions certain to, at the very least, disgrace him and completely destroy his personal and professional reputation, including alcoholism and being complicit in the death of a man who was a patient and life-long friend. Disbelieving, and determined to get to the truth, Charlie and Sean take on the investigation when the resulting scandal directly affects not only her parents, but Charlie and Sean and the company they work for as well. The title has a double meaning, as much for its use in the American criminal justice system as for the number of `chances' her parents had given Charlie to, as they see it, find the error of her ways and come home, of course without Sean. She is still fighting to gain their trust and their respect, for him and for herself. In an acerbic tone that seems to fit her perfectly, Charlie is a take-no-prisoners kinda gal [as is, one gets the impression, her creator]. The book is another fast-paced, well-plotted and winning entry in the series, which just keeps getting better. Recommended.

Pass on this one and you'll miss one of the best thrillers of the year. It's right up there with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

Loved it!! Have got all of Zoe Sharp's Charlie Fox books. Think it was Road Kill that wasn't my personal favorite but it has been a couple of years since I read it. This one Zoe Sharp has got Charlie back on target. This was actually one of those books that had me hooked from page one. Sat down and started it on a Saturday afternoon and had to make myself put it down to go to bed and got up Sunday morning and finished it. Been a long time since I have found a book that made everything else wait until I finished it. I read the Charlie Fox books in order which maybe that is why I liked this one so much, liked the whole more personal aspect with Charlie and her parents and with Sean. Cannot wait for the next one to see what happens with her and Sean.