Book Review #7

I've had way too much going on recently to be reading but I need some time to escape from the craziness of life so I tend to turn to my kindle. The problem is that I picked up 'Killer Instinct' by Zoe Sharp and then couldn't put it down! As per my usual I don't know when or why I got this book but it was sitting on my TBR list so I got stuck in. Also quite typically for me, I hadn't read the synopsis before starting it and had no idea what was going to happen (to be honest I'm quite enjoying doing that as I enjoy being led by the author at the pace that they want rather than having the bones of the story before I've even begun). However I'm going to share the outline with you or you'll have no clue what I'm on about!


'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.' 
Charlie Fox makes a living of sorts teaching self-defence to women. It's a skill she picked up of necessity having been kicked out of the army for reasons she prefers not to go into. So when Susie Hollins is found dead only a few hours after she mistakenly tussles with Charlie at the New Adelphi Club, Charlie knows it's only a matter of time before the police come calling. Only the police reveal that the unlucky Hollins has become the latest victim of the homicidal rapist stalking the local area. Charlie finds herself inadvertently drawn into the investigation when the Adelphi's enigmatic owner Marc Quinn offers her a job. Viewed as an outsider by the existing all-male security team, her suspicion that there is a link between the club and the serial killer doesn't exactly endear her to anyone. Charlie has always taught her students that it's better to run away from a danger than fight unnecessarily. But when the killer starts taking a very personal interest in her it becomes clear that he isn't going to give her that option...

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read anything by Zoe Sharp before and I hadn't heard any reviews about her work. Since finishing it I've seen a lot of people seem to compare her books to the Jack Reacher novels though they're not something I've ever been able to get into. I think this novel is written more as a female point of view and as a result I enjoyed the book a lot more. The protagonist, Charlie Fox, is strong but not too over the top. You never know for sure if she's going to be able to get out of trouble as her conscience can get the better of her. I can't promise that the plot is completely revolutionary but it had enough twists and turns to keep me interested and unsure of who to trust.

Zoe Sharp is a British writer and has written 10 books in the Charlie Fox series with Killer Instinct being the first. I'm pretty sure I'll be adding the next one to my wishlist (and probably my TBR pile before too long)!