Die Easy

Charlie Fox Thriller #10

by Zoë Sharp

A deadly hostage situation in New Orleans forces Charlie Fox to improvise as never before. And this time she can't rely on Sean to watch her back.

In the sweating heat of Louisiana, former Special Forces soldier turned bodyguard, Charlie Fox, faces her toughest challenge yet.

Professionally, she’s at the top of her game, but her personal life is in ruins. Her lover, bodyguard Sean Meyer, has woken from a gunshot-induced coma with his memory in tatters. It seems that piecing back together the relationship they shared is proving harder for him than relearning the intricacies of the close-protection business.

Working with Sean again was never going to be easy for Charlie, either, but a celebrity fundraising event in aid of still-ravaged areas of New Orleans should have been the ideal opportunity for them both to take things nice and slow.

Until, that is, they find themselves thrust into the middle of a war zone.

When an ambitious robbery explodes into a deadly hostage situation, the motive may be far more complex than simple greed. Somebody has a major score to settle, and Sean is part of the reason. Only trouble is, he doesn’t remember why.

And when Charlie finds herself facing a nightmare from her own past, she realises she can’t rely on Sean to watch her back. This time, she’s got to fight it out on her own.

One thing is for certain, though—no matter how overwhelming the odds stacked against her, or however hopeless the situation may appear, Charlie is never going to die easy.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Amazon

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2012

About the author

Zoë Sharp spent most of her formative years living aboard a catamaran on the northwest coast of England. She opted out of mainstream education at the age of twelve and wrote her first novel at fifteen. She became a freelance photojournalist in 1988 and started writing her Charlie Fox crime thriller series after receiving death-threats in the course of her work.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed a short story by this author in a Sherlock Holmes anthology where she presented a female with skills and a ready glock based on Hounds of Baskerville.
Thus...I checked this book out as it was the only one available from my library. Even though it is tenth in a series, ample background information is provided throughout. Charlie (Charlotte) is a Brit, had been trained years ago as Special Forces but was raped by a creep and three of his friends to get rid of a female threat. In this episode this creep has Charlie in his sights again as a patsy for his own criminal intent whilst Sean, Charlie's old trainer and then lover and now suffering from memory loss with bullet in brain and assigned as protection for rich and famous alongside Charlie enter into some very gnarly near death events in New Orleans. The rich folks are gathering to fund Katrina reparations after the destructive hurricane. Yes...about to happen again this weekend, poor New Orleans.
I don't like people pretending to have love when they only use the most vulgar terms, and this book and probably the whole series is peppered with stuff I have no interest in allowing further entrance into my brain and nervous system. One book was more than adequate.
The short story was delightful, however.

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - nonstop explosive action at land, sea and air

Die Easy, book #10, is a great place to dive into the series if you’re new to Charlie Fox. Zoe Sharp has incorporated enough of Charlie’s back story to give you glimpses of her past adventures.

When I first read the book synopsis for this story last year, I was actually anxious for Charlie (perhaps I am a tad too invested in this character). It was bad enough to have Sean’s memory restored the way it had, but then to have a real live nightmare, someone who had attacked her and had gotten away with it, pop up as well signaled “danger, danger, Will Robinson” as the personal conflict magnified the work challenges. I had also just finished the preceding books and noted that Zoe Sharp does not spare her characters from heart ache. In Third Strike (#7), circumstances started to go downhill for Charlie right after she said that she was “happy, even content.” In Fourth Day (#8), Sean marveled that instead of dying at a young age or being imprisoned as had been predicted, he was living in NYC with Charlie and working for a prestigious firm. And then he got shot in the head. Additional tension was created by Sean’s mistrust of Charlie. It’s one thing for her to battle alone as she did in First Drop, but it’s emotionally more wrenching to have a false sense of comfort - when the person who should be watching your back is physically present but doesn’t watch your back.

I was also disappointed with Sean, but I couldn’t be angry because he had survived a traumatic brain injury. Sean has never been depicted as a misogynist before. He had promoted a woman to partnership level to assume control over his old firm in the UK. But in Die Easy, he seemed all too willing to accept others’ negative perceptions of women. Sean had been characterized as coldly rational before, but now he seemed more susceptible to being influenced and motivated by his own negative emotions. He almost killed Charlie! And finally, I was finding it difficult to believe that Sean didn’t try harder to recoup his memories by checking with trustworthy sources. Even his mother could have corroborated the fact that he had willingly moved with Charlie to NYC. Madeleine, the woman he had promoted, was somebody he had trusted and she certainly had all of the intel on Charlie.

All together, it felt as though the screws in the mental torture chamber were being tightened on Charlie. But Charlie is lethal, cool-headed, and resourceful enough to rise to the occasion. As her principal Blake Dyer (whose life she had previously saved in Served Cold ) stated:

"You are indeed a hell of a woman...[Charlie] is a weapon."

And although her nemesis had plagued her nightmares for years, Charlie is no longer the same woman who had been attacked and left for dead nearly 10 years ago. As he taunted her, only fury now surged in Charlie’s blood.

”Did you think you’d be any safer here, Fox? Did you think anybody was going to stand up for you when they never did before?”

”You really think I give a flying f**k if anyone’s prepared to stand up for me? ...I don’t need anyone backing me up. You try to mess with me, sunshine, and this time I will f**king bury you.”

With this second reading of Die Easy, even though I knew the outcome, the heart-pounding commenced as the action escalated in the cat-and-mouse hunt on board the pirated paddleboat. Die Easy was written in big, bold brushstrokes, as though it was meant to be a Hollywood blockbuster. There hasn’t been this fury of action in a Charlie Fox story since First Drop (#4). With nonstop explosive action, the body count in Die Easy was the highest to date in the series. The villain appeared to be a criminal mastermind, who was guilty of being a serial killer, an embezzler, kidnapper, and other crimes. There was even a braniac, blonde femme fatale. Die Easy was still a page-turner that enticed me to read late into the night.


0) Trial Under Fire 🌟🌟🌟🌟½
1) Killer Instinct 🌟🌟🌟½
2) Riot Act 🌟🌟🌟🌟
3) Hard Knocks 🌟🌟🌟🌟½
4) First Drop 🌟🌟🌟🌟
5) Road Kill 🌟🌟🌟🌟½
6) Second Shot 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
7) Third Strike 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
8) Fourth Day 🌟🌟🌟🌟
9) Fifth Victim 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Paullei Mumme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've patiently awaited the arrival of Zoe Sharp's tenth book in the Charlie Fox series and since I had pre-ordered it, it was delivered this morning. I couldn't stop reading until I finished and as has been the case with all of books in the series, I was not disappointed - well, not until the very end. The disappoint had nothing to do with the story, characters, or writing style. My disappointment is simply I wanted more, I expected more. I felt like I had taken a great journey but instead of being delivered to the front steps on home at the end I was left off a blocks away. Close enough to be considered home, but not quite delivering me all the way there.

You will not be disappointed at all with this book, but I imagine you will be like me and wanting more. That is the gift and the curse of a talented author, especially in a series such as Charlie Fox. Had Ms.Sharp given me the "more" that I thought should have been in the book, I may have felt she started something but didn't finish it. The ending was appropriate and I'm am certainly anticipating the next installment of Charlie Fox. Where will story line of these characters take us next? Can Charlie, Sean, and Parker ever have a life with some glimmer of happiness?

Thank you Zoe Sharp for giving life to Charlie Fox and company. Write faster!

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in a dependable series. This book has what was probably the most enjoyable storyline for me so far. The action sequence on the paddle wheeler excursion took up a great portion of the book; but was well done and with some good twists. As for Sean, the ‘new’ Sean...I liked him less and less as the book went on, then at the end he partially redeemed himself. He is still a jerk at times, though. (Linda, he gives off a Ricky Bo vibe sometimes, doesn’t he? Lol)

I’ve got to get busy on the next two books. Number 13 is due to be released soon. As always, thank you to Linda for hooking me up with this series.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update:

Emperically speaking, in taking a look at the genre books I'm reading and have read, it appears that I prefer male authors. The hero of my "read" list is male; usually a loner of some type (Lee Child); in the business of violence and justice of a varied sort (Barry Eisler); there is a mix of flawed heroes (Jo Nesbo) and heroes who have it pretty much together (Craig Johnson). Judgment calls on my preferences I'll leave to others...it is strictly an emperical observation.

Having said that: yes, I've read plenty of other books that aren't necessarily reviewed by me here on GR. And yes, I've read lots of female authors who write in this genre prior to coming to GR. But, I find it rare when a female author hits my sweet spot, as described above. I don't know why that is. It is what it is, I suppose.

Zoe Sharp is one of the few exceptions to my expectations...for some unfanthomable reason she appears to have the ability to look inside the make-up of what drives a male protagonist as that is experienced by other males, and consequently creates a great heroine in the form of Charlie Fox who comes across as a wonderful hybrid between male and female reader expectations. With Ms. Sharp, you really get the best of both worlds. Not to mention that the author herself looks pretty sharp. (see below).




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Being interested in reading series mystery/detectives I ran across Zoe Sharp during my aimless wandering through book worlds online. I admit, reading the reviews I was skeptical as to whether or not I'd like her books for the simple reason that I'm interested in a particular type of hero (principled but tempted by physical violence, alone in the world by choice but always tempted to abandon this lifestyle). Female main characters usually do not fit this model if my previous reads are any indication. And so I considered that books written from the viewpoint of Charlie Fox, a female protagonist, might or might not interest me.

Having said that, the character of Sean Meyer did interest me. And so I dove into the Charlie Fox mystery/thrillers.

Ms. Sharp did a nice job of incorporating my particular interest, not just in the character of Sean Meyer, but also in the female protagonist. Charlie Fox is in the business of security, protection, and self-defense. That too went a long way into my choosing to read this series. Constantly weighing her principles against Sean Meyer vs. the various antagonist you will encounter in this series, Charlie Fox comes across has both hard boiled and vulnerable, hero and unwilling victim, intelligent and driven by desire.

As with all series books, read them in order! And if you've read this review of Charlie Fox than you've read them all. Ms. Sharp remains consistent in terms of interesting plots, depth of character to warrant a blanket review of the entire series.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tenth and most recent in the Charlie Fox series, now I'm all up to date and have to wait for her to write the next one.
This has Charlie and Sean, out of his coma but with his memory of the preceding years gone, assigned to protect a client attending a fundraiser in New Orleans for the victims of Katrina. Unsure that they can trust each other and with their personal relationship in ruins, when things start going wrong Charlie only has herself to rely on.
I had been wondering when Charlie would come across any of the men who ruined her life and how she might handle her revenge - this was well done. There's lots of action, it's meant to be an homage to Die Hard, and the conclusion is satisfying. I just wish Sharp could give poor Charlie a break and let her be happy, just once!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid 5 Star rating. Best book of the series so far for me. Great character development especially for Charlie.

[John Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another notch in the capable hands of Charlie Fox.

Every book Zoë Sharp writes, pleases me. It becomes the rock upon which I rest all my hopes of some delicious late nights of reading. Consistent in delivering vein-chilling suspense, yet never predictable. Each new book launches out with a mind of its own, a personal mission to carve out a new territory of memorable locales.

In this adventure (and remember, not all adventures are fun, nor safe), Sharp explores what happens when bodyguards are actually stripped naked of things they usually rely on to do their jobs. Not just weapons, devices or technology -- but the sheer solitary danger of losing trust, cooperation and reliable human intel.

And in that sense, metaphorically naked Charlie must rely on her own wits, her ingenuity, her ability to assess risks and benefits. At the time when she must be the most hardened and effective, she finds herself the most vulnerable and at the mercy of her circumstances.

What Sharp excels at is the ability to put you in the action, and to make you associate with Charlie, to hold your breath while she takes fantastic chances and to feel her outrage, her dismay at injustice and her resolve to survive.

Don't just read this book. Read everything Sharp writes. I guarantee you will be neither bored nor disappointed. You might, however, need a defibrillator.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

As action packed and entertaining as always I just HATE what is happening with Sean. Charlie has had so many awful, awful things happen to her that she deserves some happiness and she had that with Sean. I really loved the connection between Charlie & Sean and how well they worked together. It is bad enough that he doesn't remember their relationship but they could have worked back to that point but to have Sean change his fundamental character to break that connection made me enjoy this book less that previous instalments and turned a 4 star book into a 3 star for me.

[Miki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this series,but I'm getting a little tired of the cliff-hanger endings, and the fact that NOTHING ever seems to go right for Charlie. As much as she's gone through, it's amazing how she's still walking around, instead of lying curled up in the closet somewhere.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a master class in thriller writing. Zoe Sharp makes it all look effortless-- ending each chapter with a twist that makes you keep reading, and building everything on character and personal relationships that engage the reader completely.

[Vleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't read this one fast enough and really could not figure out who was the perpetrator. It was hard to tell who to trust with the unwanted appearance of a former military associate. Charlie is doubly cursed by being one of the few females in a male dominated field which make her successes even sweeter. But so disheartening that she has to prove herself over and over again even to those closest.

[Una Tiers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can you have too much conflict? This book does.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I have to assume that you have no plans to read the series in order from the beginning as this will inevitably contain spoilers***

So having finished book 9, I dove straight into this one and knew things would not have been easy for Charlie in the interim. Sean (her colleague and partner) has now returned to work with Charlie as a Close Protection Agent (aka Bodyguard) and Charlie just isn’t sure he is ready. Not only is he still recovering from a serious head injury that put him in a coma, but he still has a loss of memory for a few years in his past and that has a severe impact on Charlie. Their latest job is supposedly an easy one, however as with most things involving Charlie Fox nothing is ‘easy’.

Blake Dyer is their client and Charlie and Sean are employed to ensure his safety during a benefit in New Orleans to raise funds for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The first quarter of the book does nothing but highlight the problems that Charlie is up against as Sean seems to have reverted back to his time in the Military and all of his finesse and business savvy seems to have gone out the window along with his memory. Once the real action gets underway it almost has an action movie feel to it as many people are taken hostage in the worst possible place!

This book was a lot more fast paced than the last one and I found myself feeling like it was a much pacier and more exciting read than the last one. The reader gets to see Charlie at her absolute best and all I can say is that I wouldn’t want to annoy this woman as she is a force to be reckoned with. There’s also an ongoing story thread that gets continued in this book relating to an assault on Charlie many years before. It seemed like the action, trouble and death defying things continued chapter by chapter right up to the very end. This book was one that you didn’t want to put down and as the story continued I felt myself disliking Sean more and more as time went on. By the end of the book, the epilogue just seemed to put the icing on the cake with lots of possibilities for the next book. The follow on to this is the Novella Absence of Light. Keep your eyes peeled as this I am already reading with a view to picking up book 12 VERY soon!!!!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the tenth novel in the Charlie Fox series by Zoe Sharp. I haven't read any of the others in this series. This leads me to recommend the following: DO NOT jump in willy nilly and expect to get the back story on relationships, past relationships and who shot who and who was shot where.

Now with that little disclaimer, I still liked this book. I liked the female MC. She is one of the first tough female mc's that didn't seem to have an axe to grind or a point to prove just because she was a woman. I found that refreshing.

The story moved along and had a nice pace. I think the one thing that nags at me is that this was told in first person. I'm not sure that worked to the benefit of the plot. There were so many people who played major roles. It felt like it would have been well rounded if they also had been given a voice.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Fox is hired to protect Blake Dyer at a benefit in New Orleans to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Her ex-lover Sean Meyer is still recovering from being shot in the head and is confused about his supporting role in the assignment. After nearly being killed by a SAM flying over New Orleans to survey the damage, the benefit party does badly wrong when the riverboat is hijacked and Charlie/Sean cross paths with one of the Army guys who raped Charlie. Sean's memory lapses also play a central role in the book as the primary celebrity and he have a history together. Zoe Sharp has written another tight, suspenseful, action-packed thriller.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always struggled with Sean's reaction to Charlie's court marshal. Even with gross misinformation, how on earth does a man who is passionately involved with someone believe a story about "group sex gone wrong", *especially* when a rape complaint had been made. Are we supposed to believe that he thought Charlie accused him of rape, not the other men? That's sloppy on Sean's part, and not a little insane. So Sean in his "betrayed manliness" mode has long been my least favorite, though I've warmed to him over the course of the series. And yet, here we are retreading old ground with him, enormously frustrating and not even a little bit appealing.

[Julie Townsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read-don't want to spoil it for others but if you like Charlie-this is a must read! When's the next one out??

[Germaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic a real page turner hope I dont have to wait too long for the next instalment

[Ann Baskervill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't write reviews, I just give my opinions. Excellent!!!! Can't wait to read another one!

[Karen Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protection specialist Charlie Fox must put aside personal feelings to work with her significant other, Sean Meyer, in guarding a prominent businessman on a trip to New Orleans for post-Katrina charity events. After receiving a head wound in an assignment with Charlie, Meyer went into a coma and awoke from it without any memory of his relationship with her. Charlie and Sean are soon drawn into a mystery as someone is determined to kidnap - or kill - one of more of the celebrities at the charity functions.

There are plenty of suspects and rabbit holes to go down in the tale, with the book title providing an apt description of the final chapters that take place in board a replica paddle boat that is taken over by criminals. Like the previous Charlie Fox novels, this one is also a great ride.this one can stand alone in its own merits if the previous books have been unfortunately passed over. Very highly recommended.

[Any Length · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great. Was it the development I was hoping for in Charlie and Sean's relationship? Not really. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. Otherwise it was good to see Charlie encounter one of her rapists and see how that developed during the book.
Charlie is a person is getting stronger and becoming more ruthless and professional. I like her character and her self-restraint as well as her abilities to take on anyone, armed or not.

[yolanda bryant-welcome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Every women wishes to hopefully rise from the ashes like Charlie. She is one bad ass and can't stop reading Zoe's narration of the life's adventures. If you like drama, action and suspense this series has never let me down. Some I almost wish they were longer, but no worries I will just re-read them 1 million times.

[A.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read twice and will probably read again

Many unexpected plot twists and a fascinating look at New Orleans from the bodyguard's perspective. From helicopter to paddleboat the action will leave you breathless as Charlie and Sean attempt to protect their principal from enemies, friends, family and himself.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always what a cracker, action, action and more action. Only thing is I am wondering where we go from here so need to get next in series. For anyone that hasn't yet found Charlie Fox I would advise starting from the first book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so rare that Book #10 of a series is just as good as book #1. But this series is darn good. I'm looking forward to the next one!

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Another great book. :)

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting series.

[Keely Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe if I had forced myself to read it, but I couldn't get interested in this.

[David Macpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but over long thriller about Charlie Fox, a bodyguard, and her charges stuck in a die hard on a boat situation. It was fine, but the sense of realism and danger was kind of muted.