Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Second Shot (Charlie Fox Thriller #6)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Second Shot

(Charlie Fox Thriller #6)

Zoë Sharp (Goodreads Author)

4.11 · Rating details · 772 ratings · 69 reviews

"Take it from me, getting yourself shot hurts like hell."

When the latest assignment for ex--Special Forces soldier turned bodyguard Charlie Fox, ends in a bloody shootout in a frozen forest of New Hampshire, she's left fighting for her life, with her client dead.
Simone Kerse had just become a lottery millionaire but never lived long enough to enjoy her riches. ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, US, 288 pages

Published September 4th 2007 by St. Martin's Minotaur/Thomas Dunne (first published January 1st 2007)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Second Shot, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Special Interest Focused Fiction, Occupation or Hobby Themed

277 books — 47 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.11 ·

Rating details

· 772 ratings · 69 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Second Shot (Charlie Fox Thriller #6)

Feb 18, 2018 RachelW (BamaGal) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: loan

3.5 Stars. Satisfying enough read, but my least favorite of the series so far. The ending was all over the place and overly melodramatic.

The Frances Neagley crossover was kind of cool...

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2019 Woman Reading rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller-or-suspense, 4-and-half-to-5-stars-stellar

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 adventure with extreme danger and emotional intensity

Second Shot described Charlie’s second American gig as a bodyguard in which things go terribly wrong. Indeed, Charlie committed the cardinal sin of bodyguards - she outlived her principal… just barely.

Though it’s book six, Second Shot can be read as a standalone story. By the end of chapter one, it looked as though it could have literally been a standalone - for Charlie was dying. This was a stupendous opening chapter. Chapter two picked ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2012 Sue Millard rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Sue by: Zoe Sharp

I find all Zoe's work hard to put down and this didn't break the mould. Second Shot is the first of the Charlie Fox series to introduce a child character into the mix. It shows us a softer side of Charlie's make-up. She obviously can't be a parent as well as doing the work she is naturally fitted for, but guarding a mother with a four-year-old brings her maternal instincts to the fore. That they're distinctly tigerish should be no surprise to readers of this series.

The "second shot" of the title ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 23, 2015 Catsalive rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

Not as good a story as the earlier books. It was a bit long-winded & didn't hold my interest as well as the others. Marked down because I'm tired of the soul-searching: the antagonists would have killed Charlie without a quiver of conscience, so she can be good or she can be dead. I wish Sharp would just let her get on with it. Let the father do his bit, but stop Charlie helping him undermine her. I'm going to have a break from these for a while because one more time - did I have a choice? or di ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2016 Janine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, crime, series

This is the first Zoe Sharp book I have read and it didn't matter that it was book 6 in the series as it was a great story. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 01, 2020 Carolien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, 2020

Charlie Fox is requested to protect a newly-rich lottery winner who is searching for her estranged father. Things fall apart pretty quickly leaving Charlie with 2 bullet wounds and the lottery winner dead. Lots of action and an interesting plot.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2014 Best Crime Books & More rated it really liked it

It’s been a while since I read a book in the Charlie Fox series and then once I get back into them I seem to want to stay there. I started with book 5, and then went straight onto this one. I must say this book for me stood out from the first few pages. Charlie and Sean meet up with their new client Simone and her daughter Ella. It seems that the attention her ex-boyfriend is paying her is verging on dangerous. From the first few chapters we get to see a new side to Charlie. In previous books sh ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2017 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, thrillers, adult, travel, libraryloan

Poor Charlie just keeps getting shot! She still hadn't fully recovered from her last trip to America (in the previous book) and now she's back to working as security for a mother and child. Supposed to be an easy protection gig--how hard is it to keep away the press and an ex-boyfriend? But Charlie ends up shot and severely wounded, and her security team is threatened. The mystery is big--people aren't telling the truth, and, of course, Charlie ends up saving the day. While being a complete bada ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2019 Dylan Cundiff rated it it was amazing

I think this is my favorite Charlie Fox book yet. While hoping to not give anything away, throughout the book, we see a real, and believable, transition in Charlie. I felt genuinely bad for her by the end of the book but also happy she seems to have broken through to who I have wanted her to become. Furthermore, I never figured out any of the usual twists along the way. I thought I had, and every time I was completely wrong. Fantastic book... moving on to Third Strike.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 25, 2016 Julia rated it it was ok

Shelves: not-reshelved, genre-mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2018 Karen Ford rated it it was amazing

This is the second Charlie Fox novel I have read and it's quickly shot it's way near to the top of my favorite series. This one takes place shortly after the first book I dive into, First Drop.

Charlie's boss (and on again off again lover) Sean's protection firm is engaged by the solicitors (to use the British term) of a lottery winner, Simone. Charlie's task is to be bodyguard for Simone and Ella, her four year old daughter. The main threat seems to come from Simone's estranged husband, Matt, wh ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 31, 2017 Mad Leon rated it liked it

Charlie Fox has got to be the dumbest and most lax body guard out there. Anyone this careless in reality wouldn't last a month. Evidently her 'principals' don't make it very long on her watch either. Plus evidently when she is involved in a crime or death there is no inquest and the police are bumblers also. Just too ridiculous for me. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 03, 2018 D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another page turner with the complex, heroic Charlie Fox.

Another page turner with the complex, heroic Charlie Fox. This time she saves a child. Oh, and against unbelievable odds, too! She never gives up.

flag Like · see review

Aug 22, 2017 Charles Levenstein rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Charlie Fox Rides again!

Another shoot-em-up page turner. A good read although Charlie's whining gets to be a little much at times. Worth the price.
...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 15, 2018 Christine Cock rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Better and Better

Zoe Sharpe continues to develop her Charlie Fox character and create complex, thrilling stories. The relationships take on a deeper meaning also. Great fun!

flag Like · see review

Feb 15, 2019 Graeme rated it really liked it · review of another edition

First time I've read a Zoe Sharp novel, I enjoyed the read so hopefully I'll read another. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 18, 2020 Steph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Not my usual kind of read, but I was thoroughly gripped by the story right from the first chapter. An excellent read.

flag Like · see review

Feb 06, 2021 Aviva rated it it was amazing

Kept me on the edge of my seat. The first I read in the series, excited to read the others

flag Like · see review

Oct 11, 2018 Any Length rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

brilliant. I couldn't stop reading. From the first sentence - which should be a classic gripping opening sentence- I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. Didn't even see coming what happened at the end. ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 19, 2009 Maddy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2007-reads

PROTAGONIST: Charlie Fox, bodyguard
SETTING: Boston
SERIES: #2 of 6
RATING: 4.0

Charlie Fox is a former British Army soldier who's taking advantage of the skills that she developed during that career to become a close protection agent (bodyguard). Involved in a personal and professional relationship with her boss, Sean Meyer, she agrees to protect a recent lottery winner, Simone Kerse, and her 4-year old daughter, Emma, from her obsessed ex-boyfriend. Simone decides to use some of her newfound wealt PROTAGONIST: Charlie Fox, bodyguard
SETTING: Boston
SERIES: #2 of 6
RATING: 4.0

Charlie Fox is a former British Army soldier who's taking advantage of the skills that she developed during that career to become a close protection agent (bodyguard). Involved in a personal and professional relationship with her boss, Sean Meyer, she agrees to protect a recent lottery winner, Simone Kerse, and her 4-year old daughter, Emma, from her obsessed ex-boyfriend. Simone decides to use some of her newfound wealth to mount a search for her father, with whom she lost contact during her childhood. The trail leads to Boston, and Simone, Ella and Charlie travel to the United States so that Simone can realize her goal. Charlie is naturally skeptical of the man who claims to be Simone's father; however, Simone is determined that Greg Lucas is indeed her father and will not allow herself to be persuaded otherwise. Greg and his current wife, relate fairly well to Emma. But Lucas definitely doesn't show any of the military skills that he should have after a career in the SAS.

Simone stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that she and Ella may be in danger, even after a kidnapping attempt that goes awry. Charlie is put in the position of either agreeing to Simone's terms or walking away. Since Ella has won her heart, she doesn't find the latter to be a viable option. Her worst fears come true; and ultimately, Charlie is shot twice and left for dead in a snow-covered ditch. Even as she struggles to recover, she is on the trail of those who have been targeting the group.

Charlie is tough on the outside and a bit soft on the inside, which may make her career choice problematic. There are times when Sean questions her choices and motives. If she's going to be a bodyguard, she has to follow a rather rigid line and not allow her emotions to come into play—that vulnerability could get her or her principals killed. The two men in Charlie's life, Sean and her father, are both demanding and hard to get along with. There's not enough development of either one of them to get a real handle on the dynamics of the relationships. Sean does care about Charlie. Her father probably does as well, but he masks it in sarcasm and arrogance.

Paradoxically, some of the things that I liked best about the book also were the elements that didn't work quite as well as they should have. Sharp has arguably written the best description of what it feels like to be shot that I have ever read. However, that scene was part of the prologue and involved the death of one of the book's main characters. Knowing of that death decreased the dramatic tension of the narrative, in that I knew that this character was going to be killed and never expected otherwise. If the book had been written in a linear time progression, that event would have been a real shock. Along the same lines, Sharp also portrays the effect of Charlie's grievous injuries in a very realistic way. However, the fact that she is not operating in top form leads to several situations where she is not able to resolve them as satisfactorily as she would have had she been healthy. It's not exactly easy to be a kick-ass heroine when you're using a crutch!

Although there are several books in this series available in the UK, it is only now being released in the US. With excellent plotting and some skillfully executed red herrings, a tough female protagonist and a knack for suspense, the Charlie Fox series should be a big hit with thriller fans.

...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 03, 2014 Michael Sova rated it really liked it

Helpless, vulnerable, insecure, fragile--these are not words we'd generally use to describe a literary hero. Too often, our heroes are larger than life. They never fail. They never falter. They never take a punch. We love them for their strength, and willingly overlook their total lack of any weakness. Such heroes are inspiring if not always entirely convincing.
In the opening pages of Second Shot by Zoe Sharp, it's almost painfully clear that British body guard Charlie Fox is no such hero. Sh Helpless, vulnerable, insecure, fragile--these are not words we'd generally use to describe a literary hero. Too often, our heroes are larger than life. They never fail. They never falter. They never take a punch. We love them for their strength, and willingly overlook their total lack of any weakness. Such heroes are inspiring if not always entirely convincing.
In the opening pages of Second Shot by Zoe Sharp, it's almost painfully clear that British body guard Charlie Fox is no such hero. She has weaknesses and she does make mistakes. The woman she's hired to protect is already dead, and Charlie herself has been shot twice. She clings to life, and doesn't know if she has the will or the courage to press on.
Second Shot is the sixth book in the Charlie Fox series. Like in First Drop, Charlie has been sent to the States to look after a child. And once again, the situation gets more complicated than expected. She is still battling with previous failures, and wonders if self doubt is preventing her from doing her job properly. Meanwhile, enemies with no such qualms are quickly closing in. While struggling with her own demons, dealing with weaknesses both physical and mental, a child's welfare is still at stake and Charlie realizes she's still the only one who can truly make things right.
The world of fiction has produced a lot of Charlie Fox type heroes. Most of them are men. Oh sure; we've seen plenty of female detectives, from Kinsey Milhone to V. I. Warshawski to Precious Ramotswe. Charlie does her share of detecting as well, but she's primarily a bodyguard, a stereotypically male occupation, not just in literature but in life. She's also British but working in America. That too gives her, and by extension the reader, a slightly different perspective on things. I applaud Zoe Sharp for giving all of us something new, different and a little daring. She also crafts some great stories. If you're not familiar with Sharp yet, I suggest you give her and Charlie Fox a try.

...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 22, 2014 Best Crime Books & More rated it really liked it · review of another edition

flag Like · see review

Sep 03, 2008 LJ rated it did not like it

Shelves: suspense, mystery, female_author, boston, contemporary_post_1945, england, london, licensed_investigator, new_hampshire

SECOND SHOT (Lic. Invest-Charlie Fox-London, Boston, New Hampshire-Cont) - Poor
Sharp, Zoë – 6th in series
Thomas Dunne Books, 2007, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0312358954

First Sentence: Take it from me, getting yourself shot hurts like hell.

Simone Kerde won multi-millions in the lottery and her greatest wish is to get to know the father that left them when she was very young. She is being hounded by the press and feels threatened by her ex-boyfriend, the father of her 4-year-old daughter.

Private bodygu ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Harry rated it really liked it

Shelves: detective-mystery

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 this book 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 indicat ...more

flag Like · see review

May 13, 2013 Silverblue rated it really liked it

Second shot is another of Charlie Fox's stories. The main character, Charlie Fox, albeit reluctantly accepts an easy job as a body guard in the USA. The "principal" and her daughter come to a large sum of money which makes them a target of tabloids, an ex, bankers and so on. The easy "job" was to keep the principal and her daughter to keep them safe from elements while in US in search of her long missing father, which turns into a nightmare upon their arrival to the USA (what with the principal ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 17, 2014 Ed rated it really liked it

Shelves: action, thriller

#6 in the Charlie Fox series. This 2007 novel is the second in the series to be published in the U.S. after #4 First Drop (2006). The four published in England may be more difficult to locate and the British slang is sometimes obscure but the series about a female self-defense expert and bodyguard is well worth making the effort.

Charlotte “Charlie” Fox series - The latest assignment for bodyguard Charlie Fox ends in a bloody shootout in a frozen forest of New Hampshire with her left fighting for ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 20, 2015 Plum-crazy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015, misc-crime-mystery-thriller

I didn't realise that this was book 6 in a series but I'm not one to be put off because of reading books out of order (it happens so frequently after all!. Anyhow, I knew I was going to enjoy it right from the opening line of "Take it from me, getting shot hurts like hell"....& I wasn't disappointed, I did enjoy it :o)

The characters were all credible, the action was fast paced & full of twists & turns - it had me hooked, one of those books I literally couldn't put down.
There's an endorsement fr ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 The Cats’ Mother rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, action-or-suspense-thrillers, x-read-in-2013

I was given this by a friend with the advice "she's the female Jack Reacher", but because I like to read series in order I tracked down the 5 previous instalments as ebooks and read them all first. I think each book could be read as a standalone but you get much more from them by knowing the backstory. In this one Charlie takes a job guarding a young woman who has recently won millions on the lottery and needs protection for herself and her 4 yr old daughter while she tracks down her estranged f ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 24, 2009 Kayeb rated it really liked it

I stayed up too late to finish this, a sign that I was enjoying it. Charlie is body guarding a woman who had won the lottery and as a result of it, tracks down the father who left when she was young. Lots of twists and turns, and her "father" ends up being a fake. Charlie ends up shot again, which begins to be a bit of a disturbing factor.....she is soon going to be more scars than un damaged body parts...but I guess it is all for the story. She and boyfriend Sean continue to heat up.

When the la ...more

flag Like · see review

May 22, 2011 Cluessister Williams rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was impressed with Zoe Sharp when I heard her speak and demonstrate self-defense techniques at Left Coast Crime. The books are equally detailed and occasionally wince-worthy. Her heroine gets real wounds but even on crutches finds a way to stop the bad guys.
I was also intrigued to discover the further adventures of Frances Neagley. Since I know the non-fiction Frances Neagley this was great fun for me. Frances became a character in Lee Child's "Bad Luck and Trouble" after winning an auction ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Thriller

24 users

Mystery

19 users

Mystery > Crime

10 users

Fiction

10 users

Suspense

7 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

6 users

Romance

2 users

Action

2 users

Adult

2 users

European Literature > British Literature

2 users

See top shelves…

About Zoë Sharp

Zoë Sharp

390 followers

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.