I've previously written about the Charlie Fox series of novels by Zoe Sharp. In my review for Hard Knocks, I said things had cranked up a bit since the first two books in the series. That continues with First Drop and Charlie working on her first close protection assignment. Within the space of a few books, she's gone from working in the North-West of England to Germany and now to Florida. This time she's looking after a teenage boy - and, like all teenagers, he's a pain in the behind.

Inevitably, what started out as a relatively easy job spirals out of control. Frankly, that had to happen, otherwise there'd be no point to the book. But that's the fun, isn't it?

As ever, no spoilers, but there's plenty of action and tension and a real sense of danger. I enjoyed the ride so much I went swiftly on to the next in the series.

Because it's been a while since I last wrote about a Charlie Fox book, I will repeat what I said last time. Zoe Sharp clearly does her research – or she’s had a lot of training in self-defence and weapons. Everything about the combat scenes gives the reader a sense this could really happen.

It isn’t essential to read the earlier books first. Indeed, the author does suggest that, if you only want to read about Charlie Fox's work in close protection, you should start here. For me, though, it's been good to read them from the beginning.

Looking forward to the next one already.

I’m pretty upset because I really like this author, but I’ve been having trouble hunting down her books. I read the first one from my library, but I have been unable to find/buy the second and third book. Luckily, my library has the rest of the series there. So I had to skip two books and pick this one up. Luckily, Sharp is such a good author that I didn’t need to have read those books to still find this one enjoyable.

Sharp presents us with a really central protagonist. She is so present that you can almost taste her. Charlie, the main character, has decided to go into the security business and her perhaps boyfriend has found her a job with him in the States - even better, in Florida. However, when Charlie shows up, she is given few details about the job apart from the fact that she is to be babysitting a rich teenage brat. It is when she has taken the teenager to an amusement park and someone opens fire to try and kill him, that things start to go much different from the easy job she had been promised. Charlie quickly finds herself running for her life in a strange country, without the ability to trust anyone, and all with someone back talking her at every point.

The book was easy to read and did much to distract me from the near constant contractions I was having at the time. That says a lot for the book. The only thing that annoyed me was the annoying teenager. I think that Sharp laid on just how obnoxious he was a little too thickly. American teenagers can be terrible, but this was just too much. Otherwise, the writing was great, the story was fun, and I really enjoyed it. I’m going to pick up the next one in the series sooner rather than later.

9/10 The more I read of this series, the more I like it. I love the protag. Charlie, and am enjoying learning more about her.

I loved the female protagonist - a true breath of fresh air when the other books with female bodyguards tend to lean heavily towards erotica. Charlie Fox is smart, funny and badass.

The book is well researched, written in a way that flows easily and the pace is fast and relentless. I would have ended it differently, but it's not terrible enough to discredit the whole book.

I am defintely a fan of Zoe Sharp's writing.

Charlie Fox is the heroine in this book, formerly in the British Army, now working as a bodyguard. She is involved and works with Sean Meyer, who runs a protection agency. They are assigned to watch over Trey, a teenager whose father, Keith, has designed a computer program reportedly able to predict the stock market. There are many people who want to get their hands on this program, including the people Keith works for, and will do anything to get it.

Definitely a good read. Charlie is a female Jack Reacher, perhaps not as smart but just as resourceful. I like Reacher better, though.

The worst part of Charlie’s bodyguarding-cum-babysitting job should have been riding the rollercoasters with Trey, her teenage charge, but as the gunshots start flying, she finds herself hanging on for a wild ride as an army of bad guys make every effort to put her out of action and get to the boy.

There is never a dull moment in 'First Drop', as action, coupled with plenty of intrigue, propels the story along. Together with Charlie, you struggle to piece together what on earth is going on and which, if any, of the many possible characters she can trust. The first person narrative means you live the story as she does. Charlie is a likeable heroine who does anything and everything to protect Trey. She is easy to root for, feisty and resourceful although I wish I could have related to her more. At times her character seemed a little flat but fortunately the powerful storyline carried her through. I particularly enjoyed the perspective of a Brit in America, as well as her frustrations of dealing with an angst-ridden teenager. There were some interesting scenes: the intrigue when she found the house empty and every trace of her backup team gone, the craziness at being given a pink hair makeover, the ingenuity of recruiting the bikers to help her see off one set of bad guys and the nail-biting ending in a swamp full of alligators. The writing is easy to read with some unusual verb and metaphor choices that really worked. Overall the plot is fast paced and action packed. Charlie is thrown from one nightmare situation into the next and I had to keep reading to find out how it all came good.

As a new dad, there are a few sentiments expressed by Charlie Fox - the hero - about kids that feel spot on. There is nothing more annoying than a baby interrupting you reading a good book, especially during the final 50 pages!

Zoe has certainly got all the right thriller ingredients. But she has also managed to mix them together into a great blend that is interesting and exciting. From go to arrhythmia, there is no let up, with Charlie trying to stay alive and figure out who isn't trying to kill her. If I had one quibble, it was with a chance encounter that was rather important to the plot, I would have preferred it to be done a little different. But then again, I forgive this in Lee Child, Zoe is no less a writer, so it is an easily overlooked point.

If you haven't read any of the Charlie Fox thrillers, do so soon.

Wow !! I thought this was the first book in the series !! Loved it..tightly woven and fast moving..many twists and turns..If you need a body guard..call Charlie Fox.

3.8 stars
I read the first Charlie Fox book, Killer Instinct a while ago and I like her character.
I choose the fourth book because I want some action and want to see Charlie as a bodyguard.
Well, she's still a newbie in the business and it's her first time in the US but she's good; quick on her feet with wit and determination. I'll follow this series to see how she will grow into this role. I'm so hope she will be a real kick-ass heroine with experiences. Entertaining plot (a little unbelievable for all the gun fight) though the twist is obvious but nice one, anyway.

Again, my second round of reading Ms Sharp's Charlie Fox books and I'm still loving them. We all read a book for a multitude of reasons and these tick all my boxes. I am engrossed by the plot, thrilled by the characters, happily challenged by the writing but above all, I am entertained by the skill and fluidity of the story. I am never bored, constantly waiting impatiently for the next break in the frenetic life to steal an hour of pleasure. Thank you. Roll on #5.

This is the fourth book in the Charlie Fox series and I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them so far. This one takes Charlie to Florida and the action explodes pretty much from the first page. It is great to find a strong female character in a thriller and I can't help but like her. Charlie has found herself as a bodyguard to a rather obnoxious 14 year old and the plot revolves around her trying to keep him alive while two sets of baddies are trying to either kill them or catch them. You are not really sure who is behind it all until the very end as some of the bad guys turn out to oblivious to what is really going on. I would highly recommend you try the first in the series Killer Instinct.

I enjoyed the story though I found some of the writing overly detailed on details I cared nothing about. I also knew who did it about half way through and none of the twists fooled me in the slightest.