The last thing she expected, when she headed out on routine patrol that day, was to end up riding into a firefight, on horseback, with the Spice Girls…
Before Charlie Fox was a bodyguard, she was a soldier.
Charlie is one of the toughest cookies you could ever hope to meet. A word of advice—don’t try to get her to talk about her time in the military. Let’s just say it didn’t end well.
But before her fall from grace, Charlie was considered a rising star. She made it through one of the hardest challenges any soldier would have to face—Selection for Special Forces. The nightmare that came next is a story I’ve explored in scenes and flashbacks throughout the series.
But what happened before that? Back when Charlie was a young soldier in the regular army, on patrol in Afghanistan, being kept away from the front line fighting as stipulated by the regulations concerning female personnel. What did she do back then to prove her worth as a specialised soldier, under life-and-death conditions? How did she earn her chance?
That is a story I’ve never told.
Until now.
5-STAR GOODREADS READER REVIEWS
“Yippee I knew it! Fans of this outstanding series will understand why I did an internal happy dance at the end of this prequel novella about my favourite heroine Charlie Fox, which goes right back to the start of her career. If you have not read any of the other books, this would be an excellent place to start. I don’t even like war/battle books normally, but this had all the human interest I needed. And horses… Having been reading these books for years, it was really interesting to meet Charlie before the events that hardened her into the no-nonsense bodyguard she is now. She is softer, unsure of herself, less cynical, but still tough as nails.” 5 Stars
“Like all Charlie Fox stories, this prequel exceeds expectations. Loved seeing the young Charlie in action as a soldier as well as seeing the early development of her instincts to always do the right thing.” 5 Stars
“Active scenes of military engagement are far from my favorite milieu, even though I’ve read stories about characters with military backgrounds. But this is a key chapter in Charlie Fox’s life and so, it’s not to be missed. Thankfully, too, the action is violent but not described in a gory fashion. Indeed, Trial Under Fire had me with shoulders tensed and at the edge of my chair during the entire story. And now that I’ve finished it—wow!” 5 Stars
Zoe Sharp opted out of mainstream education at the age of 12 and wrote her first novel at 15. She went through a variety of strange professions before becoming a photojournalist in 1988. It was after receiving death threats in the course of her work that she started writing the first of her award-winning crime thriller series featuring Special Forces dropout-turned-bodyguard, Charlotte 'Charlie' Fox, which has been optioned for film/TV. When not travelling, crewing yachts, riding motorcycles or improvising everyday objects for self-defence purposes, she can be found renovating houses or international pet-sitting. Find out more and sign up for her VIP list at www.ZoeSharp.com, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or goodreads @AuthorZoeSharp, or Facebook @ZoeSharpAuthor.
