I loved Tara and the intriguing mix of characters she gets tangled up with. A fast paced and entertaining read that left me feeling like I was parting with old friends when I turned the last page. So glad there are more Tara Sharp books for me to dive into. ( )

At twenty-six, Tara Sharp expected her life to be on track. Instead, she has just lost her job, has no future prospects and has had to move back in with her parents. She might count herself a total loss, if help hadn’t arrived from an unexpected angle.

Mr Hara might be an odd sort of saviour, but if he can pull through on his promise to give Tara a job, she’s not going to turn the offer down.

What she doesn’t expect is that the job will bring her into close proximity with Perth’s local crime boss, or how much danger it will put her in. Before she knows it, she’s dodging hit and run attempts, trying to keep under the radar of the local authorities and trying to keep her hands off a certain delectable but very married man.

For a lot of people this series is reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Both are wildly entertaining with twists that you don’t see coming, but the Tara Sharp series stands on its own. The way Delacourt handles her large cast of characters, winding plot and Australian setting is unique, as is her accessible writing style.

The cast of characters in Sharp Shooter are an incongruous and whacky bunch. Full of social climbers, social misfits, murderously jealous wives, all too interested husbands, the criminal element and suspicious police, this is going to be tough terrain to navigate. But somehow Tara is going to have to work everything out with only her wits and ultrasensitive senses to guide her.

The way that Tara utilises all of her unusual skill sets to keep herself alive while she gets to the bottom of the mystery is original and inventive. Her ability to see auras coupled with a penchant for knowing which of her many acquaintances can come through with the information that she needs makes her a formidable force. If it weren’t for her inherent gawkiness and knack for making bad situations even worse, she would probably be ruling Perth with an iron fist.

Sharp Shooter is a crazy-entertaining first instalment to a series that is fresh, fast and fabulous. It clears up all of the major mysteries but leaves some enthralling threads dangling, which will leave everyone yearning for the second novel. ( )

I don't know how I missed the debut of this series by Australian author Marianne Delacourt since it is the genre that I really enjoy. Luckily I was able to find a copy at another branch of my local library as it's publishing run was short which is shame. I've also put in a purchase request for the second, [b:Sharp Turn|9334530|Sharp Turn (Tara Sharp, #2)|Marianne Delacourt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1302013733s/9334530.jpg|14217818]. An award winning writer, Delacourt also publishes spec fiction under the pseudonym [a:Marianne de Pierres|287923|Marianne de Pierres|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1278453554p2/287923.jpg].Sharp Shooter is a fun romp through the city of Perth (my hometown) as flighty, flirty, twenty something Tara Sharp, with an unusual ability that allows her to see people's aura's, and with Hoshi's help hopes to parlay her skill into some sort of steady income. Hoshi's wife isn't too impressed with Tara and drops her into a precarious situation consulting for Johnny Vogue, a king pin in the local drug trade. Out of her depth but determined to work out just what is going on, Tara has to defend herself against a sleazebag cop, a spray paint wielding psychopath, a bird snatcher and the threat of cement shoes all while improving the communication skills of her students and keeping her parents happy.Tara makes for a appealing lead character, I like her sense of humor and while she is a bit of a flake and the situations she finds herself in a little improbable, its all in good fun. She contrasts nicely with her best friends, Bok and Smitty and her eccentricities are mild compared to a cast that includes her students Wal, Enid and Harvey and Mrs Hara.I genuinely appreciate the authentic Australian flavor, Tara roars around town in her classic Holden Monaro and chases cheeky cockatoos.Sharp Shooter is an enjoyable, funny and light-hearted new series that I look forward to following. ( )

Tara Sharp is a newish entrant in the Australian amateur investigator / mad cap girl / chick lit style of crime fiction. With the added extra of a bit of paranormal ability, as in aura reading.

There's been a lot of entrants in this sort of slightly out of control, breathlessly 20-something, girl on the run, living in straightened circumstances, forging a way in the world type books recently, although I'm struggling to think of another one that has that added paranormal feature (that's not to say that there's not lots and lots of them out there). Tara's not overtly annoying, and the aura reading seemed unexceptional in the context of her character and her life. Some of the fem-jep aspects got a little tiresome after a while, as did the line up of expected clichés - clothes, boys, crushes and love affairs, living back with the parents and so on. Mind you, Mona the Monaro is a fantastic touch!

To be fair, this is not my sort of book. Having said that, for something that I normally wouldn't read it was okay, and it is good to know that there are some local offerings out there. If you're a fan of this sort of lighter, chick-lit styled book, then SHARP SHOOTER should be just the ticket. ( )