How to Read Zoë Sharp's Books in Order

Updated

Zoë Sharp's official site (zoesharp.com) groups her fiction into four tracks: the Charlie Fox series, the Lakes Thriller series, the Blake & Byron series, and standalone thrillers, plus short stories and box sets. If you want to avoid spoilers and follow each series as intended, read within a series by its numbered order and treat the series themselves as independent entry points — you can start with any one of them. The site's "Books in Order & Excerpts" pages are the reference point for the sequences below.

Charlie Fox Series (in order)

This is Sharp's longest-running series and the one most readers associate with her. The site lists the titles with numbering from the second book onward:

  1. Trial Under Fire
  2. Killer Instinct
  3. Riot Act (#02)
  4. Hard Knocks (#03)
  5. First Drop (#04)
  6. Road Kill (#05)
  7. Second Shot (#06)
  8. Third Strike (#07)
  9. Fourth Day (#08)
  10. Fifth Victim (#09)
  11. Die Easy (#10)
  12. Absence of Light
  13. Fox Hunter (#12)
  14. Bad Turn (#13)

Note the numbering as published on the site: Trial Under Fire and Killer Instinct appear without a number, and the sequence then runs #02 through #13. If you're matching a book you already own to its place in the series, use the site's own numbering rather than assuming the first two are unnumbered prequels.

Lakes Thriller Series (in order)

A shorter, more recent series set in the Lake District:

  1. Dancing on the Grave (#01)
  2. Bones in the River (#02)

Blake & Byron Series (in order)

The newest series, featuring Blake Claremont and Detective John Byron:

  1. The Last Time She Died
  2. The Girl in the Dark

The Girl in the Dark is the current release and is described on the site as available now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Its premise: Shannon, a formerly homeless woman, is found dying with the words "No police — I need Blake," and Blake and Byron investigate a killer targeting people "who have fallen through the cracks." The site also offers an audiobook sample with a 30-day trial.

Standalone Thrillers, Short Stories, and Box Sets

Sharp also writes standalone thrillers, short stories, and box sets, which sit outside the numbered series. These are worth checking if you've finished a series and want more without committing to another multi-book arc — but they aren't part of any reading order, so you can pick them up at any point.

Practical Notes

  • Where to start: If you want the character development to land, begin with Trial Under Fire for Charlie Fox, Dancing on the Grave for the Lakes series, or The Last Time She Died for Blake & Byron.
  • Excerpts: The "Books in Order & Excerpts" pages include sample chapters, useful for checking tone before buying.
  • New-release alerts: The site's VIP email list is offered for alerts on new books, which matters if you're reading an ongoing series and want to know when the next installment lands.

The site doesn't state prices for the books themselves, so check your usual retailer for current editions and formats.