Sharp Shooter (Tara Sharp Investigator Series Book 1)

My problem with this book is Tara is supposed to be scatterbrained but there is a difference between that and just plain stupid. Who in their right mind would stand by their car and discuss where to go with their partner when someone Is screaming I am going to kill you both instead of jumping into the car driving off and then discuss where to go. Lots of this kind of stupidity. Also has a lot of vulgar language.

I very rarely, if ever, write a review for a book. I read so many that I just don't take the time normally. However, I decided to make an exception with this particular book mostly because I seem to be in the minority. I also rarely quit reading a book once I get a fourth of the way through it but I gave up on this one. I'm just happy that it was free. Tara is a person that, more than likely in real life, would not have made it to 26 years old because she's a total flake, scatterbrained, and just plain stupid. I found the idiotic things that she does daily (hourly?) so non-believable that I am absolutely amazed that this book somehow got 4.3 stars!! The only reason I gave it two stars and not one was because I did get the occasional laugh trying to figure out the Australian language idiosyncrasies. I'll pass on all Delacourt's books from here on out...

This was a free kindle book. Tara is a walking disaster misfit who can see people's auras. We get to tag along in her life for a while. Some folks complained about the ending. Others said it was funny (must have been a different book). This book was really about nothing so who cares how it ended-- I'm just glad it did.

Interesting how some reviewers complain that not all writers use American English. I often hop over strange words ( in any language) especially if they are not essential. I'm not American, and have by hopping, and reading on, enough times, realized that there are no beds in a restroom. I had to look up s'mores after meeting that word several times. I might look up the birds named in this story. It does jar a bit, when there are strange words and phrases, I  agree, but in the long run, I think our reader experience profits from an increased vocabulary, it is similar to hearing different accents which, when we recognize them, might tell us something unsaid about that person.There are plots that follow a popular but unrealistic pattern, like where a female does something really stupid and survives, going up against stronger, meaner opponents. I jump over that sort of hurdle, it is fiction not real life and carry on with the tale, and usually it all ends happily for the female protagonist. There were some somewhat unrealistic hurdles in this book, too, like the ease in calling off the baddies.Tara charmed me. She was kind to people she met, and their auras brightened up; it reminded me of giving water to drooping flowers. She felt a bond between herself and a good looking man, reminiscent of shifter tales and a potential mating bond, but as he was married, she did not act upon it.

Just finished Sharp Shooter. I liked the premise, the story line, and most of the characters. This is the first book I've read that's set in Australia, and I enjoyed looking up local slang that was new to me. I had a real problem for about two-thirds of the book with Tara Sharp, the main protagonist. I wanted to like her, I tried to like her, I just had a really, really hard time liking her because she was behaving just too stupidly for words! She's supposed to be intelligent, athletic, and in some ways she's a smart-mouthed badass, and that's OK. But then she will pull some idiotic trick that would be an embarrassment to an 8 year old! She was an emotional wreck a good part of the time, making stupid decisions that any half-aware teenager wouldn't make. What's up with that?! Finally, at about three fourths of the way through the book, she pulls her head out of her ass and starts acting like a semi-normal adult. I really hope the Author has her grow up a little with the next book or two. If so, this will be an enjoyable series. I'll try the next book in the series, but if Tara Sharp is still a total dingbat, that will be enough for me!

When I read that this series was reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum series, I couldn't wait to start it. Tara Sharp is an unemployed mid-twenties who is questioning her sanity. She consults a psychiatrist that she has known since childhood thinking that her ability to see auras means that she is losing it. The psychiatrist tells her that is not the case and recommends that she see a man named Hara. Mr. Hara teaches her how to deal with her psychic/empathic abilities and asks that she repay him for his lessons by taking a case for him at a future date. I read to 40% and then called it quits. I didn't find anything humorous about the book and I didn't care for the character of Tara. None of the secondary characters were interesting and the plot didn't resonate with me. I realize that I am in a minority and a lot of people loved the book. For this reason, I suggest that anyone interested should try the book while it is free. After all, different readers look for different things in a book.

I haven't decided if I like Tara Sharp or if I think she's a flake, but I can tell you that I was laughing out loud in spots. This author has a unique voice and a new (to me) location in Perth, Australia which requires just a bit of adjustment in language use but overall the story is quirky and fun. I strongly recommend that you try this out and judge for yourself.

Sharp Shooter is a funny, suspenseful paranormal mystery that makes me smile when I think about it. Tara Sharp is a full-fledged character anyone who's ever fumbled with 'adulting' will identify with in an instant - she's at the stage where her friends seem to have found their niches in life, but she's still single, living on her parents' property and trying to carve out a stable income for herself. Private investigation is something she almost accidentally falls into, but she's aided by her paranormal sense of the auras of people around her, which adds an intriguing twist to her investigation methods. I haven't read any other books in the genre with this element, and it really enhanced the story for me.There's a little bit of romance, a whole lot of mystery and heaps of humour. Although there are some character development plot strands left open for the next book, there's no frustrating cliffhanger as far as the main plot is concerned. I definitely recommend you one-click this and will be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series.

Sharp Shooter by Marianne Delacourt is the first book in a series that introduces us to Tara Sharp a Private Investigator with an unusual gift – she can see people’s auras.When we meet Tara she is unemployed and living above her parents’ garage. Tara has always seen her “gift” as more of a curse and seeks the help of a family friend and therapist in the hope of turning her life around. Referred to Mr Hara who runs a Paralanguage School she finally learns to embrace her gift rather than fight it.When she is promised a retainer and a bonus if she does a good job Tara starts working for a hot shot lawyer who represents local mob boss Johnny Viaspa. Attending a party that is broken up by police on a drug raid is just the start of her problems that sees her drawn into situations that threaten her life.When I first started reading this book I was not sure if I was going to like it. I have always been sceptical of people who can talk to the dead or see auras as it has always seemed a bit like mumbo jumbo, however despite my misgivings I kept reading. The book was a bit slow to start as the author spent a bit of time setting the scene of how Tara ended up being a PI in the first place. Once done however you find the characters quickly going from one situation to another. You are not sure the reasons behind Johnny Vogue being so intent on taking local businessman Nick Tozzi down until quite late on and I will admit it was not for the reasons I first thought. Although there is quite a bit of interaction between Tara and Mr Hara her mentor at the beginning of the book, he is soon side lined and does not really feature for most of the story which I did think was a bit if a shame as more could have been made of his character and the sometimes humorous interactions that take place between Tara and his wife.At first glance Tara seems to be the typical privately educated girl that has rebelled against her parents and can’t seem to settle into a career. Wanting to change her life and most definitely her living arrangements (if nothing else to escape the watchful eye of her disapproving mother) Tara throws herself into her new profession sometimes quite literally. Despite the initial lack of direction in her life I did like her... she is totally disorganised, often forgetting to do her laundry or shop and has no inclination towards keeping her apartment tidy as is evident after she finds out that somebody broke in…and tidied the place up before leaving . Bok and Smitty her closest friends from school try to keep Tara out of trouble with little success.Then there is Nick Tozzi a local businessman and the intended target that Tara was hired to get close to. There is definitely a spark between the two of them but there is one problem that neither of them is prepared to ignore… Nick is married. Over the course of the book they are thrown into several situations that see them become good friends. Having a hitman on her tail sees her hire a part time body guard. That in itself poses problems when the said bodyguard suffers from narcolepsy and can fall asleep at a moment’s notice.There are several instances in the book that brought a smile to my face most of which involve her mother’s pet birds, my favourite being at the start of the book when in the process of catching one of the escaped birds she comes across a burglar breaking into a neighbour’s house and when she catches him she is found by the police with the bird on her shoulder and just wearing a t shirt and pants.If I am honest I would have missed this book where it not for a request from my sister. That being said I am pleased that I could help. Sharp Shooter is not your typical dark PI novel but it is good fun.

Tara Sharp is a super hero. Her super power? Well, that she’s highly attuned to people’s auras and can actually see their moods. Okay, that sounds a bit hippy dippy and you can see why Marvel hasn’t turned her adventures into a big budget movie yet. But Delacourt here takes Tara’s talent and uses it to create a cracking comic suspense story, that’s as convoluted and twisty as the best hard-boiled noir.Hired by a shady lawyer to look into the handsome owner of a local sports team, Tara soon finds herself involved with gangsters, house breakers, hired muscle,jealous wives and car vandals. All the while trying to keep her parents out of her business, look after two demanding galahs, juggle her love life and even get ready for a big race.The setting of Perth, Australia gives the book a fairly unusual quality all by itself. (I must confess that I have never read any Australian crime fiction before), but what really sets it apart is that even when it’s fun – and the jokes are piling on top of each other – the book never loses its sense of peril. That’s no small thing. Books of this kind tend to be funny and low stakes, or not that funny and dangerous. To manage to pull off both really is an achievement to be treasured.

What a refreshing book. This is the story of a young woman with a special talent which she explores but finds it leads her into crime solving. She has an appropriately contemporary circle of friends; the writer avoids all stereotypes and sexisms and the characters are well described and likeable. There was bad language in the right places and there was no silly light bulb moment where all became clear without any reasoning. The police were appropriately involved for a change and the book is a real page turner. I left a star off just because I like the ending to be a bit more complex. An excellent story, even to an old chap like me!

If you could see my aura it would tell you what I think of this . No? I didn't think so. I prefer reality. If I have to suspend belief I lose interest very quickly. I read 25% which suggests the writing was better than the content. I step out of my preferred genre on occasion. It only serves to prove that I made the right decision all those years ago.