Marianne Delacourt

The HK Monaro wormed it's way into my heart in 1968. Bathurst, Bruce McPhee, Hardie-Ferodo, pole position and the race lap record at that time. A life-long love of those cars was started on the lino of the kitchen in South-West Victoria, shouting at a dodgy TV telecast, enthralled. Sure, my teenage years saw a shift in preference to the HG model, and I would always opt for the dark purple HG with the sidewinder stripes and, of course, the GTS 350, with the stiffened suspension and the power front disc brakes. Alas I suspect that passion is about the only thing that Tara Sharp and I would ever share. As far as STAGE FRIGHT was concerned, the Monaro had me at the very first book. The aura reading, the sense of humour and the madcap "antics" not so much.

STAGE FRIGHT fits right into that sub-genre of crime fiction that includes the Stephanie Plum books, and my particular favourite, the Grace Smith series. Whilst the best of that sub-genre can be hilarious and hugely entertaining, the worst is a tad too forced, often times a little overtly twee and predictable for my liking. They are undoubtedly books for readers who prefer their crime delivered with a hefty dose of dressing up. Chick lit with bodies and a bit of high camp fem-jep.

The Tara Sharp series is going to have it's fans, and if you happen to like the Plum books in particular, something that's got a similar feeling and tone set locally is a very good thing. You will have to have a tolerance for a lot of aura reading, and not mind the occasional bit of romantic tension and heavy-handed humour, but if that's you, then you really should give the local product a go.

STAGE FRIGHT is the third book in the Tara Sharp series. SHARP SHOOTER is the first, SHARP TURN the second.

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.