SHARP SHOOTER - Marianne Delacourt

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.