Fifth Victim: A Charlie Fox Thriller

In Sharp’s nail-biting ninth Charlie Fox thriller (after 2011’s Fourth Day), businesswoman Caroline Willner hires bodyguard Charlie to protect Dina, her 20-year-old daughter. Three young people from the same posh Long Island community as Dina have been held for ransom over the past year, with their wealthy parents paying the demands each time. Dina insists on mingling with the victims, who’ve formed a tight group, as well as with the brash Torquil Eisenberg, “the son and heir to a vast transportation empire,” despite Charlie’s suggestion of laying low. When another kidnapping attempt goes awry and yet another turns fatal, Charlie realizes there’s more going on than rich kids getting grabbed for money. As always, Sharp injects the plot with enough adrenaline to keep the pages flipping while maintaining the suspense over Charlie’s state of mind and the fate of her partner, Sean Meyer, who’s still in a coma three months after the shootout in Fourth Day. Agent: Jane Gregory. (Jan.)