I love reading (as well as writing) thrillers with kick ass female characters!
Here are a selection of books featuring feisty women who can fight as well as outsmart their enemies, some you may have heard of, and others will hopefully be new for you.
Charlie Fox in Die Easy by Zoe Sharp
Charlie Fox, ex-Special Forces trainee turned bodyguard, described as “ill-tempered, aggressive and borderline psychotic, Fox is also compassionate, introspective and highly principled: arguably one of the most enigmatic − and coolest − heroines in contemporary genre fiction – Chicago Tribune” and Lee Child said: “If I were a woman I'd be Zoë Sharp. If Jack Reacher were a woman he'd be Zoë's main character, Charlie Fox.” Click here to sample or buy.
Lucy Guardino in Snakeskin by C.J.Lyons
Just your average Pittsburgh soccer mom, baking brownies and carrying a loaded forty-caliber Glock…CJ Lyons' FBI Special Agent Lucy Guardino has been described by real life FBI Agents as “dedicated, smart, and fearless.” Click here to sample or buy.
Alexandra Poe in POE by Brett Battles & Robert Gregory Browne
Half-Iranian bounty hunter reluctantly working for a defense contractor tracking down terrorists worldwide in the hope of finding her father, an Army colonel, who has been AWOL for 10 years. Poe is tough as nails, and never backs down from a fight, occasionally to her detriment. Click here to sample or buy.
Seichan in Blood Line and the SIGMA series by James Rollins
Born in Vietnam, Seichan was raised on the streets, fighting for survival until she was recruited by the Guild to become one of their most feared assassins. Now part of SIGMA, Seichan seeks her past … Click here to sample or buy.
Morgan Sierra in One Day In Budapest by J.F.Penn
An ex-Israeli military psychologist specializing in psychology and religion, Morgan Sierra joins the secret world of ARKANE to solve supernatural mysteries around the globe. A Krav Maga expert, passionate about protecting her family, Morgan never gives up on a fight or a quest. Click here to sample or buy.
Chandler in Flee by J. A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson.
Chandler isn’t a person; it’s the codename for a woman who was shaped from a raw military recruit into a living weapon. She’s an assassin without remorse or fear, doing the bidding of an agency so secret that only three people know of its existence. But when her cover gets blown, she becomes the target of a wide-reaching conspiracy led by a mysterious figure whose connection to Chandler goes far beyond what she could have imagined. Click here to sample or buy.
Eliza Christianson in The Righteous by Michael Wallace
Raised in a polygamous enclave, Eliza still manages to be a headstrong, independent woman, investigating evils both human and supernatural in The Righteous series. She doesn’t flinch from a fight, rescuing others and defending her family to the end. Click here to sample or buy.
Katniss Everdene in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Forced to fight for her District while the Capitol celebrates and the rest of Panem suffers under their tyranny, Katniss must kill to survive the murderous attempts of the other tributes. Click here to sample or buy.
Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Salander, a tattooed computer hacker who joins Mikael Blomkvist to investigate a murder in the powerful Vanger family, turns into an avenging angel as the series progresses. Click to sample or buy now.
Pia Sabel in The Geneva Decision by Seeley James
Pia Sabel plays to win. Until a few weeks ago, she was an international soccer star. But now she’s taken the helm of her billionaire father’s private security company, and she’s playing against a whole new set of opponents – the kind who shoot to kill. Click to sample or buy now.
Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Seeking insight into the deadly madman she must find, FBI rookie Clarice Starling turns to Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a monster cannibal held in a hospital for the criminally insane. As Dr. Lecter invites Clarice into the darkest chambers of his mind, he forces her to confront her own childhood demons in return for knowledge; an unspeakable tuition he exacts to teach her how the monster thinks. Time is running out, but Clarice is stronger than you think … Click to sample or buy now.
Karou in Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Raised half in our world, half in ‘Elsewhere', Karou has never understood Brimstone's dark work – buying teeth from hunters and murderers – nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole. Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought. Click to sample or buy now.
Jane Harper in The Sentinel by Jeremy Bishop
Jane is a sarcastic, strong, no-holds-barred heroine capable of fending off angry whalers, anti-whaling activists…and viking zombies! Shipwrecked on an arctic island where ancient Draugar (the inspiration for modern day zombies and vampires) were buried, Jane, along with a band of survivors must face off against the elements and a 600 year old enemy. Click to sample or buy now.
Kirby in The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
The girl who wouldn’t die hunting a killer who shouldn’t exist. Harper stalks his shining girls through the years – and cuts the spark out of them. But what if the one that got away came back for him? Click to sample or buy now.
Karen Brown in Inceptio by Alison Morton
Karen Brown, angry and frightened after a kidnap attempt, has a choice – being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother's homeland in Europe. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it… Click to sample or buy now.
