Barbed Wire Heart

Starred review from January 8, 2018
YA author Sharpe (Far from You) makes her adult debut with a high-tension thriller set in northern California. Harley McKenna, only daughter of North County’s widowed drug king Duke McKenna, was brought up hating the Springfields, their competitors in the drug trade on the other side of the river. In order to survive, and to protect the abuse survivors at the women’s safe house she runs with Native American woman Mo, Harley embarks on a clandestine campaign to put the McKennas and the Springfields out of commission. In particular, she blows up meth labs on both sides in the hope that each will blame the other. A smart feminist who’s relentlessly tough and profoundly compassionate, Harley takes advantage of the gender stereotyping that causes men to underestimate her, while protecting those who have been hurt by its effects. Extensive flashbacks from Harley’s youth chart her transformation into a trained killer, giving context to her relationships with Duke’s colleagues and enemies. Harley’s detailed characterization, especially compared to more role-bound descriptions of the supporting characters, makes her easy to root for as she outsmarts everyone. Even though her plan becomes clear to the reader fairly early, seeing her success in executing it is highly satisfying. This is a deeply affecting story about the complex family dynamics of growing up in the midst of a drug-trade blood feud. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret Literary Management.

Narrator and author Tess Sharpe's debut story of backwoods crime and the ongoing struggle to survive against powerful rivals is enhanced by her emotional and evocative delivery. Harley McKenna has been involved in the family crime business since she was 16. Sharpe's voice mimics the existential terror of a teenager who is forced into life-or-death situations when she's too young to fully understand the ramifications of her and others' actions. Sharpe captures Harley's dread of the future, when she'll likely have to take over the drug-dealing empire. But it's the love of family that drives Harley, and Sharpe's narration depicts this with perfection. Overall, Sharpe transmits the tension and matter-of-fact violence of Harley's life with an intensity rarely heard in audiobooks. R.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine