Barbed Wire Heart - Softcover

"The power of her story is such that one cannot help but think that BARBED WIRE HEART is composed of equal parts fact and imagination, with perhaps a pound or two more of the former than of the latter. Those who are particularly fond of their characters shaded in deep gray, as opposed to black and white, will find much to love here, particularly with respect to the gritty protagonist."--BookReporter "Harley McKenna is a young woman raised in a harsh world of meth and madness, a lone girl with a conscience raised by a lawless daddy. I love Tess Sharpe's clean-boned writing and tension that makes my heart gallop. Add the underdog fighting against heroic odds, and a universal cause that hits home, and I'm hooked. I am a fan!"--Leah Weiss, bestselling author of If The Creek Don't Rise "Harley McKenna is fierce and unforgettable, a protagonist who takes 'strong female character' to a new level. With shades of Winter's Bone and True Grit, the writing is pin-sharp, with an engaging, masterfully sustained voice, and an utterly captivating story. Tess Sharpe is a writer to watch."--Beth Lewis, author of The Wolf Road "BARBED WIRE HEART is balanced on a knifepoint, a novel teetering between hope and fate, loyalty and betrayal. With a story of family and a narrator wrought hard as iron, Tess Sharpe has written a ballad of survival sung by a voice you'll never forget."--David Joy, bestselling author of Where All Light Tends To Go "A terrific novel of suspense, heartbreak, morality and family. Harley McKenna is a remarkable character. The pages will turn themselves and stay with you for a long time."--David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author of End Game "Read this book! From the opening scene to the adrenaline-fueled finale, this is the rare thriller that packs an emotional punch as compelling as the deadly drug war that must be won at any cost. Harley is absolutely my kind of kick ass heroine. She's one of the most complex, fascinating, dangerous characters I've encountered in years. And BARBED WIRE HEART is the kind of novel that will stay with you long after the end."--Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Find Her "Fast-paced and explosive....the tough but conflicted Harley will have readers cheering...Will especially attract fans of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone."--Library Journal "A high-tension thriller...[Harley is] relentlessly tough and profoundly compassionate...This is a deeply affecting story about the complex family dynamics of growing up in the midst of a drug-trade blood feud...Highly satisfying."--Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW) "A pulsepounding thriller...masterfully written and constructed....With her powerful debut, Sharpe is definitely a name to watch."--Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) "[BARBED WIRE HEART] introduces a major talent...This hard-edged thriller set in the gold rush country of Northern California... has a welcome, powerful feminist sensibility and with its relentless intensity, gritty atmosphere, and compelling father-daughter psychology, this promises to be one of the best books of 2018."--Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW) "Harley McKenna is possibly the most powerful, original female character we've had in decades.... Masterfully constructed, BARBED WIRE HEART is an evocative work of darkness and redemption, hinting at times of Flannery O'Connor and Cormac McCarthy. An amazing debut novel. An exciting new voice in the world of books."--New York Journal of Books "Terrific...In infusing noir tradition with feminist resolve, BARBED WIRE HEART pulls off something rare. Harley may be ridden with guilt and overcome by the feeling that she's incapable of being loved, but in her pursuit of a life of her own, she has only begun to fight."--Chicago Tribune