Following on from the first two thrillers about this bounty hunter, her daughter and JT, this novel has the now-becoming usual action-filled plot about the Miami Mob, betrayal, a hefty body count and a lot more besides. Again Lori doesn’t know who to trust but extricates herself from danger situations but not without difficulties. It’s a “fun” yarn and enjoyable but it’s probably worth reading the first two books beforehand. Recommended to anyone who enjoys an involved thrill ride. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm grateful to Orenda for inviting me onto this book's blogtour and especially to Steph herself for sending me a PERSONALLY DEDICATED copy of the proof. This might be a good place to confess that I'm a fully signed up member of #TeamLori so this might not be the most objective review on the world. On the other hand I wouldn't be reviewing this if I didn't think it was amazing. Right, what do we have here? First, some backstory. Lori Anderson, single mum to daughter Dakota, works as a bounty hunter in Florida. It's a dangerous living, but she needs to earn as Dakota is in remission from leukaemia and needs ongoing treatment. Recently things have been particularly difficult because her work, and her history, have brought the attentions of the Miami Mob, ruthless killers who want revenge for Lori's killing ten years before of her abusive husband, a Mob lynchpin. But she's also got together again with Dakota's father, legendary bounty hunter JT, also wanted by the Mob - so there's that. All of this unfolded in the first two books, Deep Down Dead and Deep Blue Trouble, and I won't say any more about the detail of what happened because spoilers - if you haven't read these books you should, so go and do that, right? If you have, you can carry on. So where were we? Back to Deep Dirty Truth, I think. Broadribb doesn't mess around with her opening. Going about her normal business in the opening chapter, wishing a couple of pages, Lori's been abducted, bound and hooded and slung in the back of a van. The head of the Mob, Old Man Bonchese, wants to make her an offer (that she can't refuse, naturally). She's to "rescue" one of his men, Carlton North, who's in FBI witness protection. Succeed, and her debt is written off. Fail and she's dead. As are Dakota and JT. It's a daunting task, taking Lori into immense danger while stoking up her fears for her recently united, oh-so-fragile family. And Lori, being Lori, swallows the danger, lays her plans, and sets to work. One of the things I adore about these books by Broadribb is her portrayal of this capable, determined woman, Lori. The closest character I can think of as a comparison if you haven't read the books (in which case you shouldn't be reading this, should you?) is Villanelle in the BBC's Killing Eve series. Not in the sense that Villanelle is a deranged killer - Lori is the very opposite - but in the practical, dauntless competence she shows. (And yes, she is breaking inside, not least at the danger to her family, but the job's got to be done, OK?) Steph Broadribb The story is basically a chase, from danger into danger, Mob on one side, FBI on the other, and accompanying Lori, the equivocal figure of North himself who is playing his own game, with his own allies and assets. It's soon clear, if we ever doubted, that simply fulfilling Bonchese's terms won't be enough (for Lori OR her family). Somehow, she has to square all the factions involved here and do it while the subject of a giant manhunt with her picture on TV and in the Press and every hand against her. On the way she'll have to face her deepest fears (there are ALLIGATORS in this book! Again!) Sorting this means she needs to discover that deep, dirty truth of the title - a truth that'll put all her troubles of the past ten years in a new light... In a sense this is a classic template for a thriller - there are echoes of The Thirty Nine Steps, for example - a protagonist who's cut off suddenly from her own life, forced to live by her wits and with only limited time to put things right. Not by any means a new idea. Yet just as in music, so here the constraints of a classic form show Broadribb at the top her game, keeping this pacy, relentless novel rattling along at almost breathtaking speed and building tension on tension as the bodycount increases. It's very much a Lori focussed story - while we do see what's happening with JT and Dakota, and there is some action for them, that's quite subsidiary (though I think the consequences may matter in future books - there is some definite Feelings stuff going on for Lori and JT...) making for a very linear plot, which also stokes the atmosphere considerably. In all, a superb addition to the Lori canon.

Lori how I have missed you! At the start of the book, things seem to be working out for her at last. Life is getting as near to normal as it can be when you’re a bounty hunter that is. JT is back on the scene and Florida life is treating them well. But… ” I never saw it coming. Got totally blindsided. That’s the God’s honest truth.” That’s the first line in the book but it’s also a good summing up of my review of this book to be honest! Totally didn’t see how it would play out and where Lori would take us next. But what a ride that was! Totally worth the sweat I worked up whilst reading, travelling fast with Lori and spending the time of the book on the road and in the humid Everglades. Lori has a job to do in tracking down someone the Mob want back. Someone who used to work for them and who is now ‘helping’ the FBI in proctective custody. Lori gets the job if she wants to stay alive…. I don’t know who is more scary – the Mob, the man Lori is looking for or the aligators who swim alongside the boat as they are chasing a trail in the Florida everglades. Tell you what – the scene setting here is superb. I have been to the everglades and felt the fear, heat, humidity and heard the whir of the engines. All brilliantly brought to life here. The brilliant thing with Lori is that she really has her work cut out and her characters tested in ways not many women especially in books are. I even admired one of the mob in a way for his gritty determination and role in the whole episode. The character development of a man we don’t really see until later on in the book is brilliant – we know him as Lori does even before we see him. The Florida heat, the role of the bountyhunter and the alligators really ramp this thriller to the next level. Add the Mafia, the FBI and well, it skyrockets. Normal life whilst reading this book is hard to deal with. Humdrum compared to what happens in Deep Down Dirty!

Deep Dirty Truth is the third book in the Lori Anderson bounty hunter series. It is every bit as good as the first two – Deep Down Dead and Deep Blue Trouble. I was looking forward to it immensely, and consumed it in an afternoon and an evening. ‘A book you can’t put down’ is a much overworked phrase – but Deep Dirty Truth comes pretty close to it. It is a standalone, but very much follows on from the first two. We see Lori, her man JT, and their daughter Dakota on her next stage of their life adventure. Lori is kidnapped and forced to work for the notorious Miami Mob to track down and free their money man, Carlton North, who is being held by the FBI and is about to appear in court. The lives of JT and Dakota are threatened if she doesn’t deliver Carlton back to the Mob within 48 hours. But, of course, there are double crossings and dodgy deeds within the Mob itself that threaten to thwart her. Nothing is as it first seems… She and Carlton are in a mad dash across Florida not knowing whom they can trust. The book ends with a pulsating shoot out between the FBI and the Mob at the fortress house of the Mob leader, Old Man Bonchese. It is bloody. What makes Deep Dirty Truth (and, indeed, the other Lori Anderson books) so great is Steph’s writing style. It is fast and furious and deeply American. Which is a tad odd considering she is delightfully English… But she did spend time in the States training to be a bounty hunter, and attended a taser training session to gain the experience… which may well be a clue. At the end of the book, we are set up for the next in the series – an adventure in Chicago. Which is pretty much exactly what I said at the end of my review of Deep Blue Trouble! Deep Dirty Truth clearly intervened… But I do think we now have a firm indication as to where the next Lori Anderson story will be set. I’m very much looking forward to it… I’ll keep an afternoon and evening free.