Deep Down Dead is a crime story and an action thriller that snares the reader in from the mysterious prologue and doesn't let go until the very last page. Lead character Lori Anderson is a perfectly formed character, a woman with nerves of steel, with a killer instinct, but also completely and utterly believable. She's a bounty hunter, she goes out and tracks down the guys with a price on their head. She faces things that few women ever have to deal with. She's also a loving mother and her small daughter Dakota is sick. There are medical bills to be paid, and she has no option but to accept a very dangerous assignment, and she has to take Dakota along for the ride. What follows is a full-on, action-packed, roller coaster of a story. Steph Broadribb has drawn on her own training as a bounty hunter and has produced a novel that is really quite stunning. Sure, Lori is fearless in the face of danger, but she's also a loving mother who will, and does, do anything to make sure that her daughter is safe. With characters who jump from the page, and a setting that is recognisable from hundreds of movie scenes, Deep Down Dead really is one hell of a read. This really is very difficult to put down, with constant twists and turns throughout the plot and a wealth of characters; from the great and the good, to the downright bad and dirty. Explosive action and a heroine who is absolutely perfect. Deep Down Dead is a cracker. I loved it. Steph Broadribb is a hugely talented author, I can't wait to find out what she has in store for Lori in the next book

I've never heard of this series of books or the author before; this in itself shouldn't surprise you since I'm not a well-known reviewer of books or indeed a professional in this area. This series popped up as a recommendation on a book review site, so there's a benefit, right there, of the internet knowing everything about me (apart from when I run out of dish soap, it still doesn't seem to be auto-replenishing me, come on internet people!). It's a thriller, this book, and it does what it says on the tin, on the packet, on the dust jacket and so forth. After having a spot of indigestion trying to force my way through the last book I read, this one was a rip-roaring-page-burning-red-racing-stripe read. I just couldn't put it down. It follows a female bounty hunter, her daughter and a long lost love interest as they end up in a few pretty tight spots. I won't spoil it for you, so you're just going to have to read it. Set in the US, on the East coast, it has all the trimmings and sense of the location and people. It's never too terse nor overly verbose and manages to keep the pace up the whole time. I will read the next one, but not straight away because I need to catch my breath. Good one.

At first glance this book may seem like it is just going to be an action packed, chase thriller but once you start reading you quickly realise it is going to go so much deeper than that.  It is a book that has so many levels it is difficult to know where to begin the review. So, I will start with the glaringly obvious, the action.  Quite simple it is written so perfectly, the instant I started reading I had a movie playing out in my head.  I am not always one for reading 'action' but this novel had me engaged from the very first line and kept me so for several reasons. The first reason : the protagonist.  I think Lori Anderson has become one of my most favourite protagonists.  She is stunningly brilliant.  Tough with a capital 'T' - a female bounty hunter and a single mother - she has to be.   Even changing her name to leave behind the women she once was, to be the women she has become.  Of course, you can never fully leave behind who you are and Steph Broadribb has woven her history and her fragile side in so carefully and seamlessly you are left with a beautifully developed, complex and truly likable character who you can't help but fall in love with and deeply root for. Broadribb has continued her brilliance in character development with the rest of the cast, particularly those who mean something to Lori, her daughter Dakota and her old mentor / ex lover JT.  The author presents the relationships between the three with such realism and sensitivity you find yourself wanting to know more about the 'normal' mother / daughter life Lori is desperately trying to make for them and likewise you yearn to be given as much information as possible about the, very deep and complicated, history between Lori and JT. Along with all the action and the softer relationship side of the story you then get the mystery.  Our protagonist goes to do a simple 'pick up' job and winds up in a web of horror.  Just as it seems she makes a huge discovery and you think she might have untangled herself from the spiders web, you realise she has actually only taken herself further in.  Although the book is over three hundred pages long it is only the tip of the iceberg of this women's story and I can not wait for Deep Blue Trouble, book number two in the Lori Anderson series, to be realised so I can absorbed myself back into the troubled, but exciting world of Ms Anderson.  

Lori Anderson is a kick ass bounty hunter. When offered the opportunity to earn $15,000 to pick up a fugitive and return him to Florida, Lori looks for the catch. Surely such a simple job shouldn’t have such a high price on it. But that lump of cash could go a long way to paying her sick daughter’s hospital bills. Still suspicious, Lori accepts the job only to come face to face with the mugshot of her mentor and ex-lover, JT. Things are already getting complicated. To make matters worse, Lori’s usual babysitter is unable to look after Lori’s daugther, Dakota. Lori reluctantly packs a bag for her little girl and takes her along for the ride. It’s an easy job so it shouldn’t be a problem having Dakota by her side. After several days of driving the girls finally arrive at the collection point but things turn nasty and the three thugs holding JT don’t want to give him up without a fight. It’s only the beginning of a long, complicated and incredibly dangerous drive back to Florida. Lori fights to protect her daughter and keep a handcuffed JT safe, but that’s easier said than done… Deep Down Dead is a seriously good book and one that all crime thriller fans should read. I still can’t comprehend that this is a debut novel. The writing is confident, skilled and oh boy, can Steph Broadribb tell a good story! Her characters felt real to me. The scenes I could picture, in crystal clear clarity, in my head. If anyone is looking for a book to make into a movie then choose this one. This book is destined for the big screen! It’s so wonderfully american that I devoured it. Oh Lori Anderson, how I want to be you! Ex-pole dancer turned bounty hunter Lori is the most likeable, most believable heroine I’ve met in a book in a long time. She fights, she shoots, she beats herself up on a regular basis for not being a good enough mum to her daughter. This woman carries a taser around with her for goodness sake, and she’s not afraid to use it. Forget your Wonder Woman, forget your SuperGirl, I want to be Lori. And then we have JT. What can I say about JT apart from the fact that his name makes me swoon. I do believe that I’m becoming a bit soft as I really don’t like relationships in my crime thrillers but I’ve read a number recently where I’m suddenly thinking, I rather like their chemistry. Well forget all other chemical reactions, JT and Lori make the rest quietly and insignificantly fizzle out, phut. Their chemistry leaps off the page at you. They show very little interest in each other but oh wow, it sizzles. Loved it! The plot doesn’t really slow down at any stage. This is a fast moving read and, be warned, it’s addictive. At times when I had to do other things, all I wanted to do was dive straight back into Deep Down Dead. I found myself at times daydreaming about Lori, Dakota and JT, replaying scenes in my head. I particularly loved the sections based in and around the theme park. They were full of action, I truly felt for Lori and they were dark enough to make me feel on edge. Would I recommend this book? Well, yes, of course I would. For me, this is the book that every other book has to beat this year to become my favourite read of 2017. It’s early days but Deep Down Dead is a long way in the lead at the moment (and we’re not even done with January yet!). Absolutely everything I want in my novels, and maybe even a little bit more. Astounded that this is a debut and looking eagerly forward to reading the second book in the series. Superb. Five out of five stars.

Brilliant. Kick ass. Deftly written, superbly evoked setting and a ‘whip’ roaring success of a plot. Where do you start reviewing a book like this? It’s set in the world of the bounty hunter in the USA – across several locations with shady characters stuck in the middle of nowhere as just as prickly as the cacti there. This book plays with the hunter and the hunted, the prey and the prayed upon and what a bunkin’ broncho kind of ride! The character of Lori has to be hands down one of the most unique and exciting I’ve read about in a long while. I wondered at first if this was going to be my kind of novel -I didn’t feel in the mood for a desert bounty hunter – wasn’t even sure what one was. But how wrong was I? It’s my new favourite kind of gal in a novel. New favourite kind of setting and the action roars off the page!! The locations in the novel are some of the most vivid and raw I’ve read in a while and the storyline just takes you on one heck of a journey. I was breathless in more than one situation. Talk about being swept along by the action, I don’t think I was able to physically put the book down I was that hooked. Such a unique premise and a unique way of taking you on a very fast paced and tightly plotted journey. I take my (Stetson) hat off to CTG! This is one heck of a read and I am so in awe of her history as a Bounty Hunter herself. An amazing backstory to an even more amazing thrilling novel. Unique and very very entertaining. More please!!