Blog Tour & Book Review: Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb

Lori Anderson is as tough as they come, managing to keep her career as a fearless Florida bounty hunter separate from her role as single mother to nine-year-old Dakota, who suffers from leukaemia. But when the hospital bills start to rack up, she has no choice but to take her daughter along on a job that will make her a fast buck. And that’s when things start to go wrong. The fugitive she’s assigned to haul back to court is none other than JT, Lori’s former mentor – the man who taught her everything she knows … the man who also knows the secrets of her murky past. Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Florida’s biggest theme parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where ‘bad things never happen’, but he’s also mixed up with the powerful Miami Mob. With two fearsome foes on their tails, just three days to get JT back to Florida, and her daughter to protect, Lori has her work cut out for her. When they’re ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric, and things become personal. 

Breathtakingly fast-paced, both hard-boiled and heart-breaking, Deep Down Dead is a simply stunning debut. 

Thank you to Karen Sullivan from Orenda Books for offering me the chance to participate in this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of Deep Down Dead for review. I enjoy getting the chance to read books from debut authors and, being aware of Steph Broadribb through her blogging alter ego Crime Thriller Girl, I was very excited to read Deep Down Dead.

Florida bounty hunter (and ex-pole dancer), Lori Anderson, is in need of money and quickly. So when she offered a difficult out-of-state case Lori can’t say no, even though the fugitive turns out to be her former mentor, JT. Unfortunately, child care issues force her to take her young daughter, Dakota, along for the ride. Upon arrival, Lori saves JT from some pretty nasty thugs and starts the long journey back to Florida to hand him over to the authorities. Straight forward, right…?

The first thing that leaped to mind when I read this book is that Steph Broadribb certainly knows how to tell a story! Deep Down Dead is a great read. It’s fast and furious, packed to the brim with energy and suspense – completely unputdownable (is that a real word?)

I thought the writing style was perfect for this story; punchy, pacey and with a great flow to it. It drew me into the tale and made me live the story alongside the characters.

The characters themselves are very appealing. Little Dakota has been through a lot in her few years and yet she is independent, smart and brave. Lori is immensely likeable as a character. She’s tough, feisty and pretty goddamn fearless (unless it involves her daughter), with a totally awesome job and she certainly wouldn’t be scared to shoot/taser you if required. She truly is a kick-ass heroine! Lori’s chemistry with JT make you immediately suspect that there is more to their history than merely a mentor/apprentice relationship. There is definitely some sizzling between the page here! He’s a tough, uncompromising guy with his own set of rules, however he obviously has a big heart and his interactions with Dakota show this. In fact, I thought the interactions between all three were fantastic, allowing them to show both their tough exteriors and their softer sides, creating more rounded characters.

The story is engaging and entertaining, although with some truly dark themes and violent moments running though the tale. My heart was in my throat at times, wondering where the story was going to lead. Deep Down Dead is dark, dangerous and thrilling!

Whilst keeping up with the blog tour, I’ve noticed several bloggers suggesting that this book would make a great movie. We’ve been missing some good old-fashion action/chase movies recently and I personally think that Deep Down Dead would translate very well onto the big screen. I just can’t decide who I would pick to play the main characters…… Any ideas? I would be interested to learn who you think would be a good fit! Leave a comment if you know who would be perfect for the roles.

Overall, an adrenaline-charged, action-packed and hugely entertaining book that I would thoroughly recommend. Full to the brim with violence, kidnapping, chases, bad guys etc… I found Deep Down Dead to be a real page-turner and, in my humble opinion, a truly great debut. I can’t wait to read the next installment in the series.

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her workin life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter ego – Crime Thriller Girl – she indulges her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at http://www.crimethrillergirl.com, where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases. Steph is an alumni of the MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California. She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. Deep Down Dead is her debut novel. Watch out for Deep Blue Trouble in 2018!

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