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.
A kick-ass bounty hunter, Lori Anderson is one tough cookie. Determined to protect her seriously ill nine-year-old daughter Dakota, she must raise money to pay for ongoing cancer tests/treatment. Desperate and without childcare options, single-parent Lori must take Dakota with her as she accepts a lucrative job. The task will only take three days and should be straightforward enough, but we learn as early as the Prologue that something has goes seriously wrong.
The fugitive Lori has agreed to bring in is her old mentor JT, a man that taught her all she knows, a man that knows things about her that could land her in a lot of trouble. Lori has a dark past, one that made her the character she is today. Meanwhile, JT is in the middle of a bad situation himself. Not only are the mob on his back, he’s aware of a child exploitation/sexual abuse ring operating out of a Floridian theme park. Oh, and he’s about to get framed for murder.
Lori and JT must make some impossible decisions amid an array of risks in this exhausting ride that'll rob readers of their fingernails. The writing has the hardboiled style of American Noir with several cinematic set-pieces linked with speed that's break-neck.
Violent and action-fuelled Deep Down Dead is a debut with enough authenticity and heart to make a strong impression.
About Steph Broadribb:
Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. 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.