Deep Down Dead: Volume 1

Shortlisted for:
**The Kathy Reichs Award for Fearless Female Character**
**The Cat Amongst the Pigeons Award for Most Exceptional Debut**
**FINALIST IN THE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARDS FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL**
 
Part-time Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson isn’t a superhero … she’s a single mum with a lot on her plate. But when her family is threatened, she’ll stop at nothing to seek justice, and keep them safe…
 
‘A real cracker’ Mark Billingham

‘My kind of book’ Lee Child

‘Like Midnight Run, but much darker … really, really good’ Ian Rankin

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Six states. Three days. One chance to save her child…
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 amusement 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 from one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction.
 
 
Praise for the Lori Anderson Series
 
‘This is romping entertainment that moves faster than a bullet’ Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express
 
‘If you like your action to race away at full tilt, then this whirlwind of a thriller is a must’ Deirdre O’Brien, Sunday People
 
‘With convincing, gritty local detail, unflinching violence, and a subplot of red-hot romance, all narrated by a likeable, fast-talking heroine, this punchy and powerful adventure will leave you wanting more’ Sunday Mirror
 
‘Stripper-turned-bounty hunter Lori, with her sickly young daughter in tow, gets into high-octane escapes when she sets out to bring her former lover and mentor to justice. Lively’ Sunday Times
 
‘The non-stop twists and turns – plus Lori’s constant dilemma as she is torn between the instincts of motherhood and the need to stay focused on her perilous mission – draw in readers like a magnet and keep them hooked to the action right up to the emotional conclusion’ Burnley Gazette
 
‘Deep Down Dead is an impressive thriller, the kind of book that comfortably sits alongside seasoned pros at the top of their game. Sultry and suspenseful, it marks a welcome first vow for an exceptional new voice’ Good Reading Magazine
 
‘Gripping, entertaining and utterly addictive, this is a cracking start to an enthralling new crime series…’ Lancashire Evening Post
 
‘Suspense, action, romance, danger and a plot that will keep you reading into the wee small hours. I loved it’ Lisa Gray, Daily Record
 
‘Fresh, fast and zinging with energy’ Sunday Mirror
 
‘As Anderson follows Fletcher’s trail to California, she faces insults, attacks, and deceptions from a host of people connected to the fugitive, including his brother and his lover, with grit and determination. Readers will cheer her every step of the way’ Publishers Weekly
 
‘There’s a good deal of wit at the expense of the complacent, anachronistic, loud mouthed quick-fisted mobsters. Just a whole hell of a lot of fun’ New Books Magazine
 
‘Fresh, compelling and beautifully written, with a real cinematic quality. Read it. Now’ S.J.I. Holliday
 
‘Fast-paced, engaging and hugely entertaining’ Simon Toyne
 
‘Brilliant and pacey’ Steve Cavanagh
 
‘Excitement and exhilaration flies off every page’ David Young
 
‘An explosive, exciting debut’ David Mark
 
‘A hell of a thriller’ Mason Cross
 
‘A blistering debut’ Neil Broadfoot
 
‘You have to read it’ Michael J. Malone
 
‘If you love romantic suspense, you’ll love this ride’ Alexandra Sokoloff
 
‘A stunning debut from a major new talent’ Zoë Sharp
 
‘Crying out to be a Hollywood movie’ Louise Voss
 
‘One of my favourite debut novels for a long, long time’ Luca Veste
 
‘A gritty debut that will appeal to Sue Grafton fans’ Caroline Green
 
‘Crazy good … full-tilt action and a brilliant cast of characters’ Yrsa Sigurđardóttir
 
‘The pace moves at breakneck speed. The writing style is accomplished and real and this is quite simply one of the best debut novels I have ever read’ Angela Marsons

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working 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 crimethrillergirl.com, where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases. She is also a member of the crime-themed girl band The Splice Girls. 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, which inspired her Lori Anderson thrillers. She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. Her debut thriller, Deep Down Dead, was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards in two categories, was a finalist in the ITW Awards, and hit number one on the UK and AU kindle charts. The sequels, Deep Blue Trouble and Deep Dirty Truth soon followed suit. My Little Eye, her first novel under her pseudonym Stephanie Marland, was published by Trapeze Books in April 2018.