«Deep Down Dead» by Steph Broadribb

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 RankinSix 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’ Sunday Express‘If you like your action to race away at full tilt, then this whirlwind of a thriller is a must’ Sunday People‘Lively’ Sunday Times‘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‘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‘Readers will cheer her every step of the way’ Publishers Weekly‘Just a whole hell of a lot of fun’ New Books Magazine‘Fresh, compelling and beautifully written’ S.J.I. Holliday‘Fast-paced, engaging and hugely entertaining’ Simon Toyne‘Brilliant and pacey’ Steve Cavanagh‘A hell of a thriller’ Mason Cross‘A blistering debut’ Neil Broadfoot‘If you love romantic suspense, you’ll love this ride’ Alexandra Sokoloff‘A stunning debut from a major new talent’ Zoë Sharp‘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