Her daughter Dakota is safe, but her cancer is threatening a comeback, and Lori needs JT - Dakota's daddy and the man who taught Lori everything - alive and kicking.
Problem is, he's behind bars, and heading for death row. Desperate to save him, Lori does a deal, taking on off-the-books job from shady FBI agent Alex Monroe. Bring back on-the-run felon, Gibson 'The Fish' Fletcher, and JT walks free. Teaming up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor threatens to put the whole job in danger.
But this is one job she's got to get right, or she'll lose everything...
Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb is published in paperback by Orenda Books on 5 January 2018. I'm delighted to kick off the Blog Tour today and welcome the author here to Random Things. She's talking to us about the books that are special to her, in My Life In Books
My Life In Books - Steph Broadribb
Back then, at the beginning of my reading life, I loved the Narnia series by CS Lewis. I read those books, and re-read them, always thrilled to be taken along on the great adventures that the characters had (and to read about a world where animals could talk). My favourite book of the series was my first – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
I think talking animals are a bit of a theme in my early reading habits. One of my favourite books as a young girl was Silver Snaffles by Primrose Cumming. I had a battered old hand-me-down that was actually a first edition from 1937 and I think I must have read it at least once a month for several years! I still own a copy of the book, and although there are many things in the story that are hugely outdated now, the key theme of kindness to animals is timeless and enduring.
My first crime book, which remains my favourite Sherlock Holmes story, was The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was a book that I took from a shelf at my grandparent’s house, and read under the covers by torchlight when I was eight years old. It terrified me, and I loved it. I think that was the moment I became hooked on crime fiction.
As a teenager I sneaked Riders by Jilly Cooper from my Mum’s bookcase (there’s a theme developing here!) and read it (largely for the thrills it has to be said). Now that I’m writing books I marvel at the way Jilly creates a huge cast of characters – whole villages usually – and still keeps each character distinct (whether human or animal). I love escaping into whichever glamorous world she’s writing about. She’s still my go-to author when I’m looking for a book that’s not crime fiction.
In my late teens I discovered the books of Michael Crichton and Lee Child, and my love for the thriller was born! I’ve read most of Michael Crichton’s books and all of Lee Child’s, and that makes it tough to pick a favourite. But…
Michael Crichton’s State of Fear – a techno thriller about global warming – is my favourite of his. It’s a rapid paced, non-stop chase of a read that combines academic theories with a thriller plot. As a reader and a writer I am in awe of Crichton’s ability to take a scientific theory or hypothesis and use it with a ‘what if the worse happened’ type question to create a thriller. Every book of his is different, but they are all an (often terrifying) adventure.
Killing Floor was the first of Lee Child’s Reacher series that I read and, mainly because of that, it remains my favourite. It’s action packed and fast paced with a strong, minimalist style that immediately drew me in and made me think ‘wow’.
There’s a rawness and energy that vibrates from every line of the book. It was the first time I’d read anything like it.
I think that’s one of the reasons that Reacher Said Nothing by Andy Martin is such an impactful book. Through the eyes of Andy Martin you get a front row seat to see Lee Child write the thriller Make Me – you see his method, the flow of ideas, the blocks, the decisions and the light bulb moments as it all comes together in real time. It’s a fascinating snapshot into the life and writing process of a superstar thriller writer, and the expert insights and observations of Andy Martin get you to think more deeply about your own writing process.
I can’t finish a post about books without mentioning The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. As well as being a fast-paced thriller with a heart-breaking twist, the narrative structure of this book is one that I am in awe of. Using multiple point-of-views, and two time-points – before and after – it tells the story of the abduction of a young woman. The woman is the main character, but she has very few point of view chapters. For the majority of the novel she is seen only through the eyes of the characters around her. I found this deeply intriguing as a way to tell a story, and it remains one of my favourite ever reads.
Looking back at the books I’ve picked, my love for fast paced adventure with heart is a reoccurring theme. I think that’s what led me to write the Lori Anderson series – I wanted to create a kick-ass heroine whose action thriller adventures were the sort of stories that I love to read. It’s been wonderful to hear from so many readers that they enjoyed the first book in the series – Deep Down Dead – and I hope they enjoy the second book in Lori’s story – Deep Blue Trouble – just as much.
Steph Broadribb - January 2018
Please do follow the Blog Tour running until 4 February, with lots of reviews and guest posts
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 www.crimethrillergirl.comSteph 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.
Follow her on Twitter @crimethrillgirl
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