I’m really excited that Deep Dark Night – book four in the Lori Anderson thriller series – will be out in paperback next week.
In advance of the launch, my publisher Orenda Books has made this fab trailer š
Check it out…
I’m really excited that Deep Dark Night – book four in the Lori Anderson thriller series – will be out in paperback next week.
In advance of the launch, my publisher Orenda Books has made this fab trailer š
Check it out…
I’m super excited that my latest Lori Anderson thriller will be published in paperback later this month.
To celebrate the paperback launch (and that you can grab the ebook for just 99p on Kindle UK and Kobo this month) a fabulous blog tour kicks off today.
So make you hop on the tour bus and don’t miss any of these fabulous blogs…
Today’s three word ‘micro’ book review features the latest in the fantastic (and certainly not micro) Jack Reacher series – THE MIDNIGHT LINE – by Lee Child.
My verdict: FAST-PACED. THOUGHT-PROVOKING. ACTION
(That’s five words you say? Yeah, yeah. So I slipped in a couple of cheeky hyphens – my blog, my rules!)
The Midnight Line is out now from Transworld. To find out more and buy the book click the cover below and hop over to Amazon:
While I was at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate I met up with fellow debut novelist KJ Howe to chat about her fabulous thriller THE FREEDOM BROKER. Over coffee, we talked research, writing process, and how she created the kick-ass action heroine Thea Parisā¦
Thea Paris is such an authentic all-action female lead ā what inspired you to create her as a character?
I always wanted to write a strong female protagonist. As part of my research I went out to the Phoenix desert and trained in hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting and more. Iām a big believer of if youāre going to write about it you should have experienced it. Iāve got this rolodex of Special Forces guys I can call on ā they read the book ā and wanted to bring an authenticity to the page. I would have loved to have been a spy! Iāve been zip lining, cage diving with sharks, but Iām also feminine and enjoy dressing up ā I wanted to show a woman can be a real woman but also really strong too, but not in a comic book way. Thea Paris has very human baggage and with her diabetes thereās a ticking clock ā she has to have her insulin [which can be tricky given some of the situations she gets into during the course of The Freedom Broker]. I wanted to show that if you have a chronic illness it shouldnāt stop you, and if youāre a woman it shouldnāt stop you doing your dream job.
Theaās job as a Response Consultant [kidnap negotiator/rescuer] is an unusual one ā what research did you do?
Iāve spent the last four years immersed in that world and found out first-hand about what itās like. As well as speaking with people whoāve been in real life hostage situations ā like Peter Moore who was the longest held hostage in Iraq ā Iāve found out about the world of kidnap and ransom. I attended the Kidnap and Ransom Conference ā I didnāt know anyone, and itās a dark, closed world ā but I needed to learn about it so I could write authentically. Now Iāve got contacts all over the world ā including special ops people, response consultants, a psychologist who specialises in hostage mentality, and security guys who protect journalists in war zones.
I wanted to do something fresh and unique, and I didnāt want to do FBI or Police as Iām not a rule follower ā I wanted the freedom to go wild! Private industry doesnāt have the same restrictions, and itās interesting how the whole system works ā from big companies, to kidnap insurance, through to response consultants [interestingly, Lloyds of London are the people who first started selling kidnap and ransom insurance]. People can be insured for as much as fifty million dollars, and negotiators will often haggle down from the ransom demand ā usually 10% or so. In the US and the UK the penalty for kidnap is high, and thereās also a 95% chance of getting caught. But in Mexico there are no laws on kidnap and a 95% chance of not getting caught ā so itās more worth the risk to kidnappers. Plus thereās no lack of potential victims ā everyone has loved ones ā itās scary. With every book in the series Iām hoping to explore a different aspect of kidnap.
THE FREEDOM BROKER is super twisty-turny ā what was your writing process?
Iām an organic writer. I do plan ahead, but mostly the story is held in my head. I do go back and plant things later though. You canāt fight who you are ā if you need to plot to feel in control then do that. I find thereās a freshness from organically writing ā the characters come alive. So listen to your heart and write how you want to ā my style is āpants on fireā writing. You can sometimes get into trouble writing organically, but for me itās well worth the risk. If I get into a corner I think āwhatās the theme of the book?ā ā itās often family ā and can work out what next from there.
What got you into writing thrillers?
When you look at the book youāre reading and the books you chose to read thereās always an emotion attached to them. With thrillers itās energy and adrenaline, with mysteries itās puzzle solving, with romance itās hope, and with sci-fi itās wonder. Iām into adrenaline and energy ā Iām a very action orientated person. I read David Morrellās Brotherhood of the Rose ā a spy thriller ā and thought Iād love to be an author and be able to do what he did to me to another reader, to take them to another place ā like Athens ā and fascinate them. The Eye of the Needle and Day of the Jackal are great books. I grew up in different places around the world and wanted a character that can go anywhere ā each book will go to different countries.
What words of advice do you have for those aspiring to be published?
Embrace criticism from credible sources. I worked on my book for two years and had to go on the journey ā itās 10% about talent and 90% about perspiration ā and you have to be in it for the long haul. Everyone I know has been at it for a while. Write every day or as often as you can ā get out the junk words and keep going! David Morrell is my mentor and he has a saying āBe a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone elseā ā only you can write your book. Itās like with me having had a very international life ā Iāve lived in lots of places where the shadow of threat is always there ā I can bring to the page what Iāve learnt. Be fresh. Unless thereās great writing and a unique voice donāt do something thatās already been done. Stay the course and get help ā never bring your ego to the table. Although Iām published I feel like Iām at the beginning of the journey. I want to stay at it, keep getting better, and then getting word out about my books and reaching readers. Learn everything you can about this business. Do your own social media, and get involved and be part of the writing community (events like the Theakstonās Crime Writing Festival held at Harrogate every July are a great place to start). I try to help as many writers as I can ā playing it forward as Iāve had a lot of help from authors. You can contact me through my website and the ThrillerFest website [sheās the Executive Director of the fantastic crime writing festival] ā Iām always happy to hear from people.
And with that the coffee was drunk and the interview was over. KJ Howe was a brilliantly fun interviewee and it was great to meet her and talk about all the fascinating research sheās done ā she really is an action woman herself!
To find out more about KJ Howe visit her website HERE and be sure to follow her on Twitter @KJHoweAuthor
You can read my review of THE FREEDOM BROKER HERE and then hop over to Amazon to buy it by clicking the link HERE
And check out the ThrillerFest website HERE for all the details on this amazing crime writing festival held in New York every summer.
What the blurb says: āThea Paris is one of the worldās one elite kidnapping negotiators and the only woman in her field. Undercover operations and high-risk extractions are a part of daily life for Thea. Her only objective: getting her hostages out alive, at any cost.
But Thea is about to face her toughest challenge yet to free a very special client: her father. An oil tycoon on the verge of a world-altering deal, Theaās father is snatched off his yacht in Greece from right under Theaās nose. With no ransom demands and only cryptic messages left in Latin, Thea knows it will take all her experience and resolve to bring her father home alive. But with traumatic memories of her brotherās kidnapping 20 years earlier still haunting her and trying to hide her diabetes from her colleagues, Thea Paris could have finally met her match.ā
First up, I have to say this is one hell of a story. Plunging straight into the action right from the get-go, we meet Thea Paris ā kidnap negotiator ā in the jungles of Kwale, Nigeria, leading a mission by stealth to bring back a man held captive for ransom. Sheās tough, determined, and focused on the job in hand. And from those very first pages I was hooked.
The Freedom Broker is about a lot more than pure action though (although thereās plenty of that too) itās about family dynamics and difficult relationships, about how it feels to be a woman operating in a very male dominated profession, itās about secrets and revenge and how our past informs our present.
And although Thea Paris might be the ultimate action woman ā she knows her guns and her helicopters just as well as any man ā sheās also feminine and romantic, sheās a loving daughter and caring sister, and she manages a disability that she keeps hidden from almost everyone around her. Sheās a character you want to succeed, that you root for, trust in and, after all the action has gone down, the kind of person itād be great fun to go out for a few drinks with.
The Freedom Broker is a thrilling read, itāll have you high on adrenaline and heart-wrenched with anxiety, and youāll love every single minute of it.
Buy it now!
Iām counting the days until the second in the series comes out ā for me it canāt be quickly enough!
Find out more about KJ Howe on her website here
And buy THE FREEDOM BROKER on Amazon here
Check back in later in the week to read my interview with KJ Howe.
And be sure to check out all the other great tour stopsā¦
Please excuse the shameless plug but…
I’m totally thrilled that DEEP DOWN DEAD is on the shortlists for two awards – Fearless Female Character and Most Exceptional Debut – at the Dead Good Readers Awards that are presented at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate this July.
These awards are nominated and voted for by readers – so if you enjoyed DEEP DOWN DEAD I’d be real grateful if you could throw a vote in Lori Anderson and DEEP DOWN DEAD’s direction!
The voting is open now over at the fab Dead Good Books website here: http://www.deadgoodbooks.co.uk/dead-good-reader-awards-2017/
#VoteLori
THANK YOU!!!!
Itās 5th January, and that means DEEP DOWN DEAD is out in paperback! Itās so exciting to hold my debut novel in my hands ā I feel like I need to pinch myself to check itās actually happening!Ā
Itās out in the world and available from Waterstones HERE and Amazon HERE (in the UK) and on Amazon.com HERE (in the US) as well as other great bookstores.
In case youāve missed it, hereās the blurb: āLori 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 thatās when things start to go wrong. The fugitive sheās assigned to haul back to court is none other than JT, Loriās former mentor ā the man who taught her everything she knows ⦠the man who also knows the darkest secrets of her past.
Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Floridaās biggest amusement parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where ābad things never happenā, but heās 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 here work cut out for her. When theyāre ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric and things become personal.ā
Iāve been overwhelmed with the quotes that DEEP DOWN DEAD has been getting from crime thriller writers. Hereās what theyāve been saying:
āThis is a good one ā fast, confident, and suspenseful. My kind of bookā Lee Child
āWith a Stephanie Plum-style protagonist in bounty hunter Lori, Deep Down Dead has a Midnight Run feel to it, but much darker. Really, really goodā Ian Rankin
āRead some great debuts this year but Deep Down Dead is a real cracker. Steph Broadribb kicks ass, as does her ace protagonist Lori Anderson!ā Mark Billingham
āCrazy good ⦠full-tilt action and a brilliant cast of characters. This is a series and an author to watchā Yrsa Siguroardóttir, author of I Remember You
āDeep Down Dead is a blast of a book ā fast-paced, engaging and hugely entertainingā Simon Toyne, author of Solomon Creed
āSteph Broadribb has written a brilliant, pacey, bounty-hunter tale that marks the beginning of what will undoubtedly become a sparkling careerā Steve Cavanagh, author of The Defence
āAn action-packed crime thriller dripping with intrigue from the Deep South, and with a feisty no-nonsense heroine to boot. Itās a debut that demands to be read, with excitement and exhilaration flying off every page. In Lori Anderson, Broadribb has created a memorable and authentic female lead ā and readers will be left wanting the next installment of her adventures as soon as possibleā David Young, author of Stasi Child
āTough as a pair of rhino-hide cowboy boots and unremittingly energetic. An explosive, exciting debutā David Mark, author of Dead Pretty
āAn action-packed Southern road noir that pulls no punches. Single mom/bounty hunter Lori Anderson is an engaging new heroine, and Deep Down Dead is quite simply a hell of a thrillerā Mason Cross, author of The Killing Season
āA fresh and compelling debut with an intriguing plot, a great new heroine, and a setting that zings with authenticityā Anya Lipska, author of A Devil Under The Skin
āIf anything, Broadribb and her protagonist, tough Florida bounty hunter Lori Anderson, have more than a hint of Lee Child and Jack Reacher about them, with (literally) no punches pulled. The other parallel with Lee Child is, of course, the fact that this is an English writer making a sterling job of finding an American voice for both the narrative and the characters, and Broadribb proves to be just as adroit in this area as her male counterpart ⦠a promising debut delivered with both energy and colourā Barry Forshaw, Time Crime
āFurious, fast and thrillingā Graeme Cameron, author of Normal
āDead Down Dead grabs you like a whirlwind ā once youāre in, thereās no getting away till itās through with you. Pacey, emotive and captivating, this is kick-ass thriller writing of the highest orderā Rod Reynolds, author of The Dark Inside
āA relentless page-turner with twists and turns that left me breathlessā J.S. Law, author of Tenacity
āDeep Down Dead oozes authenticity. This is an engaging, original thriller with the type of characters you wish you knew in real life. Fresh, compelling and beautifully written, with a real cinematic quality. Read. Now.ā S.J.I. Holliday, author of Black Wood
āLori Anderson is a bounty hunter like none youāve ever encountered before. This is a series that will run and run. Youāll need to clear some time in your diary to read Steph Broadribbās Deep Down Dead because you wonāt want to set this one aside till the end. A genuine page-turnerā Howard Linskey, author of No Name Lane
āFast, furious and utterly addictive, Deep Down Dead is a blistering debut and marks Broadribb as a rising talent to watchā Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast
āNon-stop adrenaline rushes in this romantic action-adventure, introducing gritty, earthy, unstoppable heroine in bounty hunter Lori Anderson ā and a bad boy opponent/partner who is actually worthy of her. If you love romantic suspense, youāll love this rideā Alexandra Sokoloff, author of The Huntress/FBI thrillers and co-author of The Keepers series
āThe story moves at a frantic pace, and the plotting, along with the writing, is so deft and assured that itās really quite staggering that this is a debut. But what really sets this book apart is the characterization of Lori and JT; itās kind of like reading early Reacher, where you know youāre at the beginning of something very special, characters that will stay with you, books that youāll wait patiently for each yearā Chris Whitaker, author of Tall Oaks
āA stunning debut from a major new talentā Zoe Sharp, author of the Charlie Fox crime series
āThis is perfect for fans of Lee Child and Janet Evanovich, with the same American charm you find in Charlaine Harris, but it also has a sensibility that is completely unique and totally Broadribb. Lori Anderson is a fascinating heroine, with plenty of secrets and depth, but also totally kick-ass and relevant. Deep Down Dead is just so assured for a debut, and there wasnāt a single false step. Itās fun, thrilling, edge of your seat but also dealing with some seriously dark issues, and introduces a cast of characters I want to meet again! A great start to what is already one of my favourite series. Canāt wait for the next oneā Alex Caan, author of Cut To The Bone
āPowerful, passionate, and packs a real punchā Fergus McNeill, author of Knife Edge
āA gem of a read that delivers thrills at breakneck pace ⦠Lori is a feisty heroine we all wish had our backsā Marnie Riches, author of The Girl Who Wouldnāt Die
āThere are a couple of different ways to think about this debut. Once is an entertaining bounty-hunter adventure, and on that level itās quite a ride. But another take is as a character study, with depth ā the relationship between protagonist Lori, daughter Dakota and male lead JT. Itās assured and emotionally moving. Will be keeping an eye on this author and she does nextā Daniel Pembrey, author of The Harbour Master
āA kick-ass American thriller and a great read ⦠crying out to be a Hollywood movie. I couldnāt put it downā Louise Voss, author of The Venus Trap
āI ripped through this high-octane, breathlessly paced thriller in almost one sitting. Loved kick-ass Lori and her sexy-as-hell love interest JT ā a combo to get your heart racing, and then someā Ava Marsh, author of Untouchable
āSteph Broadribbās debut novel has been a long time coming, but is was definitely worth the wait. Dripping with authenticity, filled with unforgettable characters, and with a plot to die for. The writing is fantastic, making it one of my favourite debut novels for a long, long time. Deep Down Dead is just the first novel in what will be an incredible career for Broadribb. I canāt wait to read the next Lori Anderson book!ā Luca Veste, author of The Dying Place
āWe all need a fast-talking, gun-toting heroine with a heart of gold in our life, and Lori Anderson is a most compelling creation. If you donāt read Deep Down Dead, youāll really be missing outā Claire Seeber, author of The Stepmother
āThis writer! This book! I havenāt witnessed such a buzz about a new author for quite some time, and the buzz is entirely deserved. Breathtakingly pacey and authentic. You have to read itā Michael J. Malone, author of A Suitable Lie
āThis thrilling debut is a masterwork of suspense, as bounty hunter, Lori Anderson, takes us on a road trip fraught with danger, passion and high-octane jeopardy. Steph Broadribb is a top crime talent! Unputdownableā Helen Cadbury, author of To Catch A Rabbit
āFinished this at a gallop! Great action scenes and great atmosphere in a top romantic thrillerā C.J. Carver, author of Spare Me the Truth
āRelentless, breathtaking and emotionally charged. A roller coaster of a read! Jane Isaac, author of Beneath the Ashes
āSteph Broadribbās gritty debut will appeal to fans of the Sue Grafton alphabet series. I canāt wait to see what bounty hunter Lori Anderson gets up to next!ā Cass Green, author of Hold Your Breath
As Crime Thriller Girl Iāve hosted stops on loads of blog tours, but it feels kind of strange that itās now my debut novel thatās getting a tour!
Strange but very cool!
Iāve been blown away by the number of stops on the DEEP DOWN DEAD blog tour and am totally indebted to the fabulous bloggers who are taking part. Thereās going to be reviews, interviews, giveaways and guest blogs from me (and some double acts with a few of my writing mates).
Check out the dates above for details.
Wooooohoooooo – weāre off and rolling!
What the blurb says: āIn the morning, they gave Reacher a medal.Ā And in the afternoon, they sent him back to school. Itās just a voice plucked from the air: āThe American wants a hundred million dollarsā. For what? Who from? Itās 1996, and the Soviets are long gone. But now thereās a new enemy. In an apartment in Hamburg, a group of smartly-dressed young Saudis are planning something big. Jack Reacher is fresh off a secret mission and a big win. The Army pats him on the back and gives him a medal. And then they send him back to school. Itās a school with only three students: Reacher, an FBI agent, and a CIA analyst. Their assignment? To find that American. And what heās selling. And to whom. There is serious shit going on, signs of a world gone mad.Ā Night SchoolĀ takes Reacher back to his army days, but this time heās not in uniform. With trusted sergeant Frances Neagley at his side, he must carry the fate of the world on his shoulders, in a wired, fiendishly clever new adventure that will make the cold sweat trickle down your spine.ā
Lee Childās latest addition to the Jack Reacher series is Reacher #21 – NIGHT SCHOOL and I was super excited to get my hands on an early proof copy – black covers, very minimal (rather like the great Reacher himself). Or at least it was very minimal, till I travelled to Scotland with it in my overnight bag, and the glitter originally stuck onto the wrapping paper of a gift I was taking relocated itself onto the book cover. I guess Iām probably the only person with a glittery copy of NIGHT SCHOOL!
Anyway, back to the book ā¦
Well, as always, Reacher #21 delivers the Reacher-style goods. It also forces fans to delay gratification on the present day Reacher/Chang what-happens-next question from the end of the previous book – MAKE ME – and instead takes us back in time to when Reacher was still in the military. Not an easy delay for an impatient Reacher addict like me to take, but as Lee Child pairs Reacher back up with Neagley Iām willing to concede itās a fair trade.
And in NIGHT SCHOOL itās fascinating to see Reacher back in the structured environment of the military – reacting to the confines of protocol and hierarchy, yet still very much ābeing Reacherā; hard-wired to do whatever is needed to get justice, pushing blocks out the way (or ignoring them), and challenging the status quo. There’s a strong investigatory feel to the story, with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, and the pace whips along at breath-taking speed.
The relationship between Reacher and Neagley is complex and interesting ā the mutual respect, the banter, the attraction yet inability to connect physically due to Neagleyās phobia of being touched. It was a joy to spend time with them in NIGHT SCHOOL and Iām hoping that we might get to see more of their relationship in future books.
NIGHT SCHOOL is everything you want from an action thriller ā fast, hard and gripping. Read it now, then go back and read all the rest!
And, for the next book in the series ā Reacher #22 (Iām guessing black cover, no glitter) what I REALLY want to know what happens between Reacher and Chang!
You can buy NIGHT SCHOOL from Amazon here
Find out more about Lee Child and the Reacher series at www.leechild.comĀ
Hereās the blurb: āA killer can be a hero. If the assassin known only as āVictorā once had a moral compass, it is long since buried, along with his many victims. But some men are so evil they must die for reasons other than just money. Like Milan Rados, a former war criminal who has escaped trial to become a formidable power. Tracking down and killing this brutal man will win Victor a reprieve for his own recent crimes on British soil. But Victor isnāt the only one who wants Rados dead. One woman will do anything to see Radosā blood spilled on the snow of Eastern Europe. Now Victor has an unlikely ally ā but an army stands between them and justice.ā
Iām a big fan of the Victor the Assassin books and A TIME TO DIE is another great addition to the series.
Victor is the ultimate ālone wolfā ā heās known as Victor but has many aliases, he changes his appearance regularly to put anyone on his tail off track, and he has no family or friends. He doesnāt trust anyone, and regards all he meets as a potential threat. Heās cold, calculating and by rights should be very difficult to like. Yet as a reader I find him strangely likable. Perhaps itās because heās so up front about how he is ā thereās no pretence, he says what he thinks even when itās not what someone wants to hear (for example, if they ask if heās going to kill them and the answer is yes!). That said, he does some dreadful things, so I donāt think Iād actually want to meet him!
But reading about him is fantastic.
Tom Woodās writing has a fabulously cinematic quality to it and in A TIME TO DIE Victor is both hunter and prey. His assignment is more dangerous than is usual even for him. He has to gain the trust of the elusive war criminal Milan Rados ā a man with no conscious and a sickening love of the brutal and macabre ā in order to get close enough to kill him.
But hard as that is, itās complicated even further when Victor learns he has a price on his head ā a throw back from a previous job ā and he becomes the target of other professional assassins.
With some stunning action-packed set pieces, and a pace that whips along from beginning to end leaving you breathless, A TIME TO DIE is a must-read for thriller fans.
You can buy A TIME TO DIE from Amazon here
To find out more about Tom Wood pop over to his website https://tomwoodbooks.com/books/ and be sure to follow him on Twitter @TheTomWood