Lori knows she shouldn't have taken her daughter Dakota out on her hunt for JT but she's a bounty hunter who is in need of money and, frankly, time with Dakota who is ill. This decision, however, leads to a dramatic and difficult situation for everyone. It's a fast paced read.

Lori Anderson is a tough-as-nails bounty hunter. Her sole focus in life is her 9 year old daughter Dakota, who’s been battling cancer her entire young life. Lori is in desperate need of fast money to help pay down the massive medical bills, in case the cancer comes back and Dakota needs more treatment. Lori receives a job offer to take a case that pays top dollar, requiring nothing more than transporting a fugitive across state lines. Someone else has already done the dirty work of capturing him. Lori just needs to bring him in. Easy pickings, right? Just one hiccup…the fugitive turns out to be the man who taught her everything she knows about the job of bounty hunting, as well as her former love interest. Ouch!
On such short notice Lori can't get anyone to watch Dakota. So she decides to bring her along on this little joy-ride. Really? I mean what could go wrong? Oh...how about everything!
It's an extremely fast, easy read. Finished in just over a day. I must admit, I got a little lost in the middle when the chase was on and all hell broke loose. But got back on track in no time. It's full-blown action from start to finish. Loved the main characters, Lori and Dakota. They were easy to connect with and I found myself rooting for them both
If you like non-stop thrills and spills start to finish, then this is the book for you. It never lets up. There is definitely a set up for the next book, and I’ll certainly be watching and waiting for it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Steph Broadribb and Trafalgar Square Publishing.

To be posted on Goodreads under Kaceey 5/12/17

Rating: 5/5 stars

Wow... I honestly wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. I had heard that it was a fast paced and exciting book but it was more that that. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I read it!

The only bounty hunter related novels that I've read are the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich (which I LOVE, by the way) so this was quite different from those books but in a really great way.

I probably could have read this book in a day or two if day jobs didn't have to exist. This book starts off by Lori taking on a case where she has to pick up her former mentor, JT, who she worked with when she first became a bounty hunter. She has to take her daughter with her as she doesn't have anyone to watch her while she's gone. She later realizes that turns out to be a terrible mistake.

This book was well written and starts off in the present but as it goes on you learn a bit about Lori and JT's past and how exactly they met.

I honestly didn't want this book to end and I'm very excited to find out what will happen in the next book, which I already can't wait for. If you're looking for a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller, I highly recommend this novel!
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this in exchange for a review.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Crime Fiction blogger turned novelist, Steph Broadribb's debut novel, Deep Down Dead is the story of a bail enforcement agent (bounty hunter) making a pickup that will change her life in a fairly dramatic way. Lori Anderson couldn't be in worse financial straits -- her daughter's medical bills from Leukemia (currently in remission) treatment are so far past due that future treatment is in jeopardy, and they're about to get evicted from their home. So when the bondsman she works for offers her the largest amount she's ever been offered for a job, she has to jump at it.

It's supposed to be a simple midnight run, go pick up the fugitive from another agent not licensed in Florida (or he'd drop off the fugitive himself) and deliver him to the police herself. Almost immediately, problems start (none that deter Lori from the cash reward waiting) -- her sitter has plans, so she has to take her daughter, Dakota, with her. Secondly, the fugitive in question is her former mentor, JT -- the one who taught her everything she knows, who's inexplicably got a criminal record now. Then when she arrives at the pickup, the agent she expects isn't there -- instead three very aggressive ruffians (best word I can think of) are there and decide to rough her up a little.

Things really go downhill from there -- before Lori knows it, she's got bigger problems than getting her money. She has to deal with a criminal enterprise running from one of the state's largest amusement parks; a mob with a long-standing grudge; corrupt law enforcement officials; and being a suspect in violent crimes. This is intertwined with the story of Lori and JT's past association, how he saved her life and set her on the path that she's on now.

By the time I got to a whopping 12% my notes started using the word "brutal." This was like if Pierce Brown took a crack at writing Stephanie Plum. Most of the time the violence (gun play or hand-to-hand) was brtual, but not overwhelming -- just heightened enough to fit a crime novel.

You like Laurie almost instantly, Dakota will charm you and grab your heart, and you'll even appreciate JT (maybe more . . . ) and his crusade -- at the very least, you'll get the connection between he and Laurie. The villains are evil, no two ways about it -- but not in the mustache-twirling way, just in the kind of evil that we like to pretend doesn't exist in this world.

It's not just in her characterization, but it's in her plotting, pacing and interweaving the stories of present and past that Broadribb displays more skill than your typical debut novelist. This lived up to every expectation I had from the interviews, reviews, etc. that I've heard and read, which was a relief. I sorta feel like I've been giving too many 4 Stars lately, like I've been overly generous, so I tried to rate this lower. But I just can't -- this is a 4 Star book, easy -- and with a little more experience under her belt, Broadribb (and Anderson) will be knocking out 5 Star reads regularly. I can't wait to see what's next.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Trafalgar Square Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this entertaining and almost traumatic experience.

I love a strong female MC and Lori Anderson is the best. This is a quick paced novel that will leave readers engaged to the very last page.