Blog tour for Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb

I’m delighted to be taking part in the tour for Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb. I loved the first book in the series – Deep Down Dead – which introduced us to Lori Anderson – single mum and bounty hunter. I’d like to thank Steph, Karen Sullivan of Orenda books and Anne Cater for letting me take part in the tour.

 

The blurb

Single-mother Florida bounty hunter Lori Anderson’s got an ocean of trouble on her hands. 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. Following Fletcher from Florida to California, Lori teams up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor and his team. But Dez works very differently to Lori, and the tension between them threatens to put the whole job in danger.

With Monroe pressuring Lori for results, the clock ticking on JT’s life, and nothing about the Fletcher case adding up, Lori’s hitting walls at every turn. But this is one job she’s got to get right, or she’ll lose everything…

Breathlessly paced, and bursting with high-voltage action and edge-of-your seat jeopardy, Deep Blue Trouble is the unmissable next instalment featuring one of the most memorable and fearless female characters in crime fiction.

 

My review

Lori Anderson is back! Deep Blue Trouble continues on from where Deep Down Dead finished. JT is in prison and Dakota is fairly traumatised after her ordeal. It’s not really the best time for Lori to go out on a big job on the other side of the country. But if she’s going to save JT from the death penalty and get him released, then she has to do what CIA agent Alex Monroe tells her. Leaving Dakota behind in a summer camp, Lori sets off for California to find the elusive Gibson Fletcher. She’s captured him before so she can take him again, right?

Lori is much more on her own with this case so enlists help from an old friend, Red. But he’s in Florida and she’s in California. At first, Lori has little to go on and she’s also dealing with people following her. It’s a frustrating time for her and this comes across well in the writing. The pace slows a little but in a good way as it creates tension. As the reader, I was desperate to find out how Lori could move the case on and find Fletcher. When Monroe suggests teaming her up with another bounty hunter, Lori isn’t impressed. But it’s the impetus needed for Lori to find out the answers for herself.

Steph Broadribb’s writing has such a natural style to it and you can tell that she’s spent a lot of time in the US. She has a good ear for the language so the dialogue flows naturally. There are some great new characters in the story (I particularly like Red) and we even get to hear from JT himself while he’s in prison. Once more, Lori is in the position of not being able to trust anyone as she appears to have enemies whichever way she turns. Lori also finds her conscience tested on several occasions.  And the ending? Well, obviously I’m not going to give that away but I think we can safely say that Lori Anderson will return. A corker of a read!

You can find out more about Steph and buy the book here.

 

The author

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.com, where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases. 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. 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, and hit number one on the UK and AU Kindle charts.

 

 

First Monday Interview – C.J.Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

It seems an age since the last First Monday – the December spectacular! I don’t know about anyone else but January is proving to be a hard month to get through. Not having that monthly fix of crime writers has been tricky. But all is not lost! First Monday has got a brilliant line-up for Monday 5th February. And lots of people must agree with me because it was fully booked. However, the lovely people at City have found a bigger room so if you haven’t booked yet, do it now by clicking here.

So, who are these wonderful authors? Well, Chris Carter, Tammy Cohen, Craig Roberston and C.J. Tudor will be interrogated, sorry, interviewed, by Joe Haddow. And to give you a little taste of what to expect, the lovely C.J. Tudor has kindly agreed to answers some questions for me. The Chalk Man is her debut novel and was published earlier this month to great acclaim.

 

Hi C.J. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your road to publication?

 

Well, it’s been a long one!! I’ve been writing for over ten years with plenty of rejection, failure and ‘close but no cigars’ along the way.

I was actually working as a dog walker when I wrote The Chalk Man as well as looking after my little girl. Time and money were short and I’d pretty much decided that this would be my last shot. Fortunately, it was a good shot!

 

I’ve seen a video clip on YouTube about the inspiration for The Chalk Man. Can you tell us more about that?

 

Yes. A friend gave my little girl a tub of coloured chalks for her second birthday. We spent the afternoon drawing stick figures all over the driveway. Then we went inside and forgot about them.

Later that night, I opened the back door and was confronted by these weird chalk drawings everywhere. In the darkness, they looked incredibly sinister. I called out to my partner: ‘These chalk men look really creepy in the dark. . .’

That was it. I started writing the book the next day!

 

Now, I’ve not had the chance to read the book yet but I’ve seen plenty of reviews – all of them fantastic. How does that feel, considering this is your debut? Do you now feel the pressure for book 2?

Every writer is full of self-doubt so to receive such positive reviews is amazing! Fortunately, Book 2 is finished – I had a fair chunk of it written before all The Chalk Man madness kicked off. That was a good thing as I didn’t have to stare at a blank page and think, ‘What now?’

I’m pretty good at putting pressure and expectation to one side when I write. In front of the laptop, it’s just me and the story.

 

For the audible version of the book, you have Andrew Scott (Moriarty from Sherlock) and Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) as the narrators. How did that happen? Are you still pinching yourself?

 

Yes. I’m a walking bruise – it’s mad! The book was sent to Andrew Scott’s agent who passed it on and he read it on holiday. Amazingly, he loved it and agreed to do the narration. Both he and Asa – who plays young Eddie – are mind-blowingly brilliant and Andrew (as I call him now!!) is especially chilling.

 

Last question – on the scale of 1-10, how excited are you to be at First Monday in February?

 

This one definitely goes up to 11.

 

Thank you C.J. for answering my questions and to First Monday for organising the interview.

 

And to entice you all further, here’s the blurb for The Chalk Man.

 

We all have fears we hide from. But in the end they will find us . . .

None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning.

Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own?

Was it the terrible accident?

Or when they found the first body?

 

Sounds really intriguing. You can buy the book here or if you’re coming along to First Monday, you can buy it on the night, courtesy of Big Green Bookshop and then get it signed. That’s what I’m doing!

 

About the author

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter. Her love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert.

Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, waitress, radio scriptwriter, shop assistant, voiceover artist, television presenter, copywriter and now author. The Chalk Man is her first novel.

Initiation: Amsterdam, ’83 by Daniel Pembrey

I’d like to start off by saying ‘Happy Publication Day’ to Daniel Pembrey for Initiation: Amsterdam, ’83 which is published today by Amazon Publishing. I’m going to tell you more about the book but first, I thought it would be good to hear from Daniel. When his last book, Night Market, featured on my blog, Daniel gave us an introduction to shopping in Amsterdam. This time, he serves up some tasty treats that you can find in the Dutch capital.

 

Dutch sweet treats for you

 

Nothing easily compares with Joy Kluver’s scrumptious cookies [of course not, Daniel!] but to mark the occasion of this new Henk van der Pol story, I’ve selected some Dutch treats that may intrigue. A lot of Dutch desserts –  say pannenkoeken (larger thin pancakes)  – are known to us in the UK. So here, I’ve focused on more distinctively local treats, with the help of Mila van Egmond, a wonderful Amsterdam-based photographer who provided the images below:

Oliebollen are spongy and sweet like doughnuts. They are deep-fried, often made with sultanas, and coated with icing sugar. The essence of comfort food, this seasonal temptation is best savoured hot from a street stall alongside champagne / cava / prosecco. Oliebollen are most often consumed in December, especially on New Year’s Eve.

Photo by Mila van Egmond

 

 

Poffertjes are eaten year round, but again mostly on fun occasions – at fairs and street parties. They are little fluffy pancakes cooked in special pans. Like oliebollen, poffertjes have a spongy texture and are served with icing sugar, butter and sometimes syrup; they are even more dangerously moreish, so once you start eating them . . .

Photo by Mila van Egmond

 

 

Finally, tompouce: cream-filled, squishy and icing-covered like mille-feuille, these sweet delights are nigh impossible to eat elegantly so best not to try. On Koningsdag (King’s Day), the icing is often orange. Dutchies love tompouce. I like it with a cup of strong black koffie but don’t hold back on something stronger still (jenever or a similar spirit), should the mood take you; Van der Pol would approve.

Photo by Mila van Egmond

 

Wow! Those looking amazing. Not sure if it’s good to be looking at them post-Christmas but at least I’m just looking! Thank you Daniel and Mila for sharing these wonderful Dutch treats with us.

But let’s not forget why we’re really here – there’s a book to tell you about. Daniel Pembrey is the absolute master of the novella and his new one is no exception!

 

The blurb

In autumn 1983, Henk van der Pol is twenty-three years old and just one week out of police training. His dream is to be admitted to the elite detective bureau of Amsterdam’s police force, but he knows he needs to prove himself as a uniformed officer first.

That is, until he is sent to interview witnesses of an audacious kidnapping in the city centre: Alfred Heineken, head of the brewery corporation, has been snatched by shadowy assailants and driven at speed from the scene. Is this really just about a ransom or is there any truth to the rumour that West German terrorists are involved? The case is far beyond van der Pol’s rank but his instincts tell him to do everything in his modest power to solve it—even if it means putting his own life at risk.

From the bestselling author of The Harbour Master, Initiation introduces Daniel Pembrey’s beloved detective as a green young officer at the very start of his career, determined to outwit criminals and his superiors alike, in a first case that could well have been his last.

 

My review

 

When you create a character, you have to think about lots of details and age is an important factor. When we first meet Henk van der Pol in The Harbour Master, we’re made aware that Henk is not far off retirement age for the Dutch police force. In Night Market, he’s changed his job a bit but all his experience comes into play for his new role. For the latest instalment, Daniel Pembrey has created a prequel and takes us back to 1983 when Henk first becomes a police officer. Initiation: Amsterdam, ’83 is based on a true crime from that year – the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, the CEO of the Dutch brewing company. Using careful research, Pembrey has fused fact with fiction very successfully. Henk is a rookie officer who’s sent initially to the scene. He’s side-lined when the seriousness of the incident is revealed but that doesn’t stop Henk searching for the truth and Heineken. In doing so, he meets a young, ambitious journalist – Petra – who’s equally determined to find the truth.

Henk’s age isn’t the only thing that’s different in this novella. Amsterdam in 1983 was very different to how it is now. This comes across well in Pembrey’s descriptions of a city in desperate need of redevelopment and regeneration – ‘The row of houses to my right stood almost in the shadow of the Rijksmuseum. They were grand and solid on the outside, yet dark within – derelict and decaying. Earmarked for redevelopment of some kind. Demolition even.’ Definitely not the shiny Amsterdam we know today.

We meet Henk’s friends and possible enemies and of course, we meet Petra. As it is a novella, the pace is fast and Daniel Pembrey has managed to pack a lot in. It reminds me a lot of Endeavour, the prequel for Inspector Morse, in the way that we seen Henk’s early life, knowing how it’s going to turn out in the future. I do hope that Daniel will write more of the young Henk van der Pol as he is just as fascinating in 1983 as he is in later years.

I’d like to thank Daniel Pembrey for letting me read an advanced copy. You can buy Initiation: Amsterdam, ’83 here.

 

The author

Daniel Pembrey grew up in Nottinghamshire beside Sherwood Forest. He studied history at Edinburgh University and received an MBA from INSEAD business school in France. Daniel then spent over a decade working in America and more recently Luxembourg, coming to rest in Amsterdam and London — dividing his time now between these two great maritime cities.

He is the author of the Henk van der Pol detective series and several short thriller stories, and he contributes articles to publications including The Financial Times, The Times and The Field. In order to write The Harbour Master, he spent several months living in the docklands area of East Amsterdam, counting De Druif bar as his local.

To receive occasional email updates and offers of free exclusive content, please sign up at www.danielpembrey.com. Daniel is also on Twitter, @DPemb.

 

First blog post of 2018 but it’s not about books…

Today is the first day of 2018 that my house is empty and quiet. Youngest child went back to school this morning and I have space to breathe again. Don’t get me wrong, I love having everyone home but we’ve had an incredibly busy Christmas and New Year. I would normally tell you at this point about the books I’ve read over Christmas but I haven’t finished the book I started before the holiday! Although I have also read a snappy, little novella that I’ll tell you more about closer to publication date. But, I did go to the theatre three times in five days so I’m going to tell you about that instead.

First up, for my birthday treat, we went to see the Mischief Theatre Company. You may have seen them on TV last Saturday with A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong. If you did, then you know what to expect from them. Except that what we saw was a bit different. It was called Mischief Movie Night and we, the audience, got to decide what the actors would perform. It was improvisation at its very best (much in keeping with Whose Line Is It Anyway?). As an audience, we chose hospital drama for the genre and the title was CPR or Die! What followed was hilarious and very clever. One of the actors was the director and every so often he would freeze the action and pick up on something that was said or done, e.g. one of the characters was called by another as Dr Simon but then someone else referred to him as Dr Simons. “Wait a minute,” said the director, “is he called Dr Simon Simons?” From then on, everyone had the surname Simons. Now, I won’t tell you everything but even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. Each show is different but they’re full of laughter, songs and slapstick. Mischief Movie Night is on at the Arts Theatre until January 27th.

Secondly, it’s not Christmas if you haven’t been to a panto! I grew up going to a pantomime every year (often for my birthday) and as a child, I mostly went to Richmond Theatre. With my children, we’ve swapped between Richmond and Wimbledon and this Christmas, we went to see Jack and the Beanstalk at Wimbledon Theatre with Al Murray and Clive Rowe. I think it’s fair to say that Al Murray and Clive Rowe carry the show as they have the majority of the lines. More could have been made of Fleshcreep, the Giant’s henchman who was admirably played by John Jack. Overall, I found it a bit hard-going at times. I think my 8 year-old hit the nail on the head when he asked me after about the third or fourth scene, “When are we going to get to the story?” Jack and the Beanstalk isn’t the longest pantomime so does require some filler scenes. They were funny but they were also a bit too long and pushed the gags a bit too hard. The humour was directed more at the adults and I was aware of restless children. The 3-D element in the second half was excellent though and most importantly, my family enjoyed it, especially my older two children. Aged 16 and 13, going to the pantomime isn’t always cool. Jack and the Beanstalk is on until January 14th.

As I didn’t know what to get my daughter for Christmas, I booked tickets to see Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre on Tuesday 2nd January. I’ve never been to the Savoy Theatre before and it’s quite strange as you head down three flights of stairs to reach the Stalls. But it’s very elegant inside. The set is simple but that’s a good thing. It allows you to focus on the acting and singing. I only knew a few songs already (all sung by women) so it was good to see some of the numbers done by the men. Standout performances came from Joe Aaron Reid playing Curtis Taylor Jr and Tosh Wanogho-Maud as Jimmy Early. Curtis Taylor Jr is the manager of the Dreams. Joe Aaron Reid may sing like an angel but he plays a devil of a character.  Jimmy Early is a comic/tragic character and Tosh Wanogho-Maud has got the balance just right – he knows when to play for laughs and when to play it straight. He’s also an excellent singer and dancer and I hope that one day, he’ll be the lead in Thriller.

But if you know anything about Dreamgirls, then you know that it’s the women who take centre stage in this musical. Effie White, Deena Jones and Lorell Robinson are the Dreamettes – a girl group full of promise. Meeting Curtis Taylor Jr brings them happiness and disappointment in equal measure. I won’t tell you anymore than that about the storyline. Now, I’ve been to lots of musicals over the years, but the singing at Dreamgirls is out of this world. There are three actresses playing Effie White and I’m fairly certain we saw Moya Angela. Her main song is And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a song sung with so much passion before and it brought tears to my eyes. If you love musicals then this is a must-see show. Just wonderful and my daughter was very happy with her present. Booking is available until June 2nd 2018.

 

Normal book blogging will resume in the next couple of weeks! Happy New Year to you all.