Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb

Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb is a fantastic high adrenaline feast that is superbly crafted. The first part of the narrative is akin to the beginning of a roller coaster, that feeling of slowly climbing upwards with the sense of dread that comes with it. Broadribb creates a feeling of oppression with the protagonist Lori Anderson, bucking against the demands of powerful men that she feels obligated to submit to. Don't be fooled though, Lori is not a victim. She may find herself in the middle of a battle of wits between the FBI and the Chicago mafia but they underestimate her at their peril. Lori is ably assisted by JT and their blossoming relationship allows an emotional subplot that adds an extra layer of frisson to the narrative. 

The main action takes place in a penthouse during a city-wide blackout and is an adrenaline-fueled battle of wits. Broadribb has come up with a brilliant idea, Deep Dark Night is essentially a locked room mystery and it's a narrative that has so many different elements of danger that you worry that Lori will not be able to overcome them. I loved the idea of the high-end technology of the penthouse being weaponised against the inhabitants, and then the added danger of a group of people with ulterior motives, some of whom are willing to maim and kill to get what they want. Just in case that's not enough to whet your appetite there's also a newly rekindled love affair and a child waiting anxiously at home to worry about. 

Broadribb has an enviable talent for crisp prose that is action driven and allows the reader to feel personally invested in Lori's predicament. Sentences are short and snappy with lots of pithy dialogue. Broadribb deviously moves the narrative between Lori and JT meaning that we get to worry about what is actually happening to one character whilst also wondering about the other.

It's the fourth outing for Lori Anderson and you feel in capable hands with Broadribb, she knows just when to ratchet up the tension and when to let it ebb momentarily. I can't wait to read the previous three.

Thanks to Anne Cater for my gifted copy.