LOWCOUNTRY BRIBE by C. Hope Clark

Hope Clark stole my weekend recently!

I’ve followed Hope Clark’s writing journey with interest for a few years now and like many of her newsletter readers, was delighted when she firstly got an agent and then when she found a publisher for Lowcountry Bribe. I bought the book because I thought it was the right thing to do, rather than because I particularly wanted to read it; but I’m so glad I did.

Lowcountry Bribe tells the story of a Department of Agriculture county manager who tries to play it straight when she is offered a bribe. Instead, she finds herself in trouble with everyone: her superiors, her client farmers, the Feds and even (or should I say, especially) with her husband Alan. The more she struggles to stay afloat, the deeper she sinks.  If you like fat-paced crime thrillers, you will love Lowcountry Bribe.

From the opening paragraph, which grabs the reader by the throat, the story races along at a relentless pace with twists and turns on every page. I found myself turning the pages faster and faster to find out what happened next. Clark’s characters are
well-defined: Wayne is just on the crumpled side of being perfect; Alan is a self-centred snake; Jesse was so mean, I kept checking the bottom of each page to make sure he wasn’t going to appear again; and as for Slade — she’s a wonderful new addition to the canon of female protagonists: I’d put her right up there with Kay Scarpetta and Temperance Brennon.

Once I’d started this book, I couldn’t put it down until it was finished — and I also broke my own rule about not using the Kindle when I’m in the house. Hope stole my weekend — but I’m so glad she did and I can’t wait for the next in the series.

ISBN: 978-1611940909 BelleBooks plus ebook for Kindle, available from Amazon.