BENEATH THE FLESH

Image shows grey and brown background with black band and Claire Ladds in the centre. Text and top reads: where the past won't stay buried... and text at bottom reads: ...and motives are always personal

IF YOU INVITE A STRANGER INTO YOUR HOME, YOU’D BETTER HAVE NO SECRETS

There’s an argument. A moan. Ella is too scared to wait and see what’s happened. But the next morning, her landlord has vanished, leaving her alone with Miriam, her cruel and abusive landlady. If Ella hadn’t run away years ago, she wouldn’t be stuck here now.

Miriam wakes. She’s not in bed; she’s on the kitchen floor, cold and confused. Then she finds a knife next to her – and it’s soaked in blood, just like her husband’s bed sheets.

When Miriam advertises for a tenant two months later, one comes knocking. While Miriam can’t wait to install new tenant, Maya, into her missing husband’s single bedroom, Ella knows there’s more to this new paying guest than she’s letting on. Because Ella knows exactly who she is. But is Maya an ally – or an enemy?

Revenge is a dish best served cold…

A Darker Minds Crime & Suspense novella