Claire Ladds Books

Happy New Year to you! I hope you’ve had a fabulous Christmas, and that 2023 brings you a year of calm and happiness.

This is my first piece of writing of 2023. I wrote yesterday about the achievement – or not – of my goals for 2022 and of what I had learned last year in relation to my writing and author business generally (you can read about my lessons learned in 2022 here).

Today is all about goal-setting for the next twelve months. What I learned more than anything last year was how I achieve the most when I stick to sensible plans and don’t allow myself to deviate, either in my head or on paper/on screen, and how this drastically affects my mindset.

With this in mind, I have chosen a theme for my goal-setting for the next twelve months, to encompass my writing, publishing and readership growth.

[Read more…]

It’s out today! I am thrilled to tell you that you can now buy, download and read the digital boxset containing three of my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books, just in time for the Christmas holidays. This first bundle in the series of standalone psychological and suspense thrillers can be downloaded on lots of different e-book stores – so if you’ve not yet discovered the first three in this set of books, now is your chance to grab a trio of books in one go. (If you want to cut to the chase and not read the entire post, you can find the boxset here).

Here are the descriptions of the three books in the bundle:

Show Me Dead

THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE DARKER YOU GET. THE STAGE IS SET…

Ripped away from her circus family and kidnapped, Angel finds herself the unwilling ‘guest’ in a dilapidated theatre, belonging to a man who calls himself the Puppet Master.

She’s not the only captive, either. All of the broken and terrified people below ground are forced to perform for a very darkly discerning audience.

When performers begin to go missing, no one knows why, or who will be next. Fear is growing and Angel intends to ensure one thing – that it won’t be her. What is happening here? Just who is the Puppet Master, and what does he want with her? Angel may well wish that she’d never found out. But is he really the one pulling the strings?

To save them all and get to the truth, Angel has to perform the darkest show of all. But truth comes at a price. And someone will pay…

That Killer Image

THREE PEOPLE. ONE KILLER. AND A PICTURE SOMEONE WILL DIE FOR…

When Vicky meets Anthony, she sees him as a happy distraction from her claustrophobic relationship with her housemate and self-appointed guardian, Fran.

Anthony already knows Vicky because he has been following her every move. She is perfect for what he needs – a model for the ultimate photo of his life’s work – and he will do anything it takes to get that shot.

But Fran is not so easy to get rid of. Haunted by the disappearance of her sister, and blaming herself, she is desperate not to make the same mistakes again with Vicky. And when push really comes to shove, she has other ideas about that killer image.

Beneath obsession lurks something more deadly…

No Deadlier Time

A FAMILY WITH DARK SECRETS. WILL SOMEONE KILL TO KEEP THEM?

Neve Eldritch is pregnant, happy, and has one wish – to get her husband, Harry, to reconnect with his family. Neve has never met them – and with good reason. Now there’s a chance to move into the family home and heal a long-standing rift. Going home can’t be that bad. Can it? But something feels wrong from the moment they arrive.

When you’ve avoided the problem for so long, it’s bound to rear its ugly head. All Harry ever wanted was to be worthy in his dad’s eyes. There’s a secret to success, one his dad has taunted him with as a boy, but now he’s gone to drastic lengths to stop Harry getting hold of it. Desperate to prove himself, Harry takes matters into his own hands – with deadly results.

But Harry isn’t prepared for what the horrifying key to his family’s success really is, and it’s spiralling out of control. When murder follows murder, he’s sure he’s committed them. How can he stop himself and keep his family safe when the secret he now holds won’t let him – and he can’t remember any of it?

Suspicions run rife in Neve. Her husband is lying to her. Is he crazy? Or is he a killer? Or maybe – just maybe – someone, somewhere, wants rid of him, and they’ll do anything to get what they want. And she’s sure they’re here, at the isolated family home. Do they want to kill her, too?

Terrible choices lay ahead if anyone is to get out alive. One person can save them all. But time is ticking away… and it’s proving to be deadly.

Be careful what you wish for… you just might get it.

As I mentioned earlier, each book in this digital boxset is a standalone novel, and perfect for readers who love dark themes and crimes mixed with twists, turns and lots of suspense. I hope you enjoy my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books.

Happy reading!

Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset 1

Grab your digital boxset HERE