Claire Ladds

Crime and suspense author

dark women's fiction

The Secrets That Haunt Us: Read an Extract (Do You Love Prologues?, Part 1)

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It’s February – the month in which love abounds, obsession comes to the fore, and… murder? Well, as you would expect from me, love, obsession, murder – they all combine in my books!

Okay, so this is a bit off-topic for Valentine’s month (you’d think!), but I have a question for you. Do you love prologues in your dark fiction, be it crime, mystery, psychological thrillers or suspense? They have a bit of a love-hate relationship with readers, and over time I’ve seen some quite passionate discussions on social media about them!

Personally, I love them – with the caveat that they do need to have a purpose, a genuine reason for being there, as far as the story is concerned, and also provide the reader with that all-important ‘extra’ which makes elements of the book clearer on a whole different level. Because of their purpose, they can have a variety of functions. For instance, they can set a scene for something that comes later (sometimes called foreshadowing), or provide the reader with a snapshot of the past which influences the book as a whole. They can hide a clue to whodunnit by providing just enough information for the reader (even when the reader doesn’t know it yet!), or ultimately deepen the reader experience by providing that ‘aha’ moment about a character or incident later on, which wouldn’t have been there without the prologue. They could even be dreams or memories of a character who is very much rooted in the ‘now’ of the book, and these may impact the story in all sorts of ways.

I thought it would be fun to give you a taster of some prologues in my novels, seeing that I’ve told you I love them so much. So welcome to a four-part mini-series of extracts from my books, where you can read the prologues I’ve used to begin some dark, obsessive stories – and each and every one with murder at its heart. Maybe you can guess why I’ve used a particular type of prologue, and what purpose it serves in the overall story.

We begin with a twisted, dark version of love: The Secrets that Haunt Us, my dark women’s fiction novel, full of love, obsession, revenge and, ultimately, murder. If ever there was a story of many loves gone wrong, it’s this one! This prologue takes the form of a series of letters, which appear to have been written shortly before the ‘present day’ of the story itself.

Please note that, as my extracts are crime-related books or dark fiction of some kind, they are suitable for an adult readership. Please read responsibly.

Happy reading!

Claire

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Backstory: plotting and planning vengeance

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Somewhere, hiding among the pages of every book, there is a backstory, a story that happened to the characters before the book you read actually begins on the page. It’s the characters’ personal histories, if you like: things that happened to them, memories they have, people they’ve met, events that shaped them into the person you see on the page.

I want to share with you a small piece of the backstory for The Secrets That Haunt Us. It occurs right at the beginning of the book, and takes the shape of five letters, sent to two different members of the same family – mother, Emmeline, and daughter, Julia. These letters, sent months before the book ‘proper’ begins, gives the reader an inkling that all is not only not well at home as the book gets started, but that clearly there have been events in the past which have led to the letter-writing of Alex, a man who is a most unpleasant man indeed. Vengeance has been plotted with malice and a great deal of forethought, and he intends to execute his plans for betrayals and secrets long since past.

But is he the only villain of the piece? The Secrets That Haunt Us blurs the lines between what we would automatically consider ‘good’ and ‘bad, or ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. When I wrote it, I often wondered what courses of action I would have taken, had I been in the various characters’ shoes. And the question will probably haunt me for a very long time.

I hope these five letters intrigue you into wanting to know what could have prompted Alex to plot and plan his own very particular type of vengeance – and what happens once his plans have been set in motion!

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The Secrets That Haunt Us: a lovely 5-star review

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I was absolutely thrilled to see this 5-star review pop up on Amazon from a reader who clearly loved The Secrets That Haunt Us. I have no idea which lovely reader wrote the review, but it’s extremely kind and means a great deal.

I find it very humbling when I know someone has read and enjoyed my books. In my heart of hearts, all I really want to do is write stories that people find fascinating, thought-provoking, terrifying at times, occasionally heart-wrenching, and satisfying. And crime-filled, of course!

The Secrets That Haunt Us will probably always be the book I have the softest spot for. It means many things to me.

If you would like to take a look at the book (including that first 5-star review since I re-released the novel with its new title), then you can find it on Amazon here:

Buy The Secrets That Haunt Us on Amazon

If you read on another device and buy your books from Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble and others, you can find the novel here:

Buy The Secrets That Haunt Us on your favourite ebook store

If you do read, or have, read it, or any of my work, I’d love to know what you think. Hearing from readers is always lovely. 😊 Please do consider leaving a review – or my books or on any author’s books that you enjoy. It really helps other people who might also enjoy them to find them more easily.

Happy reading!

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