You may well have seen me mention, here and elsewhere, that Hers or Mine is my latest psychological suspense novel. People in my Readers’ Club got the chance to read the beginning of this book before it was published – and now it’s your turn!
In case you haven’t yet come across the book, here’s the book description:
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COULD YOUR SECRETS BE THE DEATH OF YOU?
To the neighbours, Lucy and Andy are an ordinary couple with good jobs and a quiet life. But they’re hiding a dark secret. And it’s tearing them apart.
Seven years ago, you took my life away. And I want it back.
Life as Andy’s wife isn’t what Lucy thought it would be. Andy has become obsessive. It’s as if she’s a prisoner. Their secret has turned Andy into a manipulative control freak, and Lucy stays in hiding, inside the house. Her business will fall apart if she doesn’t do something, and she’s mortified by Andy’s serial philandering since their secret took hold of them in its vice-like grip. So, when a leaflet arrives for a hotel designed for struggling creatives, Lucy is desperate to persuade Andy that going there, for a break and to give her a chance to sort her head out, will make things better.
Andy has issues of his own: the temptation of an affair that he’s trying to keep under control, Lucy’s increasingly problematic behaviour, and the guilty knowledge of what he did seven years before. But when Lucy threatens to reveal their secret, he has no choice but to let her out of his sight. What harm can a few days do?
The time is coming. The plan is in place. And you’ll be here soon.
But Andy begins to regret his decision. Letting Lucy go off alone might have been really stupid. Can she keep the secret safe? How dangerous is Lucy’s behaviour? When Andy gets a disturbing phone call from his wife, he’s determined to go and get her back.
But at the hotel everyone is hiding secrets and telling lies. Someone is playing a twisted game. And they have murder in mind.
No one knows you’re here. No one knows who you really are. And no one will know if you disappear forever…
A twisty psychological suspense novel. It’s game on – and it’s about as personal as it gets. When everyone is lying, who do you trust?
Do you want to find out how the dark and twisted games in Hers or Mine begin? Do you want to meet the main players and see what kind of people they are (or maybe I should say ‘what kind of people you think they are)? If you do, then you can read the prologue and the first four chapters on a dedicated page on my website. You can find it at https://claireladds.com/hers-or-mine-extract/ (there’s also a button at the end of this post, if you’d prefer. It will take you to the same place).
This is what one of my advanced reader team said about the book. I was thrilled to find this review on Goodreads (added here with permission from the reviewer):
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A DARK, TWISTY READ, SURE TO KEEP YOU GUESSING!
I received an Advance Reader Copy of Hers or Mine and this is my honest review of the book.
A fantastically dark, twisty suspense novel that kept me guessing at every turn! You think you know where you’re going, and where your loyalties lie with certain characters, and then, in the very next breath, the author has managed to turn that on its head, and you’re left gasping for air, caught up in the chase!
At first, I thought I knew what was coming. I trusted one specific character, but very quickly realised that things are not what they seem to be on the surface, in a very big way!
If you’re a fan of secrets, lies, and dark, deceptive games, then this is for you! Even towards the end, I thought I knew what had happened, and then the rug was pulled from beneath my feet and I was swept up in the madness again!
Well-written, brilliant pacing, and what a reveal! This was a joy to read and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Claire Ladds!
Sam West
Once again, here’s how to get to the first four chapters. Happy reading!
Want to be in my Readers’ Club and get all my behind-the-scenes news, EXCLUSIVE info, first eyes on work and offers, and loads of other good stuff? You also get Beneath the Flesh, my psychological suspense novella, FREE as a welcome gift.
