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CLAIRE LADDS

Author of character-driven psychological literary fiction and other darker books, all with an emotional pull

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new release

Happy “Release Day” Christmas!

25th December 2024 by claireladds Leave a Comment

First and foremost, a very Merry Christmas! It’s a very special one for me this year because it’s also RELEASE DAY for my new psychological thriller, You Know You Shouldn’t. The e-book of this dark and emotionally-intense novel is currently 99p/99c for a few days, so grab your copy now!

If you’ve not come across the book before, here’s the book description, to put you in the picture:

~~~

TEMPTATION CAN BE IRRESISTIBLE. BUT IT CAN ALSO BE DEADLY…
A twisty, dark psychological thriller.


“Let me ask you: if you received a message, and you had no clue who sent it, would you reply? What if you got more and more of them, and not just messages, either, would you reply then? But what if you knew exactly who it was – and you and he had unfinished business – what then? Would you be tempted? I was.”

Eva Sewell is struggling to manage her life: a troubled, on-off relationship with her ex-husband, an intolerable work situation, and a tempestuous relationship with her sister. And all of it is made worse by the knowledge that her beloved dad is dying. When she gets a message from an unknown number, she’s almost tempted to answer it, just for someone to vent to. But she’s not stupid. She doesn’t reply to random strangers.

But the messages don’t stop. Who is it? Why do they seem to know so much about her? Are they watching her? As everything in her life begins to fall apart, she’s determined to have nothing to do with whoever it is. But anyone can slip up, can’t they? Especially if replying is secret, exciting. If it feels like you’re in a clandestine relationship. And Eva needs something in her life that she feels in control of. Maybe this is it.

Then, in one unexpected moment, she discovers who the mysterious messager is. And, once she knows this, resisting him is impossible. Because they have history – of the darkest kind.

This revelation sets off a chain reaction that takes her down a dangerous path of temptation, resurfacing guilty pleasures and dreadful memories that she thought she’d left behind. But, now he’s back in her life, guilt is the least of her problems. Submitting to everything he asks of her will mean she’s faced with dangerous tasks and choices no one should ever have to make.

How much danger can she handle, how much of her life is she prepared to destroy, to finally get what she’s always wanted – the man at the end of the phone? Or will he get her first?

A twisty, dark and emotionally intense psychological thriller, full of suspense.

~~~

So there you go! I can promise you that a text message is only the very beginning of a very deadly game of temptation, and there’s plenty more to come for Eva…

If you’d like to give yourself (or even someone else) a Christmas present of You Know You Shouldn’t, you can buy it from your favourite e-book store. Or use the button below to take you to all the available stores.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your Christmas, and happy reading!

BUY THE BOOK

Filed Under: News, Suspense Books Tagged With: Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, new release, psychological thriller, suspense fiction

Hers or Mine: a New Psychological Suspense Thriller OUT NOW!

23rd May 2023 by claireladds Leave a Comment

I am beyond excited to tell you that Hers or Mine, my latest psychological suspense thriller, is available to buy from today! This is the first of several psychological suspense books I have for you in 2023, and I really hope you’ll love reading them.

So, what’s my new book about? Well…

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?

You can find Hers or Mine on a whole variety of online bookstores, and you can find them all using the button below.

If you prefer to get your books for your local library or a library app, you can do that, too! Just request Hers or Mine from your librarian or through your preferred library app.

I’m currently working on the paperback and hardback, and both should be available in the near future.

BUY HERS OR MINE

Happy reading (and I hope – in the nicest possible way – you get some shivers of suspense up your back, too! 😁)!

Claire

Filed Under: News, Suspense Books Tagged With: Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, Hers or Mine, new release, psychological fiction, psychological suspense, suspense fiction

That Killer Image OUT NOW!

11th April 2022 by claireladds

I am delighted to announce that my new suspense novel, That Killer Image is OUT NOW!

Three people. One killer. And a picture that 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 lies something more deadly…

You can buy the e-book of That Killer Image from a variety of bookstores, and find it in subscriptions, such as Kobo Plus and Scribd. You can also order it from your library, including (excitingly) through Borrow Box! The paperback and hardback are coming soon…

Thank you so much to everyone who pre-ordered a copy. Your support really does mean the world to me. It was fantastic to wake up to find that the book had already landed on the devices of readers in different countries, and that it had been bought it from a variety of retailers.

If you haven’t got your copy yet, you can find it at your preferred retailer using the link below. I hope you enjoy reading That Killer Image!

BUY THAT KILLER IMAGE
That Killer Image by Claire Ladds

Filed Under: News, Suspense Books Tagged With: Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, new release, psychological suspense, suspense fiction, That Killer Image

Show Me Dead – OUT NOW on Amazon!

14th January 2022 by claireladds Leave a Comment

[Post update: Show Me Dead is no longer available on Kindle Unlimited. You can buy the e-book on many stores here.]

This is a very exciting day for me because it’s LAUNCH DAY for Show Me Dead!

I am absolutely thrilled to say that Show Me Dead is now available to buy from Amazon. And if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can download and read the book FREE as part of your subscription – and I’d love it very much if you do! 😁

If you pre-ordered the book, then it should already have landed on your device. You may even have already started reading it, which is fantastic.

Show Me Dead is the first book I’ve written in my new Darker Minds series. Each book in the series is a standalone novel, linked by a premise:

Dark minds are at work. Sometimes it takes a darker one to stop them…

Here’s a bit about Show Me Dead, in case you’ve not yet come across it.

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…

You can find, buy, and download to read as a Kindle Unlimited book by clicking the button below:

BUY OR DOWNLOAD SHOW ME DEAD

I really hope you love reading Show me Dead. I have had such an amazing time writing it, and loved every second of creating the darkness inside the main characters. I would love to know what you think of Angel and of the Puppet Master – and which one you found yourself drawn to most. Do feel free to contact me and let me know.

To all my readers – thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping my launch day be fantastic. If you’ve bought or downloaded my book, that’s just wonderful. If my words thrill you, touch you, scare you, or make you want to read more books, then I can’t ask for more than that. I write because I love it, and if I can bring you along for the ride, then it’s literally the most fantastic feeling ever!

Show Me Dead by Claire Ladds

Filed Under: News, Suspense Books Tagged With: Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, new release, psychological suspense, Show Me Dead, suspense fiction

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I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and other geographical Amazon sites such as Amazon.co.uk (as the UK is where I live). Please also expect to find other affiliate links, too. I only ever use affiliate links on products or services I have used myself and wholeheartedly recommend.

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