CLAIRE LADDS

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

suspense fiction

That Killer Image: Limited Time Pre-Order Price

by Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to say that you now pre-order That Killer Image from (almost) all of your favourite bookstores! If you enjoy reading on a Kobo, or buy from Apple Books, read on your Kindle, or prefer Barnes & Noble (or others) as your go-to store, then you can pre-order That Killer Image. I am adding to the stores all the time, and I’m equally excited that this book will also be available on certain subscription sites.

That Killer Image is very much a psychological and suspense thriller. It releases on 11th April, and is part of the Darker Minds Crime and Suspense series, books which thrive on the premise that dark minds are at work, and sometimes it takes a darker one to stop them. Each book in the series is a standalone story, but they are all linked by this theme.

In case you’ve not yet come across the book description, here it is:

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…

I have loved creating the tense and tumultuous relationship between Vicky and Fran. Both have plenty of emotional baggage that impacts how they behave, and the decisions they make. But – I have to say it! – I have enjoyed creating the character of Anthony SO much! From the moment I read the first chapter he appears in to one of my beta readers, he was described as ‘creepy’. He’s an awful lot more than that, I can assure you!

For a LIMITED TIME ONLY, you can pre-order That Killer Image for a reduced price on all stores where it is available (around about half price, dependent on your country and exchange rates).

If you don’t want to miss out on this cheaper price, you can pre-order That Killer Image using the button below:

PRE-ORDER THAT KILLER IMAGE

Show Me Dead now available in e-book, paperback and hardback!

by Leave a Comment

I’m thrilled to tell you that Show Me Dead is now available in three formats. If you read (as opposed to listen to) your books, then you can now find a format for you!

Show Me Dead is available to read on all Kindle devices and the Kindle app, in paperback, and also in hardback. So, whether you’re happy reading on-screen, or whether you love the feel of a physical book in your hand, I’ve got you covered. Not only that, but if you’ve got a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read it for FREE. 😊

If you’ve not yet delved into what the book is about, then let me help you:

~

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…

This book is part of the Darker Minds crime and suspense thriller series: Dark minds are at work. Sometimes it takes a darker one to stop them.

Perfect for readers of Martin Edwards, Joanna Penn, Mark Tilbury, Sarah Pearse, Helen Phifer, and those who like their dark crime mixed with a good dose of suspense.

~

I’ve had some truly lovely comments about the book, the story itself, and my writing. I really do appreciate every single one. I’ve even had several people tell me they could imagine it as a film. When i wrote it, I did so very much with the visual aspect in mind – and how brilliant would it be to have a book made into a film?! (If you know any directors who work for Netflix or who produce Amazon Originals, feel free to send them my way! 😁).

If you’d like to take a look at Show Me Dead, and grab yourself a copy, then the button below will take you straight to the book on your Amazon store.

Buy Show Me Dead

Happy reading!

Claire 😊

Show Me Dead: A big THANK YOU! 😊

by Leave a Comment

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

I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped to make the release of Show me Dead as brilliant an experience as it has been.

Writers often do much of their work alone – the very nature of having to focus on the words you’re writing or editing means that’s par for the course – but it takes all sorts of people to help get a book launched. Whether you are someone who has bought the book, or downloaded it to read it in Kindle Unlimited, or whether you liked and shared my social media posts as I wittered on about how excited I was about this book (and I’m still excited because I love the story!), or whether you told someone else about Show Me Dead, or whether you’ve managed to do something else to spread the word about my book launch, I cannot thank you enough. You are AMAZING!

I’ve had some really flattering and humbling conversations with readers this week, who have contacted me and said some lovely things about this book and my writing itself. I honestly can’t thank you enough. Putting a book out into the world can feel scary because you never know for sure if it’s going to resonate with readers, or whether they’re going to enjoy it.

I would like to give a special shout-out to my fabulous cover designer, Emmy Ellis, who has done a superb job of making the covers in the Darker Minds Crime and Suspense series truly gorgeous. Also, it’s a real privilege to have author friends and colleagues who are always willing to listen to another writer talking ‘shop’. Jay Nadal and Meg Jolly have encouraged me so much in the last few months. If you ever want to read police procedurals, both of them write great ones!

If you haven’t got your copy of Show Me Dead yet, you can grab it for a very limited time for 99p/c, or get it with your Kindle Unlimited subscription and read for FREE.

Download Show Me Dead
Show Me Dead – FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited

Show Me Dead – OUT NOW on Amazon!

by 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

Show Me Dead – Pre-order now!

by Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to let you know that Show Me Dead is now available to pre-order!

Show Me Dead is the first book I’ve written in the Darker Minds Crime and Suspense series. The books are linked by theme, so can be read in any order.

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

Here’s the book description:

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 of 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, and just who is the Puppet Master, and what does he want with her? And is he really the one pulling the strings?

Lives are at stake. And the only way Angel can save them is to enact the darkest show of all. But at what cost…?

Show Me Dead will release on January 14 2022 (which actually isn’t that many weeks away!). It will be available in Kindle Unlimited, for those who have a subscription. But if you don’t, or you’d prefer to purchase the book, you can pre-order Show Me Dead on Amazon now, so it lands on your Kindle as soon as it releases.

I am really hoping you’ll love this series as much as I am creating the dark and twisty-turny stories in it! 😊

PRE-ORDER SHOW ME DEAD

Sneak peek at the cover of the first book in my new crime and suspense thriller series

by Leave a Comment

I’m absolutely thrilled to have received the covers for the first three books in my forthcoming crime and suspense thriller series. There will be much more news on this soon, and it’s been fantastic to have readers already showing interest in what this series will entail.

If you’re following me on Facebook or Instagram, or maybe Twitter, you might have noticed the odd (very small) sneaky peek at the first book in the series. I thought I’d reveal a little bit more here today (of the books, not of me, thankfully – that would head us into the realms of horror fiction!), and let you catch a bit more of a glimpse of the cover of the first book.

There’s a few clues to both the book and the series on this image that you’ll find if you look closely, so I’ll let you play detective with that! It won’t be long before I’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know about this book, and the new series. And I’ll definitely be releasing teasers to my readers about it on social media before then.

If you don’t yet follow me on social media, you can click the buttons below to find me (and follow me, if you wish!):

You can also follow me on Amazon. Just head to my author page by clicking the button below, then click on the yellow ‘follow’ button. That way you’ll always be informed when I release a new book.