AUTHOR OF THE CLAIRE MORGAN MYSTERY/SUSPENSE SERIES:
#1 HEAD TO HEAD--March, 2006
#2 DARK PLACES--August, 2007
#3 DIE SMILING--August 5, 2008
#4 ENTER EVIL--tentative publication date, August, 2009
Hi!
Thanks for dropping by. I'm really excited about Die Smiling coming out on August 5, 2008. I can't wait for it to hit the shelves! I'm in the process of developing more pages on this website and hope to have a sneak preview of Die Smiling online soon. Please keep in touch and let me know what you think of Claire Morgan's adventures. I love to hear from my readers!
Warmest wishes,
Linda
AVAILABLE NOW AT BOOKSTORES NEAR YOU
Praise for "Dark Places"
"Linda Ladd has written one of the most creepy, crawly and compelling psychological thrillers ever. This unique, edgy plot truly gave me the shivers. Claire is a tough-as-nails cop who thinks she's seen it all, and then is proven wrong. The narrative is from Claire's perspective and her voice is quite glib (at times even very humorous) in her telling of the story, which made it even more of a great read." ~Fresh Fiction
"Dark Places is an exciting, thrill-a-minute police procedural. . ." ~Midwest Book Review
"Chilling, compelling suspense...be prepared to lose sleep!" --- Eileen Dreyer
"A tough, no-nonsense detective with a well-hidden vulnerable side...an edgy, clever thriller!" --- Beverly Barton
"A bright new voice in suspense!" --- Patricia Gaffney
"...plenty of suspense and surprises." --- Publishers Weekly
"An exciting, thrill a minute police procedural."
--Midwest Book Review
About Linda Ladd~
I love to write and I love to read.
My latest book, Die Smiling, will be out on August 5, 2008. It's the third book in my new detective mystery/suspense series featuring Homicide Detective Claire Morgan at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.
My biggest fear is that nobody will show up for my book signings. : )
I also administer diagnostic developmental tests to pre-schoolers (three and four years old), which is very rewarding and enjoyable.
I'm married to the greatest man who ever lived and have the greatest daughter who ever lived, the greatest son who ever lived, not to mention the greatest son-in-law and daughter-in-law who ever lived. ; ) I am indeed blessed in that department. My mom and my brothers aren't bad, either, pretty great, in fact. : )
I love cryptograms, crosswords, any kind of word game or board game. I recently bought a game called Loaded Question, which is very interesting to play and gives players insight into how and what their friends and family think and feel. Apples to Apples is also a lot of fun, as is Catch Phrase.
I like watching movies and playing tennis and sitting in my swing and gazing out over the lake. I do yoga to relax and love all Italian food, bar none. I collect Blue Willow dishes and etched crystal goblets. I especially love animals and have dogs, cats, and a parakeet. I lost both my old dog and old cat within a 2-week period this summer, and it nearly killed me. My pets are like members of the family. I'm a big University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball fan, because Tyler Hansbrough is from my home town. Congrats to Tyler on all the awards he won this year! He is awesome, as is his younger brother, Ben Hansbrough. I'm also a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. GO CARDS!
I like Toby Keith because his videos usually make me laugh, and I love to laugh. I like the new country and all the oldies goldies, but truth is I like just about any kind of music, except really, really high-pitched opera. Ouch!
I love to watch movies and thought The Departed was beautifully written and acted. I recently enjoyed The Cider House Rules again. I thought Mystic River was very good, both the book and the movie. I liked Little Miss Sunshine, and I thought Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett was excellent. She should've won the oscar for that performance.
I also liked the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars movies. I'm waiting for the Bourne Ultimatum to hit my theater because I think Damon does an outstanding and realistic job as Jason Bourne, especially in The Bourne Identity.
I like the crime shows, of course, especially the ones featuring real-life law enforcement officers. The First 48, Cold Case, City Confidential, Psychic Detectives, Haunting Evidence, all of them.
I like American Idol and Survivor sometimes, and Lost. I also like The Closer, 48 Hours Mystery, Rome, and The Sopranos. I did not like the ending but thought it was clever to end it that way.
Right now I'm reading The Overlook by Michael Connelly and just finished Jolie Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke, both of which are excellent. I also enjoyed Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen and Fatal Flaw by William Lashner. This is the first time I've read Lashner's work, and I really like his style, especially the humor.
Actually I've been reading a lot: The Ruins by Smith, The Road by McCarthy, Cage of Stars by Mitchard, The Innocent Man by Grisham, Water for Elephants by Gruen. Next up is Blaze and Cell by King, the Odd books by Koontz, and Hannibal Rising by Harris.
I am waiting impatiently for the new Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Eileen Dreyer, John Connolly, and James Lee Burke. I admire so many authors, it's hard to narrow it down. I've been hearing some good things about Duma Key by Stephen King and will grab that, as soon as my husband finishes with it.
I think our men and women fighting overseas to defend our country are the greatest heroes. They, and their families and loved ones sacrificing at home.
Also, the rescue workers after 9/11 and everywhere else. Pretty much all the doctors and nurses, too, and teachers, who are overlooked, underpaid, and under appreciated. And our law enforcement officers and fire fighters, who risk their lives for us every day.
I just got my new cover, and I love it! DIE SMILING is the Claire Morgan Book 3, and it's coming out on August 5, 2008!!
DIE YOUNG. . .
Hilde Swenson is a beauty pageant queen with a face to die for and a body to kill for. But by the time Detective Claire Morgan finds her in a shower stall—posed like a grotesquely grinning doll—Hilde is anything but pretty. She’s the victim of a sick, deranged killer. And she won’t be the last…
DIE BEAUTIFUL. . .
Brianna Swenson is the beauty queen’s sister—and the girlfriend of Claire’s partner Bud. She tells
Claire that Hilde had plenty of enemies, including a creepy stalker, an abusive ex-boyfriend, and a slew
of jealous competitors. But what she doesn’t say is that they both shared a dark, disturbing secret.
A secret that refuses to die…
DIE SMILING. . .
From the after-hours parties of a sinister funeral home to the underworld vendettas of the Miami mob, Claire follows the trail with her lover Nicholas Black, a psychiatrist with secrets of his own. But it’s not until she uncovers evidence of unspeakable acts of depravity that Claire realizes she’s just become a diabolical killer’s next target…
ABOUT DARK PLACES:
A KILLER'S TRACKS. . .
Missouri detective Claire Morgan is eager to get back to work after recuperating from injuries sustained on her last job. But the missing persons case that welcomes her home in the dead of winter soon turns more twisted and treacherous than Lake of the Ozarks’ icy mountain roads. . .
CAN ONLY LEAD. . .
The body is found suspended from a tree overlooking a local school. Bleeding from the head, still alive--but not for long. Someone wanted Professor Simon Classon to suffer as much as possible before he died, making sure the victim had a perfect view of his colleagues and students on the campus below as he succumbed to the slow-working poison in his veins. . .
TO DARK PLACES. . .
Frigid temperatures and punishing snows only make the investigation more difficult. And then the death threats begin--unnerving incidents orchestrated to send Claire a deadly message. Now, as she edges closer to the truth, Claire risks becoming entangled in a maniac's web--and the stuff of her own worst nightmares. . .
Now available at bookstores and other outlets throughout the country, the dark-edged mystery/thriller, "Dark Places" is the sequel to book one, "Head to Head" published in March 2006. Both fictional novels deal with a female homicide detective on the trail of serial killers and is set at Lake of the Ozarks. Each book in this police procedural series features parallel storylines–the killer’s descent into madness and murder alongside the on-going homicide investigation.
Ladd also has sold a two-book contract with Kensington Publishing for novels 3 and 4 featuring the same characters and setting. "Die Smiling", Book 3, is scheduled for release in summer 2008.
In addition, Ladd’s literary agent has negotiated a film option with RHI/Hallmark Entertainment for possible adaptation of her novel, "Running Scared." A diversified entertainment company, RHI is a world leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking, quality miniseries and movies for television. "Head to Head" is also being considered for film rights.
With more than 3 million books in print, Ladd is the author of 21 novels with a book published nearly every year between 1984 and 2007. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages, including Chinese and Hebrew.
Currently she is at work on ENTER EVIL, book 4 in her Claire Morgan series.
BOOK SIGNINGS:
Linda Ladd will appear at the Columbia Public Library in Columbia, Missouri on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., at which time she will give a short talk and Q & A session on writing mysteries, followed by a book signing.
She will also appear at the Callaway County Public Library in Fulton, Missouri on Thursday, May 29, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., where she will give a short talk/Q & A session on writing mysteries, followed by a book signing.
