I was told I would love this book, so I got a copy. At first I thought it was nothing special. Oh, I liked it but it seemed to be another typical mystery: two friends from opposite social hierarchies, throw in a beautiful Greek island, and one of the women goes missing. You know what I mean. But halfway through something happened. It went from meh to YEAH! From that point on, I loved it.

The two friends, Abby and Gia have drifted apart, particularly when Abby told Gia she wouldn't attend her wedding to Garret, the man she met 3 months earlier. Estranged, Gia invites her brother Benny and Abby to a Swedish resort hotel to reconnect. Except she doesn't show. She has disappeared. And secrets emerge that were buried 12 years ago.

The story alternates between Abby's journey in current time and Gia's life on her beachfront estate a month or two ago. As Gia writes her new book, this narrative becomes a key to unlocking her disappearance.

Not everything or everyone is who they seem or claim. With two different references to The Talented Mr. Ripley, it becomes clear that this tale, too, is one of deception and duplicity. But who is the real hero and who is the real villain? The second half of the book is a real page-turner. Enjoy!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Beautiful heiress Gia Torres travels through life carefree. Until the sudden death of her father, she fails to appreciate her lavish life. Gia trusts only two people, her brother Benny, and her best friend Abby. They both try to slow Gia down; she is headstrong. Gia rashly marries a short-time acquaintance, Garrett, very quickly. They move to Gia's house in Greece. After repairs are completed Gia is selling the house to her stepmother. Marriage seems to be perfect for Gia and Garrett. Garrett manages the construction at the house while trying to salvage his failing business. His shipping company is struggling and Gia loans him money. Why didn't he tell Gia about this before they married? On a trip into town, they meet a couple who are waiting to have their yacht repaired. Gia and Garrett invite them to stay at their house. Are these people trustworthy? Benny and Abby travel to see the Northern Lights with Gia. Gia never arrives. Where could she be?

This psychological thriller explores the life of the wealthy. Gia's disappearance brings Benny and Gia back together to find her. Through twists and turns, Abby and Benny remain steadfast and loyal. Does loyalty prevent us from seeing clearly? This story details graphic sexual scenes and domestic violence, if these are triggers, please proceed carefully. This thriller will surprise and confuse. Who can be believed? The ending is unanticipated and surprising. Enjoy this lovely vacation but don't let your guard down!

Ladykiller” by Katherine Wood is an enthralling tale of mystery and friendship. The story unfolds with the disappearance of a young woman from a remote Greek islands estate, setting the stage for a suspenseful journey. Wood masterfully weaves a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, blending the allure of the Mediterranean backdrop with the intrigue of a suspenseful manuscript.

The characters, Gia and Abby, are finely crafted, their lifelong connection adding depth to the narrative. The contrast between Gia’s glamorous life and Abby’s dedication to her career creates a captivating dynamic. As the plot twists and turns, the reader is drawn into the mystery, fueled by the ominous email Abby receives and the deserted estate they encounter in Greece.

Wood’s storytelling prowess shines as Gia’s manuscript reveals the dark secrets of her marriage and the scandalous lives of the guests. The unanswered questions propel the plot forward, leaving readers eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth. The pacing is well-executed, maintaining tension and suspense throughout the narrative.

With a skillful blend of mystery, friendship, and scandal, “Ladykiller” captivates from start to finish. Katherine Wood delivers a gripping tale that keeps readers guessing until the final pages. If you’re a fan of thrilling mysteries set against the backdrop of exotic locales, this book is a must-read, earning it a solid 4/5 stars.

Rating: 4/5

So this book was a really good twisty thriller with a little romance thrown in. I loved the two main characters, Abby and Gia. Even though neither was perfect, I was routing for both of them. But...the ending was pretty terrible. It didn't really wrap anything up and I ended the book saying to myself "wait, that's it???". Besides the ending, I enjoyed the storyline and would read another book by Katherine Wood.

What a fun book. Abby and Gia are friends and they come from different backgrounds and are completely different. Gia the jetsetter is recently married to Garrett and lives on a Greek Island with her husband. While getting the house on the island ready for sale Gia and Garrett befriend a couple who stay with them while their boat is being repaired. Is the couple everything that they come across as. Abby is the level headed person in this friendship. A rollercoaster ride takes place with a conclusion that I didn't see coming.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one, but I ended up flying through it. I loved the alternating POV between Abby and Gia. The author beautifully set up the meeting with Timeo and Emilia. I disliked Garett from the beginning, just to find out that maybe he wasn’t as bad as I thought (or was he? The final implications were a bit vague).

Overall, the writing was fantastic. Fast paced and intriguing. I loved reading it. The ending left me feeling a bit… unsettled? Confused? There was a lot left unknown, but I think that was intentional.

Gia and Abby have been best friends since their early teens, and their friendship even survived an intensely dark experience when they were 18. A decade later, after a falling out over Gia’s whirlwind marriage, they are set to reconnect in Sweden - but Gia doesn’t show up.

This book is filled with twists and turns as we go from Abby’s perspective to Gia’s perspective, as documented in her manuscript. The ending felt a bit too ambiguous and I wish there was a more clear conclusion. Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 stars since it’s still an engaging book with an interesting mix of characters!

Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5 stars! I could not put this book down. It took a little bit for the main plot to develop, but there are great descriptions of the locations and scenery these places are in. Lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I would think it’s going one way for sure and something completely different would happen. Wanted to give it all 5 stars, but was not totally in love with the ending because it leaves you hanging a little bit. But, loved this thriller and it kept me on my toes.

I’m having a hard time reviewing this one. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It kept my attention to want to finish it, it just didn’t “wow” me. The Greek island setting was fabulous, I enjoyed that aspect. The story started off super strong, but lost its way somewhere in the halfway mark. Ladykiller seemed like it would be a book I would love, but it was ultimately a miss for me, in the end. I was excited to read through the manuscript to get clues from it, but it ended up not being until past the midway mark that Abby finds it and it is useful. I thought the imbalance between Gia’s manuscript and Abby’s point of view was confusing to the reader. Unfortunately this is a miss, which is a bummer because it’s my first by Katherine Wood and I know people love her books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gia and Abby have been friends since childhood, bonded by the tragedy that unfolded in Greece when they were eighteen. Now thirty, heiress Gia is back in Greece with her shiny new husband, entertaining glamorous guests with champagne under the hot Mediterranean sun, while bookish Abby is working fourteen-hour-days as an attorney. When Gia invites Abby on an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden to celebrate her birthday, Abby’s thrilled to reconnect. But the day of her flight, Abby receives an ominous email that threatens to unearth the skeletons of her past, and when she and Gia’s brother Benny arrive in Sweden, Gia isn’t there. Abby and Benny fly to Greece, where they find Gia’s beachfront estate deserted, and the sole clue to her whereabouts the manuscript she penned, detailing the events leading up to her disappearance. Gia’s narrative reveals the dark truth about her provocative new marriage and the dirty secrets of their guests, a story almost too scandalous to be believed. But the pages end abruptly, leaving more questions than answers.

This was a page turner that was so well written that I did not want to put it down. Katherine Wood was a new author to me and I was drawn in by her characters and descriptions of the various places mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be looking for more by this author.

Ladykiller is a page turner from beginning to end. It will keep you guessing, and thankfully, is limited in predictability. The scenery cannot be beat, and the characters are easy to relate to and root for. If you’re thinking the title gives something away, you may need to think again. I’m not telling, but ladykiller can mean lots of different things. Enjoy!

This story follows Abby and her childhood friend Gia. The story is told through multiple perspectives going between Gia’s manuscript and Abby.

Gia has recently gotten married during a whirlwind romance. To reconnect, she invites Abby to fly to Sweden for her birthday. This trip is meant to be “like old times” and her new husband is not part of this meet-up. It’s only meant to be Abby, Gia, and Gia’s brother Benny. When Abby and Benny arrive in Sweden, Gia is nowhere to be found.

These chapters are cut with excerpts of Gia’s manuscript. Once Abby finds the manuscript it’s up to you to decide what is true.

This book was faced paced and hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Bantam for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This story was very underwhelming. This was more just a scandalous story about the rich and beautiful. There was no depth to the story and I was expecting more.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Ladykiller by Katherine Wood. Gia and Abby have been best friends since they were about 8 years old. They met when Abby's mom started cooking for Gia and her brother Bennys' family. However, the friendship changed once the two hit their teens and a night out led to the death of Gia's boyfriend Noah. The friendship never recovered, and Abby went onto become a lawyer and Gia stayed a wealthy princess with no responsibility. The brother Benny became a film producer. Gia and Bennys dad dies and instead of receiving the windfall of money that Gia and her husband, Garrett, are expecting, they find out that Gia and Bennys dad donated all his money to charity and left only his properties to his children. Gia is staying at the Greek property with her husband Garrett as they ready it for sale. To reconnect with her long-lost bestie, Gia invites Abby for a birthday celebration in Sweden with her brother Benny. The story builds slowly from their recollections, the current life situations of all the parties involved and lots of deception and lies that are made known to everyone as the story unfolds. Ladykiller is a slow suspenseful read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Ladykiller was exactly the thriller I’ve been hoping to read for a while now! It was full of half truths/half lies, plenty of suspense and action, and twists along the way. Abby and Gia have been best friends forever, along with Gia’s brother Benny. They are wealthy; Abby is not. When their father dies and leaves his wealth to charity, Gia and her new husband are in Greece setting up one of their family homes to sell (Papa Hugo did leave his kids real estate.) Gia and her husband Garrett meet another couple on the island and immediately invite them into their home and lives. Gia eventually disappears, leaving Abby and Benny racing to find her. What happened to their suspicious friends and husband? Is someone out to kill Gia, or is this about Abby and their past? It was a lot of book to unpack and while I am a little sad I never got definite answers, it was satisfying and I would love to see a sequel!

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

I tried SO hard to get into this, but sadly it just never happens. The storyline gets lost in the smut… Which might confuse you seeing as this is listed as a thriller.

Don’t get me wrong, yall know I LOVE smut, but in this context it’s a hard pass. Just didn’t seem necessary for what this story was trying to be. If you’re trying to do an unhinged thriller with smut you have to do it in a Rina Kent-Penelope Douglas way. Yeah, it might not be everyone's taste, but at least you went full insane with it, and people love that.

Also felt like there was too much time spent on the side characters and not enough time on the leads. I really wanted more! I get what Katherine was trying to do with her book, but I feel like she missed the mark.

I do want to say though… In a world filled with cartoon characters and watercolor book covers it was nice seeing a book without it. I think the cover is fitting and beautiful. Wish more people were going back to this style with theirs.

i truly couldn't wait to read this! this one had me hooked until the very end. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ladykiller was a pleasant surprise. It was giving White Lotus vibes for sure.

Ladykiller follows Gia, an heiress who is living on a Greek Island with her brand new husband, and Abby, her high school best friend, now lawyer. The story alternates between Gia and Abby's points of view. Or rather, Gia's book manuscript of the events leading up to present day and Abby's real-time point of view.

Gia invites Abby and Gia's brother, Benny, to join her on a retreat in Sweden to see the northern lights. But when Benny and Abby arrive, Gia is not there. What led to this point? What happens next? It's all about unraveling that mystery for the remainder of the book.

I will say, I think this book was pretty intriguing. It grabbed me right away, and I just had to know where it was going. I don't know if the ending was 100% what I would have guessed or liked but it was enjoyable enough.

For a fun, twisty, glam mystery read, this one may be for you.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley for the advanced copy to review in exchange for my opinion.

Book is out 7/9/24! Might be a good beach read :)

A nice escape read full of red herrings and duplicity.

Alternating storylines revolve around Gina’s questionable marriage to a man who may be scheming after her wealth; and her childhood friend Abby, who has lingering guilt over a tragic episode that happened earlier in both their lives. When Gia goes missing, Abby takes desperate measures to find her.

I thought this book was well-written and certainly kept my interest. Some reviewers have expressed disappointment in the ambiguous ending, but I disagree. In fact, I felt the ending made the book better. Just my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review.

WOW! This book was amazing. I love the dual POV/dual timelines. It gives such a different perspective on the story and really allows the characters to develop in such an organic way. Gia and Abby are two best friends who at first appear to be opposites but as the story unfolds they are far more alike than they seem. Such a great read and I will be recommending this to everyone!