This mystery-thriller has all the makings of a beach read: a billionaire’s private island, a messy past full of secrets, and a washed-up foot in a sneaker that kicks off the plot—literally. The setup is undeniably intriguing, and the pacing keeps things moving, even if some twists are more flashy than convincing.

Audrey Collet is a capable, if somewhat flat, protagonist. Her reluctance to get involved with her manipulative ex, Tyson, is understandable, though the emotional stakes never quite hit the depth they could have. Tyson, the tech mogul turned paranoid recluse, is eccentric enough to be interesting but not compelling enough to carry the tension once the story shifts to his Caribbean compound.

The real fun comes from the Clue-like setup: a cast of rich, morally questionable characters, all with motives, trapped in paradise as things spiral into murder. The mystery offers enough red herrings to keep readers guessing, but seasoned mystery fans may find the final reveal more serviceable than shocking.

While the book doesn’t break new ground, it delivers a decent mix of intrigue, tropical atmosphere, and interpersonal drama. If you’re in the mood for a twisty escape with a bit of scandal and a stylish setting, this one does the job—just don’t expect it to linger long after the final chapter.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good mystery with fancy settings and billionaires and flashbacks to an earlier crime. It kept my attention and I enjoyed reading it!

Book review 📖

📜Sunburned
✍️Katherine Wood
📠Random House/Ballantine/Bantam
📚Mystery/Thriller Fiction
🗓️Pub date: July 1, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @bantambooksuk @ballantinebooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨Being a billionaire comes at a price. That price includes paranoia and blackmail, exposing secrets of the past. Tyson and Audrey’s relationship is a blast from the past, but he sends word to her that he needs her to clean up a mess, or he will threaten to expose skeletons in her closet.

✨A foot has washed ashore in the Everglades, one with a distinguishable Air Jordan sneaker attached. They both had something to do with the long-dead owner, and this could prove problematic if it gets out.

✨Once Audrey arrives to meet with Tyson at his St. Barth’s mansion, she quickly realizes the motives that his other guests have to cause him harm. And when Tyson’s birthday dive turns deadly, she fears she’s in over her head.

✨When I was sent this ARC because I had loved Wood’s Ladykiller thriller, I knew I was in for a treat. A fun, scorching backdrop of St. Barth’s, a wealthy billionaire’s yacht, and all the glitz and glam that accompanies partying with the uber-rich. This is definitely one to get sunburned on the beach with.

#netgalley #sunburned #katherinewood #randomhouse #ballantine #bantam #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #summerreleases #thrillerfiction

(3.7 rating rounded up to 4)

I had enjoyed Katherine Wood’s debut novel, “Ladykiller,” so I was looking forward to reading an ARC of her latest book, “Sunburned.” In the novel, the protagonist, Audrey Collett, owns a company that specializes in discovery, hired by attorneys, corporations and individuals to gather intelligence. She is contacted by Tyson Dale, her ex-boyfriend from 10 years ago, an eccentric billionaire and founder of De-Sal, a company that employs an innovative technology to desalinate water. He demands that she meet him and his guests at a house on St. Barth’s to find out who is blackmailing him over an event involving her that happened 11 years ago. The book intersperses events from 11 years ago with the present, hinting at the sinister action that led to the present blackmail scheme.

Although categorized as a “thriller,” this book is too much of a slow burn to truly fit that description. The book primarily consisted of the characters going to parties in bars, having nice meals, and bickering, all presided over by the brooding, angry, paranoid presence of Tyson.

With that said, I had mixed feelings about the book as I read it. On the one hand, the descriptions of the setting were beautiful and realistic, making the reader experience the paradise-like setting. But on the other hand, it became tedious after awhile as nothing really happens until a little more than half-way through the book, when the action that takes place almost elevates the book to its thriller category. Readers will enjoy the book as long as they realize that it will be a very slow burn with a delayed reward towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sunburned by Katherine Wood will be a great beach read for the summer! Taking place in a glamorous setting, St Barth, with lots of interesting characters it kept me intrigued until the end. I did figure out some of the surprises in the middle of the book but that didn’t keep me from really enjoying it!

Katherine Wood's *Sunburned* is a thrilling read that mixes glamour and suspense.

Audrey Collet gets pulled back into her ex-boyfriend Tyson’s life, and it’s not for old times' sake. Now a super wealthy and paranoid tech billionaire, Tyson claims someone close to him is blackmailing him. If Audrey doesn’t help, he’ll spill their dark secrets, which could ruin her life. Oh, and there’s a severed foot that shows up on the beach, tied to both of them.

The action moves to St. Barth’s, where Tyson is hiding out with a wild group of suspects, like his cold Belgian wife and a charming French butler. Things get really tense when Tyson ends up dead during his birthday dive, turning the yacht into a crime scene.

With snappy dialogue and a twisty plot, *Sunburned* is perfect for anyone who loves a good mystery with a side of dark humor. If you like thrillers with a beach vibe and secrets, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Audrey is forced to help her ex boyfriend, now a millionaire with lots of darkness and secrets. What does he have on her and who is extorting him and how does the past impact what is happening now. Luxury is mixed with a group of people all with motives to hurt him. The book starts off at a slow pace and it took me a bit to get into it but when i did, I got involved in the mystery, the danger and the romance

This was fun! Perfect beach read. This has tons of twists, set on an island, and characters that I could not figure out! Definitely recommend if you like a fun but twisty thriller.

Tyson and Audrey are connected from their haunting pasts. When a foot washes ashore, it threatens to unearth everything they have tried hard to keep hidden. When a yacht trip turns deadly, the whodunnit plot unfolds. Such a page-turner! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC.
What a great read, especially the setting of St. Barth's, a playground for the wealthy .... wished I could afford to visit!
The story is fast moving, the protagonist likeable and I rushed through the book until the deep-sea dive. That is one of my nightmares - I could barely breathe! The ending was unexpected, I never guessed the perpetrator.
I loved this read and recommend it highly!

Sunburned is a great beach read—full of glamorous locations, an eccentric billionaire, and crimes old and new. It is reminiscent of Agatha Christie in a good way. Would definitely recommend this quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Sunburned is the kind of thriller that draws you in with its beaches, yachts, and paradise vibe- and then hits you with an undercurrent of danger that won’t let go. It’s the perfect balance between tropical escape and classic whodunnit, with a story that’s both glamorous and deeply unsettling.

The story centers around Audrey, a discovery agent with a knock for digging up buried truths. She’s pulled back into the world of her ex, Tyson - a billionaire whose paranoia is escalating fast. He ropes her into helping him find out who’s blackmailing him, and against her better judgement, Audrey flies to his private estate on a stunning island in St. Barth’s.

What starts as a favor spirals into something much more dangerous. Tyson has gathered a group of his potential suspects: his distant wife Samira, his own brother Cody, Cody’s influencer girlfriend Jennifer, the flirty butler Laurent, and Tyson’s intense business partner Allison.

Wood really dives into the messiness of secrets and fractured relationships with this story. The tension builds in all the right ways. The pace of the story is perfect, and the twists just seemed to keep coming and will keep you guessing until the end.

This is definitely a must-read if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers and morally complex characters. It’s definitely a wild ride of betrayal, secrets, and suspense.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this one, I absolutely loved it!

Tyson Dale is mega rich, a massive jerk, and very paranoid (for good reason). Eleven years ago, he made some choices that were life altering for him but for others as well. And those choices are coming back to him.

Audrey and Tyson dated years ago, and it did not end well, with Audrey having no desire to see Tyson again. In the intervening years Audrey has used her computer skills to create a career as a discovery agent (finding information for lawyers in preparation for litigation). She is surprised when Tyson hires her for a secret project, flying her to his private residence in St. Barths. She is even more surprised to see how he has changed, and to be accused of blackmailing him.

Tyson’s past is catching up to him, and it involves Audrey, as well as others. However, there is a house full of suspects, as Tyson’s wife and her best friend, Tyson’s brother and girlfriend, and Tyson’s business partner all have reasons to hate him but most of them also need him for various reasons. And all of them are hiding secrets, which Audrey will have to uncover both to protect herself and catch a killer.

The story has plenty of surprises and will keep the reader guessing. It alternates between past and present, as the reader gets insight into what happened eleven years ago. Will you figure out the significance of past events before the characters do? I figured out two of the significant connections well before the author revealed them but there were still plenty of surprises.

I really enjoyed this book and the authors writing style. I found the plot quickly enticing and the characters interesting, and the short chapters made for a quickly paced read for me. The plot progressed at a perfect speed and I didn’t feel it was dragging or rushed at any point. While I did guess part of the twist at the end, most of it was quite surprising to me

This is one of those wonderfully-convoluted novels that had me guessing all the way through! Protagonist Audrey was on a scuba diving excursion 11 years ago when 5 of them went missing. In the present she's still consumed with the mysteries surrounding the past and how it has seemed to collide with events today. Lots of suspense as she begins to uncover events that no one else deemed important. Extortion, blackmail...what's not to love?
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Sunburned had me guessing throughout the book: who is blackmailing tech billionaire Tyson? Who is the murderer? I could not put the book down until I finished this most entertaining novel.

I liked the main female character, Audrey, who is smart, resourceful, and independent. The fabulous setting of St. Barth’s, which is where Audrey must go to figure out who is blackmailing her former billionaire boyfriend, adds to the enjoyment of the story. Supporting characters are developed, and the reader is kept interested by viewing the interactions and guessing motivations of these characters.

There is even a bit of romance, so, for me, this book ticked all the satisfying reading boxes.

Really good story. I enjoyed all of it. It was a lighter read for me and I'm glad I checked it out. Definitely one I recommend and would say people would enjoy.

I loved this! This is my first Katherine Wood/Katherine St. John book and I can’t wait to read another. This was the perfect mystery with a beautiful setting in St. Barts. The mystery weaves in for years and is the story of brothers and friends of Audrey and how their lives are intertwined. Greed, love, and business follow the crew to culminate in a deadly trip. This book kept me guessing until the very end.

“Sunburned” by Katherine Wood is a classical whodunnit with a very glamorous and romantic twist. It is a suspenseful escape that takes place on the tropical island of St. Barth and on a luxurious mega yacht. It’s a fun high stakes drama filled with tension and a great cast of untrustworthy characters. This book is a perfect beach read, it’s filled with atmosphere, manipulation, long buried secrets and a startling ending!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Someone is blackmailing billionaire tech businessman Tyson, who calls his ex-girlfriend Audrey, a “discovery agent” to uncover the person’s identity. Audrey, who wants nothing to do with Tyson since their acrimonious breakup 10 years ago, reluctantly agrees, as Tyson threatens to reveal Audrey’s secret if she refuses. When she meets up with Tyson and his group at idyllic St. Barth’s island, things take a deadly turn. Sunburned is an entertaining romp that features a stunning backdrop, interesting and eclectic characters, and a clever whodunnit that will keep readers guessing. The slow start lays the groundwork for the plot, as does the backstory interspersed between chapters, and that sets the stage for this perfect beach read, with pieces of the puzzle revealed as you flip the pages. Well written, a fun read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.