Katherine Wood’s Sunburned burns bright with emotional resonance and atmospheric flair. The sun‑drenched setting becomes a character in its own right, suffused with tension, longing, and the reckoning of past wounds. Wood’s central character delivers a heart‑wrenching voice—fragile yet fierce—drawing the reader into a deeply cathartic journey. The plot unfolds with deliberate grace, layering interpersonal drama with themes of family, forgiveness, and self‑rediscovery. As the heat rises, so do stakes and emotions, culminating in an ending that feels earned and tender. Sunburned is a haunting, immersive novel that stings—and heals.

This is a juicy locked room mystery. Perfect for a beach/summer read. I highly recommend this to everyone.

Parts of this book were twisty and turns and other parts were...just there. I didn't think this books was bad by any stretch of the imagination, and I actually really enjoyed the flashback scenes / dual timeline interspersed within the book. I just did not really feel connected to any of the characters and so I didn't find this overly compelling. I think I needed just a little more specificity, action, connection, etc.

Sadly, this was not a love for me. If you enjoy slow burn, rich people behaving badly, you will enjoy this one!

what a fun and enjoyable read!! fast paced and easy to follow along with characters. So I'd say it took about halfway through for the mystery to come out, the entire time before was really building characters, timeline, and understanding of the history between them all.

there was bits of romance which I'm here for and was giving spy (pink panther) type of vibes with the main character. Swtiched between the past and present to give an understanding of the relationships between all the characters (Audrey & Tyson & Cole). Let me also just say Tyson is a piece of work, unlikable character but only makes you root for Audrey even more to get what she needs to get out of there.

would recommend for a quick mystery for the weekend :)

Katherine Wood writes the best summer thrillers. I've been a fan for ages, and own all her books under both names! SUNBURNED was no exception. I was hooked from the start and couldn't wait to learn more about Audrey's backstory and what it had to do with present-day events. While one connection was obvious, other parts kept me guessing right until the end. Katherine's settings are always perfect, and I love reading about rich people behaving badly.

The story switches back and forth between the present-day scenes on St. Barth's and scenes from Audrey's past when she was dating Tyson. These switches were done seamlessly, and I loved how the story built from both ends. This is the perfect poolside summer binge!

Sunburned is a quick bingable summer thriller set on a Caribbean island with turmoil among the ultra wealthy. I flew through the short chapters that alternate between present timeline and a pivotal event a decade ago that altered the main characters lives.

Audrey is summoned by her ex who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in a decade to investigate his inner circle and determine who is blackmailing him. Tyson, Audrey’s ex, is an ultra wealthy businessman having developed a revolutionary desalination system and is currently being blackmailed sending him into a fit of paranoia. There are 7 people staying in the house and any one of them had reason to blackmail Tyson just who is brave enough to do it?


Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book transports you to the luxurious world of St. Barth’s aboard a private yacht. Audrey is drawn back into the world of her billionaire ex-boyfriend, Tyson. She’s hired to identify a blackmailer among the guests, but the situation quickly escalates when a murder occurs. Audrey must navigate secrets, lies, and a past connection to solve the crime.

I absolutely loved the vivid descriptions of the Caribbean setting. The initial intrigue and the dual timeline exploring past connections kept me turning the pages, but the twists were just ok. Given the setting, it was a quick and fast paced locked in mystery perfect for sun filled days at the beach or pool.

SUNBURNED is a gem of a summer thriller that I devoured. It was absolutely everything I wanted in a vacay thriller.

The book is about Audrey, whose ex-boyfriend Tyson (now a major sustainability tech mogul) calls her out of the blue with a thinly veiled threat of a job offer. Audrey leaves her two sons behind with her bestie biz partner to hear him out in St. Barth’s, where Tyson is celebrating his birthday whilst trying to seal a business deal. Audrey, a professional sleuth is tapped to find out who’s blackmailing Tyson about a long buried secret and missing person that involves Audrey as well. Only things do not go according to plan.

I love a summer thriller with: rich people problems, a dreamy locale, a hint of romance, and, of course, murder! This one has it all. And the cover is a major plus 😍

Audrey travels to St. Barth’s to meet her high school ex-boyfriend, Tyson. Tyson is now a billionaire and the reunion is not romantic, it is all business. Tyson is being blackmailed by someone and he wants Audrey, a discovery agent, to figure out who, or he will assume it is her. Audrey is innocent, but Tyson is surrounded by deceitful people, including his brother, who went to jail for a crime Tyson me, or may not have committed, his wife, her best friend (and lover), and a number of other businesses associates. When someone ends up dead, the stakes are higher. Is Audrey‘s life in danger?

This was a fun and engaging book. It was a quick read, and I liked the Caribbean setting. The book included yachts, extortion, blackmail, murder and deceit.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for A copy of this book.

Wealth, a beautiful setting and murder makes a perfect beach read. Ten years ago, Audrey and Tyson were young lovers. It ended when he involved her in covering up a murder. Now he is a tech billionaire that is being blackmailed and he has turned to her for help. From the sometimes sweet and sometimes volatile boy that she knew, he has become a paranoid and vindictive businessman, surrounded by people who would love to see him dead. Audrey is an investigator who works with corporate clients. If she refuses to help Tyson, he threatens to release her secrets that would destroy her family and her business. As the mother of ten year old twin boys, she would do anything to protect them. When she arrives at his estate on St. Barths she is greeted by Laurent, Tyson’s French butler. Tyson’s business partner, his wife and his Brother Cole are living at the estate along with Cole’s girlfriend and a friend of his wife. Cole had gone to jail for a theft from his employer that Audrey was responsible for. The business partner is a former Olympian with secrets of her own. When Tyson organizes a diving excursion for his birthday, one of the guests takes advantage of the murky water and murders Tyson. The murderer is also planting evidence against Audrey. After an attempt on her life, she realizes that she must solve the murder before she goes to prison or becomes the next victim.

Using a dual timeline, Katherine Wood gives the reader a look at the on again, off again relationship between Audrey and Tyson. She is dealing with her mother’s illness and, as a computer expert, she devises a program to discreetly siphon funds from Cole’s employer to pay for medical expenses. Tyson is also involved in the theft, which is discovered by someone who gains access to the files and begins to blackmail them, leading to murder. Cole took the blame for the theft. With a conviction to his name, he is now dependent on Tyson for support. Laurent is the one person who Audrey can seem to trust. She has not been in a relationship as she raised her boys alone, but Laurent has sparked an attraction, which seems to be mutual, but can she really trust him? This is a page turner with twists at every turn that will keep you guessing to the very end. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

Murder mystery in the Caribbean let’s go!

Aubrey super smart and good at hacking ends up back in her exs present when he lands in hot water and ends up blackmailing her to come visit her and solve a problem. The story was interesting and I recommend

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sunburned by Katherine Wood
"What happens on St. Barth’s... might just kill you."

Review:

Sunburned is the kind of thriller that sinks its perfectly manicured nails into you from page one and does not let go. Katherine Wood delivers a glitzy, high-stakes murder mystery drenched in Caribbean heat, dark secrets, and biting wit.

Audrey Collet is the reluctant heroine we didn’t know we needed—scarred, smart, and sardonic. When her billionaire ex, Tyson, calls her back into his chaotic orbit with a blackmail threat involving a severed foot and a shared dark past (yes, really), the mystery kicks into high gear. Cue the private island, the gorgeous but deadly ensemble cast, and the claustrophobic luxury of a yacht party gone very, very wrong.

Wood's prose is sleek and addictive, the kind of writing that effortlessly switches between laugh-out-loud sharpness and edge-of-your-seat tension. The characters are impeccably drawn—each one layered, suspect, and hiding something. It’s like Knives Out meets Big Little Lies, with a touch of beach noir that makes you want to sip a rum cocktail while scanning for alibis.

The pacing? Impeccable. The twists? Genuinely gasp-worthy. And that final act? Unputdownable.

Perfect for fans of:
🔪 Locked-room mysteries
🌴 Lush island settings with dark undercurrents
💅 Characters behaving badly in beautiful places
🕵️‍♀️ Smart female leads with a messy past

This book absolutely deserves a spot in your beach bag—just don’t trust anyone around you while you read it.

This was a great summer thriller. Drama, secrets, extortion and murder all set in the backdrop of a beautiful Mediterranean location.

Audrey goes to St. Barth to help her billionaire ex find out who is blackmailing him. But can she do that without her own secrets coming out? She finds herself trapped on his yacht where a murder occurs and everyone is a suspect!

Thank to NetGalley and Random House - Bantam for an ARC.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC.

A great summer beach read when betrayal encounters blackmail. Which one will win? The main character is a strong, independent woman working hard to support her children. When invited to a private party on the yacht of people from her past, she immediately gets sucked into the mystery of who dunnit and why. This is not a cozy, it is a good, gripping mystery/thriller!

Sunburned was a great, fast-paced mystery. I enjoyed the different story lines through the novel. I especially liked the twist at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this title.

This book started off a bit slow. Audrey is called to go see an old boyfriend for some mysterious reason. She goes to this beautiful tropical place and all hell breaks loose. Lots of twists and turns until the somewhat unbelievable end. I will say that this book kept my attention but will not be memorable to me. 3.5 stars

In Sunburned, Audrey is summoned by her ex, Tyson, to St. Barth's to help him determine who is blackmailing him. Since they dated when they were younger, Tyson has started a tech company, become a billionaire, and become a bit paranoid. When she arrives in St. Barth's, she learns that everyone there has an issue with him. He is quick to remind her that she is also connected to the article his blackmailer sent him about the shoe that washed up in Florida. Tyson has planned a birthday dive for the people staying at his house, but when he dies during the outing, she needs to determine who the murderer is before she becomes the next victim.

This is told from Audrey's POV, alternating between present tense and 11 years ago (when she and Tyson were dating). "Sunburn" is actually the code word that Audrey and her business partner/best friend use to let the other know they couldn't talk freely. Tyson didn't really give Audrey much so you learn things along with her in the present tense - constantly trying to figure out who can and can't be trusted. I thought the pacing was good and enjoyed all of the characters being suspicious of each other and pointing fingers. While there were some things that I had easily figured out, there were a couple of twists and turns I wasn't expecting.

Put on some sunscreen and throw this book in your beach bag. This fast paced beach read is full of rich people, with secrets, behaving badly. Set on the beautiful ritzy Caribbean island of St. Barth’s, this locked room mystery is chock full of twists and turns. It’s a fun, fast read with a satisfying ending. What more could you ask for in a beach read?

Audrey finds herself traveling to a Caribbean island to help her ex boyfriend find out who is blackmailing him. In the years since they broke up, he has become paranoid, and it doesn't help that a secret from their past is on the verge of being exposed. Audrey is just starting to figure out who might be responsible for the blackmail when Tyson dies on a dive. Trapped on a boat with a killer, she must find the culprit.

This one was really engaging. I thought Wood did a great job laying breadcrumbs and building suspense and intrigue. I was a bit surprised that the death happened relatively late in the book (for this type of book - maybe about halfway through), but I didn't mind it because I was so intrigued! I did think the "big twist" regarding whodunnit was not very surprising, but then there is another slight twist to complicate it. If you're looking for a good suspenseful mystery, this definitely is a book to read!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.