Set in the tropical Mediterranean locale of St. Barth's, you are introduced to exes Audrey and Tyson. Because of blackmail and betrayal, the two have collided again in order to solve a mystery. Murder, mayhem and more ensue. You jump from past to present in Audrey's POV, but it is not confusing. It actually gives clarity to the mystery unravelling with each turn of the page.

Katherine Wood is great at suspenseful thrillers. Sunburned is a perfect summer vacation read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is the perfect light, fun beach read! I first read and loved Ladykiller from this author, another great beach read, so was excited for this one. I did think the first was a bit better, but this one is still worth the read! Audrey is a "discoverer" for law firms. She is summoned to St. Barth's by Tyson her ex to find out who is blackmailing him. Oh, and Tyson is a billionaire now and their teenage relationship ended badly. So, what could possibly go wrong? Well, murder for one. A body turns up and we get to figure out who did it from the group assembled by Tyson at his beachside mansion. There are a lot of suspects, and I had several different ideas for what happened and was wrong on all counts! Pretty cool twist that I didn't see coming. Extra points for the rich-people island atmosphere and I especially loved the diving sequence! I could practically see the fish! I would love more from Katherine Wood!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Katerine Wood and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of Julu 01, 2025.

Audrey Collet is a mother of twins and a partner in a discovery agency, where she and Rosa help law firms track down information to help in their cases. Audrey is the computer expert, a hacker since she’d gotten bored with gaming as a teenager while Rosa does more of the hands-on investigating. So when Audrey’s ex Tyson, called and asked her to come to St. Barth’s to help him figure out who is blackmailing him, she is his only choice. Because not only is investigating her job, she’s also privy to many of his secrets, including the one that has the potential to blow up his latest deal and his entire company.

Tyson has created a multi-billion dollar company based on his ability to turn salt water into potable water with efficiency. They are preparing to open a new site on St. Barth’s, the Caribbean island that is home to a great deal of wealth. But a foot has turned up in the Everglades, and now everything is at stake.

The foot, a human foot, once belonged to Ian Kelly, who had lived in a trailer behind the house of Tyson and his brother Cody. Ian had been a drug dealer who had gone missing the summer Audrey and Tyson had dated. But there was more going on back then than just a little bit of drugs, and Audrey and Tyson both know that things could go badly for them if the police start digging around Ian’s disappearance.

But when Audrey arrives at his villa on the island and gets to know those Tyson has surrounded himself with, she realizes that there are several people under his roof that could mean him harm. Add to that Tyson’s increasing paranoia, and Audrey knows that she will have a difficult time figuring out who is it that is blackmailing him. Between Tyson’s double-dealings and secret deals, his wife, his business partner, or his brother could be gunning for him. And then there’s his butler Laurent. Laurent seems to know a lot of what’s going on, which Audrey finds surprising, because Tyson confides in others so rarely. Audrey can’t deny that she is drawn to Laurent, but she thinks it would be unwise to trust him, especially since she is there with some pretty big secrets of her own.

But when Tyson is killed during a scuba dive gone wrong, Audrey is faced with even more questions, and she’s even more vulnerable to exposure. She has to figure out who is was who killed Tyson and who was blackmailing him in order to get back to her life in the States, and to her twin boys, safe and sound. But then the killer turns their sights on her, and she has to figure out who to trust to save herself.

Sunburned is a white-hot thriller about the dealings of the wealthy and how even they have to deal with the secrets in their past. The setting in St. Barth’s makes for a gorgeous backdrop for this murder mystery, and the story is filled with crazy twists. It’s an exciting beach read for thriller fans, with a side of romance and layers of secrets and hidden agendas. I loved reading Sunburned, and while I couldn’t get to the beach myself to enjoy it, I did bask in that Caribbean flavor and had a lot of fun with this story.

Egalleys for Sunburned were provided by Bantam through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine

I had the pleasure of diving into Sunburned by Katherine Wood, an atmospheric read that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The author's skillful storytelling and ability to create tension and suspense had me hooked from the very first page. What I loved about this book was the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing was perfect, making it hard to put the book down once I started reading. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a creepy ride filled with suspense, mystery, and unexpected surprises. It's a must-read for fans of the genre.

I devoured this book! It sucked me in from the beginning and kept me hooked. The boat storyline of being held on it reminded me of other stories I previously read but it still kept me engaged. This is a perfect read for summer!

I loved this book. It had short to mid size chapters and easy to follow. The ending still shocked me and the smaller twists did along the way as well. I wish we heard the ending of what happened with her foot and how it got healed.

Caribbean Islands, beautiful people, beautiful rich people, what more could you want? Audrey wants to be as far away from this party as possible, yet, here she is, and she can't leave until she figures out who is blackmailing her ex. When her billionaire ex-boyfriend blackmails HER to find out who is blackmailing HIM, the stakes are a little skewed in his favor until he dives off the yacht and doesn't come back up. This was not only a terrific mystery/thriller, but it was also very entertaining watching Audrey move from one suspect to the next while trying not to get herself killed. After reading SUNBURNED, I'm going to have to add her first book, LADYKILLER to my TBR.

Sunburned by Katherine Wood involves an island paradise, murder, and blackmail. This fast paced thriller was a great summer read. There were several unexpected twists that I enjoyed. I enjoy Katherine Wood’s writing and will definitely read her next book!

Audrey is a successful discovery agent with twin boys when she's summoned to St. Barth's by her ex, Tyson, after a dismembered foot turns up in the Everglades. She wants nothing to do with him, but he's now an extremely paranoid billionaire who is being blackmailed for past crimes that also implicate her. Upon arriving at the posh island home, Audrey quickly realizes that everyone staying there - his brother, his brother's girlfriend, his business partner, his wife, and his wife's friend - hates Tyson in their own way, making everyone a suspect. When a diving trip on Tyson's yacht turns deadly, Audrey has to turn up the heat on her investigation into the blackmailer before she winds up dead too. The story alternates between the present and eleven years prior, when Audrey, Tyson, and his brother Cody were in their early 20s. Sunburned is a fast-paced beachy read about luxury, lies, and how thoroughly haunted you can be by the past. The only, let's call it a low point, for me was how completely untouched Audrey is by consequences because she is far from innocent.

Sunburned
No Spoilers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pairs perfectly with a summer rose

➡️ locked room thriller
➡️ twisty
➡️ duel timelines
➡️ the perfect island vacation setting

I’ve been a die-hard fan of Woods (formerly St Johns’) work and will continue to read anything she publishes! I was so grateful to receive an advanced copy of her work - Thank you NetGalley and XXXX Publishers

Overall, I devoured this story! The writing I’ve come to know and love was ever present and the duel timelines meshed perfectly. I loved the setting of St Bart’s and think this will be an ideal story for pool and beach readers.

A couple of critiques are I did feel like after Part 1, the storyline felt overall a little rushed. I love an Agatha Christie style mystery but at times it felt like we were being force-fed options for who the assailant was vs. them being hidden under the placemat for us to find on our own. The back half of the story felt a little clunky with so much information ping ponging us back and forth…

That with the addition of characters late in the story it was hard not to see some of the “twists” coming, even though we were being told to look in so many directions. I appreciated this fun thriller though it wasn’t a favorite I will still be an avid reader of her books always!!

Katherine Wood does it again. It has been a very long time since I've finished a book in less than 2 days. And I did it with this one. I love her writing so much. The twist in this one blew my mind - like WHAT?!?! You think you know but you don't. :). I also loved that there was a small little romance sub plot going on as well and was rooting so hard for the FMC! Huge 5 stars all around!!

When Audrey's billionaire ex-boyfriend Tyson contacts her to help him figure out who is blackmailing him, she wishes she could blow him off. But they're connected by some big secrets that are problematic for her, too. Audrey reluctantly agrees to meet Tyson at his estate on the swanky Caribbean island of St. Barth’s. She soon realizes that everyone in his entourage has enough reason to wish him harm. Tyson’s birthday dive turns deadly, and she realizes one of the seven people trapped on his yacht with her is not just a blackmailer, but a murderer. If Audrey can’t catch the killer in time, she might become the next victim.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this digital e-arc.*

At the end of my review for Ladykiller, I wrote that I’d be looking forward to Katherine Wood’s next book and boy-oh-boy, Sunburned absolutely did not disappoint. Where Ladykiller was a little slow to start, setting the scene and getting the reader acquainted with the characters and the setting, Sunburned was compelling straight out of the gate. Audrey is a discovery agent - a fancy title for someone resembling a private investigator - who has just received a strongly worded request from her ex, Tyson, who is now a paranoid tech billionaire and someone she hasn’t seen in over a decade, to come to St. Barth’s to help him figure out who is blackmailing him, threatening to expose her own secrets if she doesn’t help him. When he ends up dead during a dive to celebrate his birthday, Audrey realizes that his paranoid might not have been without merit. Racing to figure out not just who was threatening him with blackmail, which would have also revealed her own secrets, but who could have been behind his death, her own freedom and reputation is on the line. Told in alternating timelines - Audrey in the present and past, including her long and complicated relationship with Tyson, the tension continues to build and build until the end and readers are still left in disbelief. I found it immediately addicting, and so compelling that I raced through the rest of the book within the next day. This is a great sexy, sultry thriller perfect for summer, especially if sexy tropical island settings and questionable characters are your jam! I find myself again very much looking forward to Katherine Wood’s next book.

I love Katherine Wood's novels! They are the perfect summer read with a mix of terrible people, a strong protagoinist, and thrills. This one is no exception. Audrey gets a call to assist her ex she hasn't seen in ten years. Since then, she has made her living researching and helping companies investigate. Wood uses flashbacks to propel the story along and it concides with the climax. Though I figured some of the reveals out, Wood does an excellent job with the twists and turns. Highly recommend adding this to your beach or pool bag this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

In Katherine Wood’s last thriller, “Ladykiller,” we were treated to the sumptuous landscape of the Grecian Islands. This time she’s transported us to another rich man’s paradise’s, St. Barth’s in the Caribbean. The protagonist is Audrey, mom of 10 year old twins and successful owner of a “discovery” business — a detective agency that analyzes and uncovers hidden paperwork rather than catching cheating spouses. She’s been offered big bucks — especially since she was very reluctant to join her ex from a decade ago.

Since splitting up with Audrey after college, Tyson has become a billionaire bro and has transformed into an occult-sampling, easily-angered, maliciously-entitled adult bully with multiple ex-wives, soon-to-be exes, and business rivals, including his brother/corporate partner Cody. Tyson admits everyone hates him, but an anonymous hater has sent him a reminder of his dark past (it involves a human foot recently recovered from a Florida swamp). The people he’s collected on the island and private super yacht — his current wife and her devoted BFF, his brother and brother’s girlfriend, and his female business partner, plus a hunky manservant — are apparently his main suspects and he wants Audrey to identify the blackmailer. With so many people actively despising Tyler, Audrey wonders why he’s settled on this small group. Working remotely with her business partner, Rosa, Audrey starts to unravel Tyson’s very ugly world.

Author Wood has created a great relatable main protagonist — Audrey is hard-working and honest, but still vulnerable to Tyson’s blackmail about their shared past. Her last book had two main characters, a real person and the written, maybe not reliable, diary of an absent character. A single main character suits and strengthens Wood’s storyline much better, and we find ourselves rooting for Audrey. It was a clever mystery that kept me entranced until the end. If Audrey becomes a character in a future thriller, I’ll be there. 4.5 stars!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But a lot of a green sludgy drink consumed by Tyson.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO As on many islands, there’s an arid side and a tropical side, so it’s not all palm trees — a few cacti are present, too.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Oh la la! Another hit for Katherine Wood! I just adored the murder, money and blackmail theme. This one hit all the right spots for me haha. I really enjoyed reading about the glamorous lives of the rich and famous in St. Barths. The story really kept me guessing the entire time. I didnt love all the characters, my gosh they sure are flawed. But arent we all? Overall it was a fun read, especially for summer with the tropical setting.

Audrey Collett is being summoned to her ex Tyson's private Island on St Barth's. Despite not having seen each other for 10 plus years, Audrey seems to be the only one who can help Tyson find out who amongst his inner circle is blackmailing him. As Audrey starts to poke around the other guests, a diving trip goes terribly awry, elevating everyone from blackmail suspect to potential murderer. On a luxury yacht surrounded by people who all have motive, can Audrey figure out the truth before the target shifts to her?

So while this book does start off slow, it quickly ramps up the tension and suspense, just go with the flow. You don't know who you can trust which adds to that paranoia and mystery. Sunburned is definitely a whodunit in absolute paradise with the atmospheric setting a major highlight. Another strong point is the character development. Audrey as our female main character is relatable, resourceful, and believable while Tyson is more unpredictable but with that magnetic personality and charm that people are drawn to. Overall I would definitely recommend Sunburned to fans of tense, and twisty "rich people behaving badly" drama/thrillers with locked room vibes!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Wood, and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this ARC! Publication date is July 1st 2025.

Audrey Collett receives a call from her long ago ex, Tyson, who is now a multi-billionaire. He needs her help finding out who is blackmailing him, so he invites her on a trip to St. Barth's along with some of his friends and family to celebrate his birthday. As Audrey gets to know the others on the island, she starts to build a profile on each guest and what their potential motivation to blackmail Tyson could be.

But when Tyson's birthday dive trip turns deadly, the stakes in the hunt for the blackmailer are even higher, and no one is exempt from being a suspect. No one is safe, including Audrey herself, and while she is trying to find who is behind not just the blackmail but now potential murder, her sketchy past with Tyson may just come to light as well.

Katherine Wood is a fantastic writer. I always look forward to her summer thrillers. They are almost always based on a wealthy island or yacht with badly behaved wealthy people, and the salacious and sordid characters make for such a great story!

Full of mystery and interesting characters. I kept questioning everything and everyone. I was glued to the story and couldn't put it down. I loved Audrey. Actually there are a couple of characters I'd love too see more of. I wasn't ready for this one to end but what an ending it was.

“It’s hard to comprehend the sprawl of the decisions we make, our choices colliding with those of others to create an impossibly tangled web that can come undone with the pull of a single thread.” Wood, author of Ladykiller, delivers another excellent mystery with Sunburned. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of St. Bart’s, she weaves a slow burning, detailed plot that builds toward an explosive conclusion.
Wood’s characters are vivid and varied, the storyline has just the right number of knots to keep things tense, and the setting adds to an exotic literary escape. Everything you need for a brilliant, compelling mystery that keeps you turning the pages.