Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for offering me the opportunity to read Katherine Wood’s novel Ladykiller. I was a little surprised to receive this invitation—just looking at the description and the cover didn’t seem like I was a targeted audience. However, I couldn’t ignore the praise from the email and the cover image was appealing. Ladykiller, which has some great ambiguity in the title, started off a little slow for me. I initially thought this was going to be like a romance and female friendship type of book. There’s also some backstory to Gia and Abbie’s friendship. Both women are now in their 30s but have been friends since their early teens and have experienced much together. From the first chapters, I didn’t really like either character. Abbie seemed to serious and uptight, while Gia reminded me of someone like Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, a kind of shallow socialite who craves attention but fails to consider the consequences of her actions. In fact, a lot of the characters initially seemed shallow and unlikeable, but this assessment really changed after about a quarter of the book, and I recommend staying with this book because I really could not put it down after the action picked up. Essentially, Gia and Abbie haven’t spoken for some time since Gia married Garrett, a mysterious man shipping scion who swept her off her feet in a 3-month whirlwind romance. Ladykiller picks up when we start to learn about some of Garrett’s money problems and Gia’s willingness, yet growing skepticism to help bail him out of his financial problems. These problems begin to arise as a couple suddenly arrive on the Greek island where Garrett and Gia live, but are preparing to sell the vacation home that Gia recently inherited from her father. The story alternates between Abbie’s perspective as she agreed to vacation in Sweden with Gia and her brother, and Gia’s writing. Gia was starting to write another book after previously publishing a best-selling memoir that documented her experience with a tragic manslaughter case 12 years prior. This case is important to the story as its consequences haunt Abbie and create some reservations about her return to the Greek island where the incident happened. I really grew to appreciate the variations in narrative style from Abbie and Gia, and I found myself enjoying Gia’s perspective and writing even more. Her story takes place primarily on the Greek island, and as an affluent heiress who doesn’t need to work, she leads a life of leisure. However, as her husband Garrett asks for more and more money, her ideal life appears to be less and less like she imagined. Gia, Garrett, and their newfound friends, Emelia and Timeo, enjoy the sun, food, and party like atmosphere of the Greek islands, so much so that the events eventually lead Gia to question her marriage and her husband’s identity. The book is filled with tension and poetic descriptions of the Greek island, its beaches and ocean, as well as food. I also loved that there was so much espresso in the book. While the events are premised on some delicate situations, I really enjoyed the suspense and found that I had a hard time putting this book down. The short alternating chapters made Ladykiller a compelling read where I kept reading to find out what would happen next. I also loved the literary references throughout the book. The Talented Mr. Ripley, which shares some themes of identity, crime, and lust, plays a minor role as a gift and a book that Gia loves. This story and Garrett’s gaslighting reminded me of Anna Billar’s great book Bluebeard’s Castle, where a scheming and violent husband married a woman more for her money than anything else. Garrett reminded me a lot of Gavin from that excellent book, and his behaviors followed a lot of the patterns that Gavin engaged in. Wood also includes some references to Greek mythology, especially stories of jealous women and wives and the wrath that they exact on other women. In hindsight, it was interesting to read about these references, especially since the book features two women who are trying to maintain a friendship despite some differences of opinions. Bacchanalia, the festival honoring Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and parties, also played an important role in the book. I was wondering why Wood referenced the Roman god and not the Greek god Dionysus. I was thinking that more people are probably familiar with Bacchanalia than the Dionysia, but Dionysian has become a kind of familiar adjective. I thought that the Greeks would be more familiar with the Greek form than the Roman form. Although the book started off a little slow and the characters were initially somewhat unrelatable, I eventually became interested in this book. It was a fun escape to an exotic locale, and I enjoyed the intrigue and suspense involved in this tale of duplicity and relationships.

What an amazing story this was!! Told between the point of views of best friends Abby and Gia, long buried secrets come to light while new mystery evolves. This book was filled with so many twists and turns it kept me reading way later than I wanted to. The narrators are so unreliable it was hard to know who to trust and what actually happened but in the best way possible.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

The best part of the book were the settings, which I thought were crafted really well and grounded me into the story. If you enjoy stories with unlikable characters, secrets, cons, rich people being bad, friendship/relationship drama, this might be one for you. The twists, even if a little predictable, do go in some directions that I wasn’t expecting from the synopsis alone. It just took too long to get there, and didn’t conclude in a way that I felt satisfied with the payoff of sticking it out. There was just something about it that kept me from ever feeling totally connected and invested in the story. I wasn’t really feeling the stakes. It was quite compelling enough and didn’t have me caring enough. Overall, it was just an okay experience for me. I love this cover and it definitely gives the perfect vibes of the story. In the end though, I was left wanting more and had an overall feeling that it was lacking something. I would read from this author again in the future, because I feel the writing and narrative crafting had a lot of potential and room for growth, it just didn’t come to fruition in this one for me.

Ladykiller
Katherine Wood
7.9.24

I just finished this last night and wow, what a tangled web of deceit and treachery!

This is a twisted look at a poor little rich girl and the actually poor best friend whose hung on to her coattails and benefitted from her wealth, yet never quite fit in.

Gia, who has always had everything, goes missing and her bestie, Abby, along with Gia’s brother Benny, investigate, trying to get to the bottom of a lifetime of lies and manipulation.

The biggest draw for me is that the story is told, in part, through Gia’s manuscript, making me wonder, is she an unreliable narrator or is she telling the truth?

Murder and mayhem in the dreamiest of settings and a who-dun-it that left me speculating.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group for this gifted DRC.

I loved the setting of this one and was drawn in at the start. However it lost me a bit somewhere along the way and the middle slowed down. The ending ultimately just left me feeling sort of meh. This was a fine read for me and could be a good companion for a few hours at the pool or beach but it’s not one that will stick with me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free book to review.

Oooo this was a fun one! Twisty and turny, I was on the edge of my seat for the whole book and I'm not sure who to trust still! A perfect summer thriller poolside read, Ladykiller by Katherine Wood mostly takes place on a remote island in Greece (ahhhh) and focuses on a wealthy heiress and her new husband. All is not well in their gorgeous Greek dwelling, as they meet new friends who might be up to no good. If you love a mix of POVs, unreliable narrators and rooting for (maybe?) the bad guys, then Ladykiller is for you. A solid 4.5 stars!

Gia and abby are lifelong best friends, inseparable despite their class differences-Gia, a wealthy heiress and Abby from the working class. A mysterious event forces them to drift slightly, so Abby is thrilled when his invites her to a remote Greek island to a festival. Abby is also surprised to find out she is going with Gias brother, her former flame. When they arrive to Greece they find Gia missing. The only clues to her whereabouts are contained in a manuscript Abby finds in which Gia writes about her life and past-a past that includes Abby’s secrets as well. Where is Gia and what happened when they 18 years old propel the plot, as wood takes a different approach to the dual timeline/pov mechanic that is prevalent. The nature of narration is also brought into question throughout the novel and readers have to discern truth from fiction (in a fictional narrative of course)!

This is a fun summer read and one that will have readers flipping the pages to find answers. None of the characters are particularly likable which is probably done purposely. I agree with other reviewers at the pacing being uneven-which does bring the boo down. Still a fun thriller for a summer day!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a thriller that keeps me guessing and Ladykiller did that.

What we know is that something happened in the past to Gia and Abby. Gia is very richly married and Abby is a lawyer. Gia is living in Greece and invites Abby and Abby’s brother Ben to come visit her, but when they arrive, she is nowhere to be found.

Told through different point of views and dual timelines, which can be confusing, but wasn’t really in this case. Abby and Ben are trying to figure out what happened to Gia and using a manuscript she was writing. They don’t know what is fact or fiction, however, and neither do we. While at the same time we are learning about the mysterious event that happened in the past.

A good solid thriller, the ending left a few loose ends, you’re left to close them yourself.

This is a new to me author. And I would definitely be looking for more of her works. This is an intriguing story and I’m hoping that there’s a second book to go with this one. The author definitely pulls you in and does not let you go until the end of the story. If you enjoy mystery and suspense, I believe you will enjoy this story.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy of the book.

I loved the settings and think the author did an amazing job describing the island, house, and beach. It made me feel like I was right there which makes this book perfect for your summer reading.
The first half was a very detailed setup and it took me a minute to get into the story, but the second half truly takes off and you don't know whom to trust.
The ending was not clear and as a reader, I got no true resolution. However, this is not a problem for me, but many readers would be disappointed.

This was a pretty standard thriller, the perfect choice for a beach or pool read. I found it entertaining and I liked the story structure of two perspectives that both enhance and, in some ways, contradict each other. But on the flip side of that, I didn't find any of the reveals particularly surprising, and I didn't connect with any of the characters. It's definitely a read that works well in the moment, but it doesn't really stand out from other thrillers in the genre.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to katherine wood for the advanced reader copy of "lady killer".

as my favorite booktuber hailey hughes always says, i love a good book about "rich people drama"! the premise of "ladykiller" certainly promised that. and the fact the story takes place in a remote island in greece??? give it to me now.

what i really liked about "ladykiller" is the two contrasting main characters that we are introduced to: gia, and her best friend abby-- both have chosen different walks in life following the traumatic event they experienced as teenagers.

the main issue i had was with the pacing. it was inconsistent in the sense that in some areas, we were going at a really fast pace, and then others, it felt like the plot was dragging. this pulled me out of the storyline and prevented me from fully immersing myself into the book's atmosphere, which disappointed me greatly. what i WILL say though, is that wood absolutely knows how to craft a suspenseful and thrilling scene. most absolutely the author's strong suit! those crumbs that we were given in the faster pace areas were so effective, and i wish we could have gotten more of that writing skill cohesively throughout "ladykiller".

An intriguing plot with twists galore as you bounce between two points of view. One while events are happening and the other after the fact.

For me, the story started off slow with too much backstory, then picked up the pacing. It had all the makings for a great story with the poor, rich girl, the hired help’s daughter, and of course the best friend’s brother as the unrequited love interest. Now throw in the hasty marriage and lies, and more lies, and more even more lies. For the most part, they all worked. The author had a lot going on that kept the pages going. She made me wonder how it would end up and just who was going to get killed and by whom. What I didn’t like was the ending. It felt incomplete and unsatisfactory, but then again it also felt a bit realistic, if you get what I mean.

There was so much to love about this book. The characters were interesting and well developed, excellent setting (made me want to book a trip or two, lol), the twisting storyline is seriously intriguing, but then it stumbled with ending, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong I’m perfectly willing to admit this a me issue. It doesn’t bother me when some books end while still leaving loose ends. In fact sometimes the author leaving loose ends is the perfect ending for a story, often making it so the reader will continue to think about the story long after they’ve closed the book. But in the case of this story, I have to be honest and say I wouldn’t have minded a neat little wrap-up. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Ladykiller.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3LBXXIN8I5S1A/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thank you Netgalley, Katherine Wood, and Random House Publishing for the ebook! This book pleasantly surprised me. I loved every part of it including the settings. It was so well written and even at the very end has me second guessing myself! I loved how it went from the present to the past but the past told in manuscript form so it really has you wondering if it's truly how the events happened or was it embellished for publishing purposes. Highly recommend!

Gia & Abby have been friends for a long time. Gia the rich heiress & Abby the hard-working attorney. They had a falling out a while back, but Gia wants Abby to come to her destination wedding in Greece. Abby initially says no because she can't think about taking off from work. Gia finally convinces her to come, but will they survive and can they stay friends when this trip is over?

3.5 stars

This was a dual timeline story with a twist--the timeline in the past was part of a manuscript written by the missing woman. However, her story started before the woman in the present found the manuscript. I would say something about the manuscript, but I don't want to give anything away and I think thrillers, especially, are important to read without knowing much about what you're getting into. I do think that the blurb on Amazon/Goodreads gives away too much about Gia being an unreliable narrator (maybe). Perhaps if I had not known that I wouldn't have been questioning everything that was in Gia's part of the story. But maybe that was the point?

There were enough twists and turns that I didn't expect that kept me guessing until the end. While I enjoy a good thriller now and again, I don't read enough of them to find them predictable, and this was no exception. That's not to say I didn't expect some of it. But I enjoyed trying out different scenarios to try to figure out what had happened and what I thought was happening.

As with many dual timeline stories, one side ended up being more interesting to me than the other. I preferred Abby's storyline, but it was partly because I had trouble feeling sympathy for Gia. Still, by the end, I was rooting for her, if only for Abby and Benny's sakes. The other thing I can say about this book is that the ending is somewhat open to interpretation, so if you don't like books like that, this may not be the book for you. Personally, even if I prefer a definite ending, for this one, I enjoyed imagining some different scenarios, so it worked for me. I really liked Abby, so although her past haunted her for so long, I liked the resolution of her part of the story.

I think this would make a great beach read, as you imagine some of the beautiful scenery that was described in this book. I would recommend this if you're looking for a mystery/thriller with a few twists and turns and an ending that is open to interpretation. Trigger warnings include potential assault/rough sex (not explicit), and murder. Overall, I thought it was a solid debut novel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very good thriller. It’s fast paced and full of drama and twists. The plot is entertaining and drew me in right away. It’s very well written and an engaging, enjoyable read.

This book was chosen because it was set in Greece (a place I've always been intrigued by) and because stories about missing people draw me in most of the time. Katherine Wood is a new author for me, and I'm always on the hunt for new authors.

Description:
When an heiress goes missing, her best friend races to unravel the secrets behind her disappearance using clues left behind in an explosive manuscript…

Gia and Abby have been best friends since they were girls, forever bonded by the tragedy that unfolded in Greece when they were eighteen. In the aftermath, bookish Abby threw herself into her studies while heiress Gia chronicled the events of that fateful summer in a salacious memoir.

Twelve years later, Gia is back in Greece for the summer with her shiny new husband and a motley crew of glamorous guests, preparing to sell the family estate in the wake of her father’s death. When Abby receives an invitation from Gia to celebrate her birthday in September beneath the Northern Lights, she’s thrilled to be granted the time off from her high-pressure job. But the day of her flight, she receives a mysterious, threatening email in her inbox, and when she and Gia’s brother Benny arrive at the Swedish resort, Gia isn’t there. After days of cryptic messages and unanswered calls, Abby and Benny are worried enough to fly to Greece to check on her.

Only, when they arrive, they find Gia’s beachfront estate eerily deserted, the sole clue to her whereabouts a manuscript she wrote detailing the events leading up to her disappearance. The pages reveal the dark truth about Gia’s provocative new marriage and the dirty secrets of the guests they entertained with fizzy champagne under the hot Mediterranean sun. As tensions rise, Gia feels less and less safe in her own home. But the pages end abruptly, leaving Abby and Benny with more questions than answers.

Where is Gia now? And, more importantly, will they find her before it’s too late?

My Thoughts:
I loved the setting - Gia and Benny's home in Greece sounds like a gorgeous place. So idyllic on this beautiful island. When Gia doesn't show up at the hotel to see the Northern Lights it had to be shocking for Abby and Benny. Gia wanted the trip so badly - it had to be an omen of something bad happening. There are secrets here and quite a lot of decption which held my interest. The story unfolded with some unresolved issues from the past coming to light bit by bit. The ending left me with a few questions though and didn't tie up as well as I would have liked. Overall a good story for mystery lovers.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Thank you to the Publisher for the chance to read this book. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own thoughts and views.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I will say it took a few chapters to get really into the story. Once the storyline grabbed me I just hung on for the ride. A great weekend or beach read. I would recommend to friends!