Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 7/9/24!

I will say right at the top that I do not believe that I am the ideal reader for this novel. To me, this fell pretty flat and I only became invested in the story for about the last 40%. This was a slow burn with a lot of character building, which I typically do not enjoy as a reader - but I know there are a lot of folks that do! That being said, the last 40% was twisty and had the reader guessing up until the last page. Given the location of the novel, I believe it would be a good beach read. If you are someone who needs that immediate “hook” and prefers fast-paced plots, this one may not be for you. However, if you enjoy a slow burn mystery with a little bit of spice I would recommend picking this one up. If you do decide to read this one, please check any relevant trigger warnings before doing so!

Thrillers based around the rich and elite are one of my favorite specific niches of the genre. And Ladykiller was a great fit for that niche and I really enjoyed this one. I really love the switch in POVs between Abby's actual perspective and Gia's manuscript. The suspense was built beautifully and the prose is wonderful. I do wish that there had been a more definitive ending, as I am not personally a big fan of ambiguity.

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood, Gia Torres is still morning the loss of her dad Hugo when she calls to tell her best friend Abby she is getting married to Garrett, a guy no one really knows. When Abby refuses to go to the wedding they argue and she doesn’t speak to her best friend but win an invitation to meet her in Sweden arrives to see the northern lights and celebrate Gia’s birthday Abby agrees to go especially when she finds out Gia‘s brother Benny is also going. In the meantime Gia is staying with her new husband at her Greek Island estate left to her and her father‘s will but despite having a sizable trust fun she seems to be running out of cash this is why she is selling the estate to her step mother. She really gets along great with her husband until she invites a couple they meet Tinman and Amelia to stay with them and when her brother comes to visit with a famous actress in tow things go from bad to worse The actress flirts with everyone except the man who brought her in although Benny couldn’t care less Gia cares enough for the both of them. Fast forward to a month later when Abby and Binny show up in Sweden to meet Gia, Gia doesn’t show. It doesn’t take long for the two to worry about her and when someone from Greece shows up at the lodge in Sweden things just get stranger. This is how Abby finds her self back in Greece at the place where their first tragedy happened will this be the second where is Gia and where is her new husband? I know this review is convoluted and of course there’s way more to the story but just know the summary is also convoluted they don’t get clues from her book, the book may have well been the second POV because that’s exactly what it was but having said that this is still an awesome 360 of a book with twist on top of twist, I mean this book is TWISTY!!! Even though this book is very long I can honestly say I read it all at one time I could not put the book down and didn’t want to but be warned the twists may give you whiplash. Just a quick aside I am so tired of summaries not matching the story… I mean doesn’t the author read the summary before okaying it how could they get it so wrong so many times. Either way I definitely recommend this awesome book!#RandomHouseValentine, #NetGalley, #KatherineWood, #Ladykiller,

Ladykiller
Genre - domestic suspense
Rating - 3.5⭐️/great

Thanks Bantam Books for the advanced digital copy of this one - it's out 7/9🙌🏻

This is a super sexy, exhilarating domestic thriller - the absolute perfect beach read. I went in blind to this book and definitely recommend the same approach with this one - don't read that synopsis!! Told in dual timelines with two POVs, with a rich setting on a remote island in Greece (and secluded resort in Sweden!) this is a perfect escape read for summertime. Rich people behaving badly is a soft spot for me, especially for a summer read, and it was a no brainer to stay up past my bedtime to see how Abby's and Gia's story ended. This story was also low on my gore scale, but high on the dark and twisty side, which I always appreciate.

I felt certain I predicted the ending- I was not even close. Still, I need a solid payoff to push a thriller to 5 star territory for me, and here I personally thought it was a bit lacking, without giving too much away. Despite that I flew through this one and loved reading it. We need more fun books in this world and I’m excited to see this one get the loves that it deserves!

This sounded perfect when it showed up in my email. After getting into it though, it just moved a bit too slow for me. I am picky about rich people behaving badly stories, and this one wasn’t my favorite. I see that it’s getting lots of love, and I’m so happy it is.

"Ladykiller" by Abby and Gia's lifelong friendship takes a dark turn when Gia mysteriously disappears during a mountain retreat she invited Abby and her brother to. As they investigate, they uncover a web of deceit and danger that threatens to consume them both. The novel explores themes of friendship, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to for love and revenge. While the story starts strong and builds suspense effectively, the focus on sexual exploits and the ambiguous ending left me somewhat disengaged and frustrated. Overall, "Ladykiller" offers a thrilling ride with vivid settings and intriguing twists, but falls short in its resolution. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC.

How was this a debut?! Having been to Greece myself, the author did a fantastic job with the sizzling Mediterranean backdrop, with depictions of the hot sun, salty sea, private pools, Greek cuisine, and endless ouzo.

The book starts off with the funeral of Gia's wealthy father, surrounded by all of his ex-wives and children. He leaves Gia an estate on a remote Greek island where she grew up. Gia decides to sell it for 15 million, but has to fix it up first, with her new husband, Garrett who she has only known for four months. We bounce back and forth between Gia's story and her best friend Abby's story, which focuses on Gia's sudden disappearance and the questions surrounding that.

I love this kind of thriller, where everyone is shady, you don't know who to trust, and it plays with your head. The characters brought into Gia's manuscript chapters were so fun and I loved some of the aspects such as the creepy well on the property and the tales surrounding that, as well as the abandoned development with hundreds of identical half-built mini palaces. I couldn't put this one down.

Be sure to check out this summer debut thriller!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like “a puzzle with too many missing pieces” Wood starts off on a harrowing journey which has you questioning how well you really know someone and how, exactly, can you get away with murder? Set in the Greek Isles, Sweden and US, this puzzle takes a bit to be worked out.
Wood’s writing is fresh, her characters draw you in and her plot is captivating in its detail, scenery and duplicity. The story, told from the points of view of two bff’s, had me trying to work out what exactly was going on, long after I’d have to stop reading for the day. This is an excellent summer read!

I thank NetGalley, Bantam Books, and Katherine Wood for allowing me to read and review Ladykiller. To begin with, the cover is stunning and captivated my interest in the book. This book will become a favorite read for beach or travel, especially for those visiting the Greek Islands. Gia and Abby have been best friends since childhood, despite their contrasting backgrounds—Gia being an heiress and Abby being the daughter of their cook. Although they have grown up together, their bond weakened as adults. Abby disapproves of Gia's hasty marriage but still decides to meet Gia in Sweden, hoping to rebuild their connection. When Gia fails to arrive in Sweden, Abby and Benny, Gia's brother, embark on a journey to find her on the Greek Island she lives on. With numerous eccentric characters, a startling backstory, and many plot twists, this novel is a fantastic summer read that will engross you.

I read predominantly romance but I like to weave in a thriller with every few books as a palate cleanser and this one did not disappoint. In fact, I usually read three e-books at a time to get through my TBR quicker and couldn't put this one down. It held my attention from the very beginning and never it let it go!

Just looking at the cover you know you’re in for a sexy, twisty fun time. When Gia’s father leaves his immense wealth to charity, she travels to her remote Greek property with the husband she’s known for a few months to finish repairs so she can sell it for the cash. While there she begins writing a manuscript for a memoir that becomes her best friend and brother’s only clue to her whereabouts when she disappears the day the sale of the house goes through.

The story starts out slow, it doesn’t really get going until about the halfway point, but once it’s off it’s off! I’m still not sure if I’m completely clear on what was true or what really happened, but I read it in a single day over a long weekend and that’s the perfect summer book in my opinion.

This is one of those stories that leaves me questioning what just happened, what do I think about the story/ending, and what should I rate it? I did enjoy that the story toggled back and forth between Gia's pov and Abby's, and enough happened in the first half of the book to keep my attention. There were plenty of twists once it got to the meat of the story and even at the end, you will still be left with some unanswered questions. Overall, I enjoyed this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is packed with topics that will generate a good discussion for book clubs. Youthful bad decisions, sexual promiscuity, money and murder play heavily into this mystery.

Gia and Abby are two close friends who go through a traumatic situation in their teens. Readers will slowly learn all the details. Now that over 10 years have gone by, have Gia and Abby moved on from their past? That’s just one topic for discussion.

The characters are unlikable except for a few. Because of that, it’s not very sad when a few go missing. There are some quite spicy scenes and a bit of violence, but the book is not very frightening overall. It is a mystery and figuring out what happened held my interest. The ending was not resolved the way some readers might expect. For that reason, I’m wondering if the author may be planning a follow up book in the future.

Many thanks to NatGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam for allowing me to read an advance copy. I enjoyed the book and am happy to recommend to other readers.

Katherine Wood’s Ladykiller is a gripping mystery that weaves together friendship, secrets, and suspense. The story follows Abby, a hardworking attorney, who reconnects with her childhood friend Gia, an heiress, on an extravagant trip to Sweden. When Gia mysteriously disappears, Abby and Gia’s brother Benny travel to Greece to search for her. They find Gia's estate deserted, with only a tantalizing manuscript hinting at the dark truths surrounding her new marriage and glamorous guests.

Wood’s narrative is compelling and filled with twists, as Abby navigates the clues left behind to uncover the truth about Gia’s disappearance. The novel expertly balances the glitzy backdrop of Mediterranean luxury with the sinister undertones of hidden secrets and past tragedies. Ladykiller is an engrossing read that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the reliability of Gia’s story and eager to unravel the mystery before it's too late.

Unreliable narrator(s) telling the twisty story through dual POVs, a Greek island, wealthy heiress with a lying, cheating husband and house guests who may or may not have devious motives...what's not to like in this perfect beach read of a book.

My favorite aspect of Ladykiller was the two different perspectives of the story, with Abby's being told first person, and Gia's through her memoir which is possibly fictional and the reader continually questions how much is true. The tension was high throughout, and I loved the hints, red herrings and clues that were dropped in and later brought into question.

What kept the book from a 5-star rating is the ending which felt like somewhat of a cop-out, and was not satisfying IMO. It did not ruin my enjoyment of the book, just left me wanting a bit more from it. From the author's acknowledgements, I saw that the book is in development for a film adaptation, which I look forward to.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine/Bantam for the digital ARC of Ladykiller by Katherine Wood. The opinions in this review are my own.

A young Atlanta lawyer named Abby receives an invitation and a ticket to fly to Kiruna, Sweden in September to celebrate her wealthy friend Gia's 30th birthday and see the Northern Lights. Also invited is Gia's brother Benny, Abby's teenage heartthrob. The lifelong friends haven't spoken for a few months, actually since Gia's hasty marriage to Garrett Torres that Abby cautioned her against, so maybe this is also an olive branch of sorts. But when Abby and Benny arrive at the incredible hotel in Sweden, Gia is a no show....

Gia's side of the story is told through a manuscript she's currently writing. She's already had one successful memoir about a death she and Abby were involved in as teenagers and this steamy writing could be a blockbuster as it's about the newlywed life she is leading with her sexy husband Garrett on an idyllic Greek island. But all is not going well in paradise.

And poor Abby has begun getting notes that she worries are preludes to blackmail--notes that hint at knowing the truth about what really happened when a young man died.

I was thoroughly enjoying this thriller up to a certain point but then twists took the plot in a direction I didn't care for. Sort of a head-scratching 'whoa--wait a minute--what's really going on here?' feeling which never really goes away from that point on. I wasn't comfortable with the 'anything goes' sexual exploits of the rich and famous depicted, turning what should be a loving, intimate act into something repulsive and degrading. Yuck.

I was invited to read an arc of this new thriller by the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Ladykiller had all the ingredients to be one of my favorite thrillers of the summer, but I absolutely despised the ending and that brought it down for me so much! I feel like when authors present a lot of heavy topics/difficult scenes they should do a better job wrapping things up in a way that doesn't feel like the things covered within were mishandled. I'm left feeling this way about Ladykiller even though the loose ends were some of the least jarring things that happened to these characters! There is a lot of back and forth in the timeline which weighed down the pacing and made the overall plot feel needlessly stretched out and the ending feel rushed and sloppy.

However, I really enjoyed the overall story, the writing, how unlikable most of the characters were—my favorite part about thrillers—and the setting.

4 ⭐️s
2 🌶️s

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Pub Date: 07/09/24

Get ready to be transported to a sunny island estate… with a dark side 👀

🛥 REVIEW: LADYKILLER 🛥

By Katherine Wood

📖 SUMMARY: A few months after a falling out with her heiress best friend Gia, Abby receives an invitation to celebrate Gia’s birthday with a glamorous trip. However, when she and Gia’s brother Benny arrive, Gia is nowhere to be found. They decide to fly to Greece, her last known whereabouts, to check on her, but when they arrive there, the estate is empty. They find an unfinished manuscript that describes Gia’s last few weeks — including juicy details about her brand new husband, her houseguests who are basically strangers, and Benny’s movie star girlfriend who seriously overstayed her welcome. As Abby and Benny read through the manuscript, they’re left to wonder… where is Gia?

💭 THOUGHTS: I absolutely love everything by Katherine Wood (who previously wrote under the name Katherine St. John) so I was so excited to receive an arc of her newest summery thriller. Rich people problems in Greece? Sign me up! I really enjoyed the dual narrative going on here, with Abby’s present-day and Gia’s manuscript going back a few weeks. I never quite knew who I could trust and I was questioning each character up until the very end! Pick this up for a great beach read.

Thank you to @randomhouse for the ARC! This book comes out this Tuesday, July 9!

✨ MADE ME FEEL: suspicious of literally every character and desperate to take a trip to a Greek villa

🥰 YOU’LL ENJOY IF: you loved her previous novels THE LION’S DEN & THE SIREN

Ladykiller follows two childhood friends, Gia, the rich heiress, and Abby, the daughter of the family’s chef. An incident when they were eighteen on a vacation in Greece at Gia’s family’s summer estate is now coming back to light twelve years later when Gia disappears when Abby arrives for a vacation with Gia. The story switches between Abby in the present day and Gia’s in the past through her unfinished manuscript. The manuscript pieces take over half the novel to catch up to the present day, which means that the pacing greatly varies between each timeline.

On its surface, the novel is about a childhood friend investigating the disappearance of the other friend; however, there are a lot more smaller plotlines that are weaved into the story. Like many mysteries, there are lots of twists and turns along the way. They were nicely written and were definitely reminiscent of the author’s style with her Katherine St. John novels, including The Siren and The Lion’s Den. Similar to those novels, the setting was well-described, and it was easy to imagine the environment. As Abby investigates and Gia’s manuscript moves forward, the reader learns about the other characters in their lives that may or may not be involved. The tone of the writing does a nice job of increasing suspense as more pieces are revealed. Overall, this story had a few elements that I wanted to be explored in more detail, but it was a nice beach read type mystery/thriller.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bantam, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Unreliable narrators ✅
Rich people behaving badly ✅
Slow burn ✅
Murder ✅
Spice ✅
Missing heiress ✅
Head shaking ending ✅

LADYKILLER has all that and more. It’s best to go into this one blind to avoid spoiling the ride. This is a slowly developing psychological thriller told via dual POVs. Everyone is hiding something and the lies are revealed a little at a time.

Tge story held my attention and had a number of unexpected twists. The characters are so unlikable which adds to the wicked level.

Thanks to NerGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.