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!

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood focuses on Abby and her best friend Gia. When the girls were 18, a horrific event changed their lives. Years later this event has come back to haunt them both in different ways.

I went into this book blind and I’m glad I did. The story kept me reading and I was never sure exactly where it was headed. It wasn’t what I would call a traditional mystery or thriller- perhaps more of a domestic thriller. That is not typically my genre, but I very much enjoyed this one. Definitely a summer beach read!

Ladykiller was a book I didn’t have much hopes for but I’m glad overall that I read it. I enjoyed parts of it and the anticipation to what the thriller parts were but there were a lot of things I also did not enjoy. Gia’s whole pov wasn’t very good. She is a selfish woman that lets bad things happen to her because all she wants is to have a good time. Although I felt bad for her at times, her actions made me not care.
However I did enjoy the ending. We don’t really know what actually happened, whose story to believe. I do want to see more from the author in the future though, I can tell that if this were a different story I’d enjoy her writing more.

This one started like an episode of Succession and didn't let up. I loved the setting (and that cover!) wich was so vividly described throughout. The twists and turns kept coming along the beautiful writing and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves stories about rich people behaving badly, and who always want to indulge in some armchair traveling.

Ladykiller
by Katherine Wood
Pub Date: Jul 09 2024

Ladykiller is a very unique novel about female friendships and jealousy among friends. It has great characters that match the storyline being told in a dual timeline. Being narrated by both Gina and Abby who are childhood friends. A great page turner with lots of twisty plots and vivid descriptions. I highly recommend this book.

Synopsis: When an heiress goes missing, her best friend races to unravel the secrets behind her disappearance using clues left behind in an explosive manuscript…“Full of sun, sex, money, and greed".

Many thanks to #Ladykiller #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroup for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Sex. Drugs. Travel. Badly Behaved Women. Secrets.
When Abby gets an invite to meet her best friend Gia in Sweden for a weekend away, she meets up with Gia's brother, but no Gia. As they try to find Gia, they begin to realize something sinister may have happened.
Told in two forms, Abby's POV and through Gia's manuscript, we learn about Gia's marriage, money problems, and the scam to take everything she has. But when the scammers disappear, and Gia reappears, the question is posed- did Gia do it?

Ladykiller is atmospheric with interesting characters and a deliciously twisty plot.
Rich-girl Gia has always been spontaneous and risque, unlike her best friend Abby. When Gia announced she was marrying someone she'd just met, Abby tried to talk her out of it, but Gia had found her soul mate in Garrett. They haven't spoken since, but Abby agrees to meet Gia and Gia's brother, Benny, in Sweden for Gia's 30th birthday, but when Gia doesn't show up, Abby and Benny head to the island in Greece where Gia and Garrett have been living to figure out what's going on. Chapters alternate between Abby and Gia's point of view, with Gia's mostly told through what is basically her journal but is presented as a book manuscript. With lots of surprises and twists, the story kept me a bit "off-kilter", in a good way, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone else by giving too much away.

Wow! What a thriller! Twisty just like I like them! It was so good, prob one of my favorite thrillers I have read in a long time. Don’t miss out on the ladykiller!

Gia and Abby have been best friends since childhood, separated by class and brought together by teenage tragedy. Years later, heiress Gia has made a snap decision to marry near-stranger Garrett in the wake of her father's death. Abby has been keeping her distance from this ill-advised match, foregoing the wedding and agreeing to meet up again only because Benny—Gia's brother and Abby's longtime crush—will also be along.

But things are becoming uncomfortable. Gia has failed to show up for the reunion, sending apology texts that sound nothing like her. Alongside these are threatening emails, calling Abby out for a long-buried lie. When Abby and Benny make it to Gia's home in Greece, all they find is her latest autobiographical manuscript: a terrifying story of betrayal, scandal, and infidelity. All signs point to Garrett, as well as the couple's two new friends, targeting Gia. But how much of Gia's manuscript is true? As the truth of Abby and Gia's shared trauma resurfaces, Abby and Benny scour the city for both the truth and absolution.

On the surface, Ladykiller is a slow-burn mystery. But dig deeper, and readers will discover that it is in fact a long-form character study. Gia's manuscript plays out alongside Abby's own narrative chapters. As we discover more about both ladies, we are cast as judge and jury: who is telling the truth? Is anyone telling the truth? Katherine Wood subverts expectations right in front of our noses, with the true convoluted mystery emerging in the final pages and sitting with us long after the book has been closed.

Ladykiller is filled with suspense. I enjoy a book told from different points of views. I loved the beautiful Greece setting.

Hugo Torres had married three times before he died. His leaves behind his widow, Melodie, and a 6-year-old son. His second wife, Caroline, struggled with her mental health and now resides in a sanatorium in Switzerland. They had a daughter, Gia, and a son, Benny. His first wife and 3 grown children live in London.

Gia and Abby have been very good friends and Hugo even paid for Abby to attend private schools with Gia. One time, Abby was attacked by Gia’s stalker and Gia ended up killing him to save Abby. Gia then wrote a successful novel about the incident. Abby is now an associate at a law firm where she is working long hours hoping to be made a partner. When Gia met and married a man named Garrett barely a month after meeting him, Abby was concerned. However, Gia insists that they are very happy. Gia is staying in the family’s large villa in Greece that she owns. She and Garrett recently met a couple in town who are waiting to get their boat fixed and she invites them to stay until it’s done. At the same time, Gia issues an invitation to Abby and Benny to join her on a vacation and they both agree. But when Gia and Benny, arrive, Gia does not show up. Back in Greece, Abby and Benny find no sign of Gia but she had left a typed story of how her marriage to Garrett had truly been.

I stuck with this book even though I was disgusted with the loose morals of the characters. Gia is a total mess. Typical spoiled little rich girl. The characters she encounters are disgusting. I kept hoping that this story was going somewhere but it ended without a real ending. Since the descriptions of the areas are so well done, I am going to give this book 3 stars. In the future, don’t leave readers hanging.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow. I kept finding myself saying either "Oh my god!" or "Really?" Gia's manuscript, found by her brother, Benny, and best friend, Abby, when Gia goes missing, contains both lies and truth, fictions and nonfictions. So what do you believe? What really happened? There's hedonism and con men, a mysterious well, allusions to "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and the beautiful background of Greece. By the end of the book, you find yourself siding with either Gia or Abby but they can't both be right. Or can they? Like a good Agatha Christie or even an episode of House, people who have something to hide rarely tell the truth or, at least, they try to disguise it. So, what really happened? Well, that's yours to decide.

👏🏽👏🏽This book was so entertaining and fun to read! Abby and Gia have been friends for a long time. They grew apart when Gia married a man Abby isn’t fond of. However, when Abby agrees to come to Greece for Gia’s birthday, she realizes things aren’t what they seem. The book is told from a dual POV and past and present timeline. I loved the atmospheric vibes, the mystery and it was fun trying to guess who was actually telling the truth. I enjoyed all the drama, the spicy scenes, twists, and surprises throughout the book. Definitely add to one to your summer TBR!

Damn this book is diabolical and so amazing you won't be able to put it down until the last page!!!!! Truly a masterpiece from an amazing author.

In this novel we meet, Abby who grew up with and is in gratitude of her friend Gia's family who her mom worked for as a chef. Due to this upbringing, Abby, Gia, and Gia's younger brother Benny grew up together including vacationing in Greece. Years ago when Abby and Gia were young adults, they suffered a tragedy that resulted in the death of a young man. Years later, the three are getting back together. What unfolds is a story from two viewpoints. Abby's as she prepares to see Gia again and has guilt over what transpired years ago and Gia's as she currently experiences issues with her husband told through her new book's manuscript.

What sucked me in the most about this novel was the setting-- the majority of this novel is told in flashbacks as we read Gia’s manuscript describing her marriage at her house in Greece and the new couple they are hanging out with. Gia leads a salacious life that is intriguing to read. But is she telling the truth or a version of it? There are many gasp-worthy moments and there are so many shady characters that it made this read a fun mystery because I was suspicious of everyone. This book has a lot: an unreliable narrator, murder, kidnapping, best friend’s brother romance, and surprising commentary on privilege.

Ladykiller started off strong and it was great until the ending. The ending was a total letdown. It didn’t leave me with any closure at all and bring the book together. It left me with so many questions. It was really a bummer. I really loved the setting and the author did a wonderful job making you feel like you were there. The pacing and the storyline really were great and I was fully invested until the ending. This wouldn’t have been 4 stars if the ending would have been full circle.

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House- Ballantine, for a copy in return for my honest review.

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood didn’t quite hit me in the way I wanted it to.

Gia and Abby have been friends since they were girls. They’re bonded by an event that caused both of them trauma just as they came of age in Greece. While Abby threw herself into her studies, heiress Gia chronicled her account of the events in a salacious memoir. Twelve years later, Gia is back in Greece with a new husband and on the precipice of selling her family’s estate. She invites Abby to Sweden for her birthday, along with her brother Benny, but when they get there, Gia doesn’t show up. What follows is a dual POV story as Abby and Benny try to find out where Gia is, and Gia’s story via the manuscript she’s writing.

There were some things about this book that just didn’t work for me. I hated the aspect of Gia’s manuscript. It mostly feels like just Gia’s story a few weeks in the past and any revelations that came from it were nominal when it comes to telling this story. I did prefer Abby’s story and thought it felt a bit more realistic.

I also wasn’t a fan of the open ending. It doesn’t feel like anything got resolved and you’re supposed to interpret it…but it feels like seeds of doubt are implanted in the epilogue that I didn’t jive with.

I don’t think this story is reinventing the thriller storytelling wheel. Didn’t feel fresh or new to me.

Thank you to Bantam Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.