Although their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, Gia (whose family is very wealthy) and Abby (the daughter of the chef for Gia’s family) become close childhood friends. When they are 18, they become involved in a tragedy in Greece (where Gia’s family has an estate), and then they somewhat go their separate ways but stay in touch. Some years later, when Gia invites Abby to her birthday celebration in Sweden, Abby eagerly accepts, only to discover when she arrives that Gia has mysteriously disappeared. Abby and Gia’s brother Benny then travel to Greece to try to begin to unlock the mystery of what happened to Gia and why. This novel really had me intrigued from the very beginning, but seemed to lose a lot of steam starting at about the midway point. Additionally, the ending was not a definitive one, and instead was so open-ended that it left the reader to make assumptions about what really happened. All in all, though, this was a good read.

This book was quite an adventure! The beautiful settings, predominantly Switzerland and Greece, really set the stage for the drama that unfolds. His is established early on as a fun loving person who is madly in love with her new husband without a care in the world. As time goes on we learn that Gia isn’t all we’re led to believe she is, and her husband definitely isn’t. Abby harbors her own dark secrets that are intimately connected to Gia. I really loved following along this wild ride as I learned more about Gia and her husband as well as Abby. Nothing is what it seems!

Wow this book put me through some whiplash!! I loved it! A great poolside mystery/thriller for the summer. Great writing. Although I was able to piece together one direction, there were so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I wish there was a little more detail towards the end of the book before it jumped into the epilogue.

Definitely room for this book to have a sequel.... (i'm hopeful!) . Definitely check this one out! Thanks NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Wood - queen of luxurious, psychological thrillers! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy.

I have been a fan of hers since THE LION's DEN (under pen name Katerine St John) and everything she touches is golden! LADYKILLER is a perfect thrilling summer escape to the Greek islands to pack in your beach bag. I highly recommend!

I'm a sucker for a good Greek island setting as well as the "rich people behaving badly" mini genre, so this book appealed from the description. Unfortunately, I found that this book moved more slowly than I like and it was hard for me to keep going as it felt like a thriller that I had read before. I enjoyed the ending, but overall found this one to be just okay for me.

I wanted to like this book. It just felt so similar to others I have read before and I couldn’t keep the story straight in my head.

I do like a good psychological thriller. And, "Ladykiller", doesn't disappoint. There are lots of twists and turns that make you question what you already know. But the characters are interesting, the plot original, and the fact that you keep guessing throughout, is terrific. The setting, for the most part, is Greece, and with Ms. Woods' writing, it is easy to picture yourself right in the middle of all these warped people and situations. I do recommend this book.

4.5 stars - It doesn’t take long for this book to suck you in with it’s secrets, twists and turns and before you know it you’ll be feverishly turning the pages wanting to know what happened to Gia, who is blackmailing Abby, and who in this cast of characters is actually “good”. Set in the picturesque countries of Greece and Switzerland, Wood paints a vivid picture as we read through Gia’s manuscript to learn what happened to our leading lady, her husband, and a mysterious couple they became fast friends with. Some twists were kind of obvious, but there were plenty to keep you guessing which I really appreciated. I didn’t have a problem with the ending being a bit open, but if you’re someone who needs complete resolution, be warned you may not get what you’re looking for.

After a tragedy in Greece, Gia and Abby are bonded for life. After the event, Abby went deep into her studies, while Gia wrote a tell-all memoir.

12 years later, Gia has returned to Greece with her new husband and a crew of glamorous people doing glamorous things. She is there to sell her father's estate after his death. Abby receives an invite to celebrate Gia's upcoming birthday by seeing the Northern Lights in Sweden. After landing in Sweden and connecting with Gia's brother, Gia is missing. Messages are cryptic and Gia's phone is not being answered. Abby and Benny (the brother) fly back to Greece in hopes of connecting with Gia there.

The truth starts to unravel when they read a new manuscript of current events. They learn about her marriage and all about the glamorous friends. Gia is missing and this might be the only clue they have.

This is a great thriller, but does move a smidge slower than I like. Still, with the beautiful setting of Greece - how can any of this be wrong?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I truly wanted to love this book but it was not my cup of tea. I DNF around 40% it was not grabbing my attention and I felt I could not connect to the characters in the book.

I would definitely recommend trying it yourself as my opinion may be different than someone else’s. The writing was good just could not connect to the story.

Thank you Netgally, Katherine Wood and bellintine books for the ARC. I received this ARC of Ladykiller for my honest opinion.

Ladykiller by Katherine Wood is a captivating blend of setting, atmosphere, and tension. The novel delves into past indiscretions, a mysterious couple, a sun-drenched setting, unrequited love, and lust, all intertwining to create a spellbinding story. With a warning to trust no one, this book is a must-read for those seeking a thrilling and suspenseful tale.

Gia and Abbey were best friends who shared all secrets. When Gia goes missing Abbey digging into Gias manuscript looking for clues that might explain what happened to her.

I found this book painfully slow and it was hard for me to keep reading as I felt it was boring and at times predictable. The ending however did surprise with a good twist.

I want to thank the Publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Gia and Abby were best friends as children and until a tragedy occurred when they were 18 years old. Twelve years later, Abby receives and invitation to Gia’s 30th birthday celebration at a chalet in Sweden. When Abby arrives at the chalet, Abby isn’t there. She is missing and a manuscript of a book she has been writing is found which tells of her life up until her disappearance. Abby is worried for Gia and makes it her duty to find her.
This is a novel that you need to stick with reading. There are twists that will keep you guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing—Ballantine

Interesting take on The Talented Mr. Ripley,. This book should definitely get thrown in your beach bag this summer!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Very interesting plot in this novel.

Gia and Abby have been friends for a long time, despite being from very different backgrounds, and being very different personalities. Abby and Gia’s brother Benny have also had a few moments in their past, but remain very good friends.

When the girls were in their teens, there was a tragedy that pulled the girls together, and set Abby off on a path as a lawyer, and left Gia enjoying life as an heiress with an adventurous spirit.

Now, Gia is newly married, shortly after the death of her father. She’s getting her house in Greece ready for sale, and asks Abby and Benny to join her for a birthday celebration in Sweden. But Gia never arrives…

Abby and Benny travel to Greece to find out what has happened to Gia, and the more they uncover, the more disturbed they are.

I like the way this novel unfolded, told as it is in several timelines and plotlines, and yet they were never confusing. We follow Abby as she travels to Sweden and then to Greece, but also we have a few flashbacks to the teenage years when the girls were involved in a dreadful experience. Meanwhile, the story is alternately told from the pages of a manuscript of a novel that Gia has written while in Greece. But is the manuscript reliable? Can Abby and Benny use it to find Gia?

Ms Wood did a lovely job of making the characters very intriguing, as we slowly realize that everyone has secrets, behaves suspiciously and we try and figure out what is really going on. I enjoyed the pacing as the suspense built, although it was very unusual for the main point of the plot not to happen until 75% of the way through the book. Such a long build up for something we knew was going to happen. I loved the way things were not the way they first seemed, in many different ways and involving several different people.

I was a little disappointed in the ending, as things were not really wrapped up, but I understand the way the author wanted to leave the readers to make some of their own judgement calls. Personally, I kept trying to figure out if I had missed something along the way. So this novel was quite different for the typical ‘formula’. It did keep me interested as I wanted to understand what happened!

This book had a slow start for me between the two different POVs. It then got really really good in the middle to where I was hooked on quickly finishing it. But then the ending felt lackluster to me. It ends on a cliffhanger but it overall felt like it was missing something in the story. I know so many people love this one, but the ending didn’t live up to the hype for me.

Woah! A completely enthralling debut novel about an heiress, her best friend, and the secrets they share. This book is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing all the way to the end. The story is told from two perspectives: a memoir manuscript and real time until the two stories converge into one. It was a 5 star read for me all the way up until the end but dropped off because I feel like a few loose ends weren't tied up. Can't wait to discuss this one with friends and will be recommending to anyone who will listen. I highly recommend reading whilst on a Greek vacation. *chef's kiss*

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published July 9, 2024.

This was a fun and quick read about two best friends from high school. It got a little convoluted towards the end, but overall a very satisfying thriller.

Part of me really enjoyed this book, and another part feels conflicted (mainly in the way the story was told and the format). The story is told in large part from the POV of a manuscript written by one of the main characters. There are little Easter eggs and pieces of information that could lead to a disappearance. And it sort of felt like reading two completely different stories at once, and I did not really anticipate the manuscript being such a huge chunk of the overall book itself. But I will say this book makes me wanna get up and go to Greece, have some wine, and have a good time!

A beach readable thriller featuring rich people and their scandals, the questions of agreed upon truths and reality, and what happens when. Yu take someone at their word. I enjoyed it, but I think there was a pacing issue overall. The book felt too slow at first, the buildup being too long for what appeared to be an obvious conclusion. Even when we hit the climax it didn't seem to have the payoff needed to justify the amount of time we took building it up.