This is a psychological thriller written in many different voices. It is about the very rich, hanger-oners, con-artists and liars. The trick is to distinguish one from the other. The majority of it takes place on a small Island in the Aegean Sea. Years earlier a man died there under suspicious circumstances. Both Gia and her friend Abby are quite familiar with the circumstances and Gia’s father has taken care of the situation. Now she is writing a book about Abby and enjoying life with her new husband. They meet a couple in town and bring them back to their villa. This is when things begin to fall apart. There are disappearances, kidnappings, licentiousness and what may or may not be honesty. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Books for an ARC for an honest review.

Suspenseful, twisty read that kept me guessing until the end. Told through different timelines and from different character points of view, this was a good read that had a few moments of dragging.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC! Kept me at the edge of my seat. Definitely recommend

Who doesn't love a book about rich people behaving badly? Ladykiller by Katherine Wood delivers.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Gia and Abby have been best friends for years. When Gia goes missing in Greece, Abby travels there to find out what happened to her friend.

Told using alternating timelines and points of view. The present day point of view is from Abby, as she searches for her friend. The past is told from Gia’s perspective through a manuscript she wrote and left for Abby to find. Intriguing characters and an inviting setting.

Ladykiller is a compelling thriller with drama, secrets, and intrigue.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 22% (approximately 80 pages).

I wanted to love this book. It has so many great things going for it–a missing heiress, a practical best friend, the suggestion of a friends-to-lovers romance, atmospheric settings in Sweden and Greece–but unfortunately the pacing is far too slow for a thriller, and I think that the story's dual timelines are not handled well.

In Ladykiller, we're following Abby, a lawyer, who receives an invite to meet her childhood best friend Gia and Gia's brother Benny in Sweden to celebrate Gia's birthday. The two friends have been estranged for several months due to Gia's decision to marry a man she hardly knows, and this birthday celebration presents an opportunity to reconnect. The two women are also drawn together by a traumatic event in their past in which one of them saved the other's life, but we don't yet know the full details of that event.

The premise tells us that upon arriving in Sweden, Abby and Benny discover that Gia is missing, and then travel to Greece to look for her. In Greece, the only clue to her whereabouts is an unfinished memoir manuscript that details her experiences in the month preceding her birthday.

That said, at 20% into the book, none of this premise has happened yet. In fact, almost nothing mysterious or thrilling has happened yet, aside from one spooky email and one character's inability to see red flags.

I think this is due to the way the dual timeline is structured. Gia's manuscript is, surprisingly, introduced right at the start of the book, and it actually makes up most of the first 20%. This manuscript is where the action is, as Gia wildly misses an increasingly concerning series of red flags, both in her husband and in her new friends on the island. These events are interspersed with Gia's repeated monologues on her sexuality, how much she likes having sex with her husband, and how attracted she is to basically everyone in the house. This makes Gia feel fairly one-note, and it's frustrating that she picks up on so little of what's actually happening, despite the fact that she's supposed to be a very smart character. It's possible that the manuscript is intentionally misleading, but I honestly don't want to wade through another 150 pages of Gia's sexual escapades. Good for her, but not very fun for the reader.

Meanwhile, the present timeline sees Abby spend large portions of time reminiscing on her own backstory, explaining her connections to Gia and Benny, and considering how their lives might have turned out differently if that one traumatic thing hadn't happened. Abby's chapters are also much shorter than Gia's. Given that Abby's sections of the book are few and far between at this point, and most of her (very limited) page time is spend thinking about the past rather than the future, the present timeline largely fails to push the story forward. This makes for a very slow reading experience, which is not what I expected or want from a mystery/thriller of this kind.

I'm really bummed that I've been struggling so much with this book because the premise is promising, and I do actually like most of the characters (and the ones I don't like I at least find intriguing), including Abby and Gia. The settings are atmospheric, and I've also found the writing to be enjoyable and easy to read. Unfortunately, these positive attributes are just not enough to pull me through.

The structure and pacing of this book just aren't working for me, but I would be interested in reading something else from this author in future.

Ladykiller offers an intriguing premise with a Greek summer estate mystery and the dynamics of childhood friends turned suspects, but it falls short of delivering the gripping thriller it promises. While the setting is atmospheric and dreamy—a 10/10 for Greece vibes—the plot feels uneven. Gia’s unfinished manuscript, which dominates much of the story, drags in pacing, leaving the more compelling present-day narrative of Abby sidelined. Gia’s character is frustratingly one-dimensional, embodying the stereotypical clueless heiress, while Abby offers a more relatable and grounded perspective. The suspense builds slowly, only to lose momentum before delivering an ambiguous ending that may leave some readers unsatisfied. Though the book has its moments, particularly in Abby’s chapters, it doesn’t fully capitalize on its potential for twists and thrills. Three stars. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

Toxic friendship, secrets, and dual timelines which promises to give you a hint of what is to come but the twists will still get you. I sometimes struggle with books that use manuscripts/journals/letters as a way to tell the plot and did so here as well, but that’s just a personal preference. The writing and plot itself made up for it.

I love a book about rich people behaving badly especially when you add in an exotic destination. This one had lots of twists and turns but the ending was a bit open ended. I have so many questions!

LOVED this. This book had twists at every single corner that kept me on the edge of my seat with enough intrigue to keep me reading.

When Gia is missing, nowhere to be found but documents and manuscripts of the events leading up to the incident, leave it to her childhood best friend Abby along with Gia’s brother to break the mystery down to find her.

This slowburn mystery was packed full of drama that lead to a ton of tension that kept the story moving.

"Ladykiller" by Katherine Wood was an exciting, suspenseful, sexy novel. Full of twists and guesses, definitely a fun read. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Gia and Abby have been best friends since they were young, with a bond that was solidified by a tragedy that happened when they were 18. Twelve years later, Gia is back in Greece where the tragedy happened, living her best lift with her new husband, and invites Abby to celebrate her birthday with her. When she arrives, Gia is nowhere to be found, so Abby and Gia’s brother Benny go to Greece to find her. In Greece, they find her home deserted but see a manuscript that details the events before her disappearance. Abby and Benny team up to find Gia.
This book was a perfect summer pool read (and yes, I really am 6 months behind on reviews, don’t come for me). This is a bit of a slow-burn drama with layers of secrets and tensions bubbling up until it all comes to the surface. There are a lot of twists but the setting is what really makes this book special.
Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I hate to say it but I did not enjoy this book. It is not a thriller, I honestly don't know what to classify it as but just not something I would recommend.

Thank you Net Galley for my ARC.

Gia and Abby have are childhood friends bound by a secret they share from the last time both were at Gia's family home in Greece. Gia wants Abby and her brother, Ben, to meet up in Sweden, Gia doesn't show up. Abby receives a cryptic email right before she boards the plane. Worried about Gia, Ben & Abby fly to Greece to see if they can find her but they find a diary she had been keeping of her life on the island. Will they find her before it's too late?

I'm going to be real here, I did not read all of this book. I read about 80% and then read the back to see what happened. The characters were just not compelling enough to care and finish it.

This book was very suspenseful in what would happen. Gia and Abby have been friends since childhood. Gia is an heiress that impulsively marries her husband. When Gia goes missing Abby is determined to find her and figure out what happened.
3.75-4 stars

Ladykiller is a beach read-meets-mystery that I devoured in less than a day. Gia and Abby have been best friends since childhood— their friendship forever forged by a tragedy in Greece that happened when the pair was 18. Now, glamorous Gia's back in Greece with her brand new husband and invites workaholic attorney Abby on an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden to celebrate her birthday. When Abby and Gia's brother arrive in Sweden for the celebration, they're surprised to find that Gia's not there. The two fly to Greece to investigate, and discover that the estate's been deserted– with only Gia's unfinished manuscript as a clue to where she's gone. This novel reminds us that everyone has a story— but not every story is true...

This was an okay book and one I could read again. But it felt too much like other books I have read. I had moments where I was really into it but at the same time I was bored at times too.

Everyone has a story. But not everyone’s story is true! Which is so true!
Gia and Abby are best friends who decide to reconnect and meet up at Gia’s place in Greece! When Abby arrives, Gia is nowhere to be found! Where could she be? We learn so many interesting things about Gia. This book was like a wild lifetime movie. It was so interesting, I couldn’t stop reading. The ending was a little disappointing but aside from that I enjoyed the book!
Thank you NetGalley, Katherine, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I was immediately captivated by the characters, plot, and location. Loved it straight through to almost the end. The ending fell a bit flat, but I’d still highly recommend reading this!


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

As I've spent the better part of 2024 cleaning out neglected mystery/suspense ARCs from my Kindle, I have managed to learn one thing: I really need to stop getting sucked in by promotional NetGalley emails. Lady Killer by Katherine Wood is one of those debut novels that's not really a debut - the author having published three previous books under the name Katherine St. John. It came out in July, has a cover and blurb that screams beach read, and I'm nothing if not predictable. Of course I downloaded it, only to curse my one-click finger the minute I finished the final page.
Gia and Abby have been BFFs since childhood. Gia, a poor little rich girl with a distant father and mentally ill mother and Abby, the daughter of the cook. Gia's father, seeing the good influence that Abby could have on his impulsive daughter, pays for her schooling - an opportunity that Abby does not take for granted as it wasn't until this particular job that she and her mother were able to crawl their way out of poverty. Further bonding Gia and Abby together is a tragedy that occurred on a tiny Greek island (Gia's father owns a villa there - because of course he does) when they were 18, when a young man ends up dead. The incident was deemed as justifiable homicide and of course Gia goes on to publish a pseudo-memoir about the incident that gained her some notoriety, which has since faded into Where Are They Now? territory.

Then, Gia's father dies and ultimately leaves the bulk of his fortune to charity. Abby is a fledgling new attorney working 16-hour days while Gia continues to drift through her life until she falls head over heels in love with Garrett. They marry just a few short months after meeting and when Abby doesn't drop her life to fly to Europe to attend the quickie nuptials but also has the gall to say to Gia that she might want to slow down just a wee bit - the friends don't speak again for months. That is until Gia talks her into going on a bucket-list vacation to see the northern lights in Sweden. Abby is all set to say no again (work, work, work) until she finds out Gia's brother, Benny, is also coming. Naturally there's unrequited, complicated feelings there, but Abby shuffles some things around at work, digs out her passport, and hops a flight to Sweden. Except once she and Benny arrive, there's no Gia. Benny was in Greece a month ago visiting Gia, Garrett and some new friends staying with them. Between the weird scene that Benny experienced on his visit and the fact they can't get ahold of Gia now? Yeah, they change plans to fly to Greece to find out what's going on. Where is Gia?

The book is told in alternating points of view - Abby's and through a series of manuscript pages written by Gia that details her life in Greece with Garrett. They're staying in the family villa for a few months, getting some renovations done, in preparation for selling the place to Gia's stepmother. Gia doesn't want to sell but she needs the money - apparently so does Garrett, who is in more financial trouble than he's letting on to his new wife. These manuscript pages eventually become the main clue in helping Benny and Abby find out what happened to Gia.

Rich people behaving badly, Greece, and a load of secrets - this sounds like a perfect beach read. Except, unfortunately, it is not. It's really slow to get moving along. It takes about half the book to really cook and by then you just want to scream at Gia for being such a trusting dumb bunny. You'd kind of expect Abby to be the moral center to take up the slack, except you'd be wrong. That incident that happened on the island when they were both 18 and a guy ends up dead? Yeah, let's just Abby doesn't come off looking real good there and I'll leave it at that.

But things do eventually heat up and Lord helped me I got sucked in once it's clear that Gia is missing. Unfortunately the whole thing is undone by my least favorite plot device in suspense novels and thrillers.

That's right folks, we have a "you as the reader decide" ambiguous ending.

Like a "romance novel" without a happy ending - these need to be lit on fire and shot into the sun afterward for good measure.

What did our "bad guy" know and when did they know it? Is our "bad guy" Machiavellian or just a delusional narcissist? Did our "bad guy" have intent?

No idea. Couldn't tell you. It's an ending without being an ending and I hate everyone here thanks for asking.

There's a reason I read genre fiction folks and ambiguous endings ain't it. If it wanted this kind of shit I'd spend a lot more of my leisure time reading general fiction.

So a book I wasn't madly in love with but was easily a "it's OK, YMMV may vary" ends up sinking like a stone with that ending. Oh well, one more off my catch-up pile I guess?

Final Grade = D