This was my first time reading Katherine Wood. She kept me intrigued and hooked with this real page turner. I loved the way the stories intertwined making us question and second guess everything we thought we knew.

Set in Greece, the home of the Olympics, Ladykiller had a great running head start, a promising dismount with lots of expected and unexpected twists and turns, but ultimately could not stick the landing for me.

Told from dual points of view, Ladykiller follows Abby, best friend to heiress and author Gia, and Gia's reality based "manuscript" that she is writing as a second novel. While Abby wrestles with Gia's impulsivity and decides to accept an invitation for a vacation to make amends, Gia is navigating a quickie marriage to a man she barely knows and two mysterious houseguests that show up on her family's home island in Greece.

Both characters are unreliable, which in and of itself isn't a big deal. However, Gia for the first 75% of the book is such an inane idiot that I could not possibly believe anyone could be so stupid. Whilst Abby has her own secrets, as a reader, we really do not get too much insight into her thought process as the majority of the book is through Gia's manuscript. The ending was inconclusive and very open-ended, which for a mystery novel comes across as a cop out and for me personally, a complete let down.

The writing itself is well done and the dialogue flows smoothly. The book does move as a fast paced erotic thriller/mystery and there is plenty of spice, but little to no romance. The Grecian setting is not very descriptive, so do not expect to be transported - as the setting could have been on any island and I would not have noticed a difference.

Overall, an interesting thriller that fans of heiress in trouble type stories will love, but not one that was ultimately for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Katherine Wood for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I felt that this book was certainly very ambitious, however really just did not work well. There was a lot of gratuitous explicit friskiness which I think overrode the content of this book in many ways. The backstory is what really kept me reading in this book. I wanted to know what had happened in the past between the friends. The mystery elements were fairly good, however there were so many loose ends that were left hanging. This was disappointing and worked against the specificity of the plot that had been created. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than anticipated but I feel like the ending was a cop out, I wish there had been more of a concrete solution instead of leaving so ambiguous.

Skip the jacket copy and jump into this one blind if you love a great setting and mysterious disappearance of a rich person! I love a 'rich person behaving badly' trope and this fit the bill. This novel was not necessarily groundbreaking or particularly memorable, but it was page-turning and enjoyable every step of the way! Its perfect for a beach vacation of quick weekend read when you want to be transported to a new world for a few hours.

The synopsis of this one sounded right up my alley! Unfortunately, the book itself didn’t hold my interest as much. It’s very slow and I was bored. I think for the right person who enjoys the slow build, this would be fantastic! A crime that takes place a decade ago still has a set of best friends questioning.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books from this author (under Katherine St John), and she usually provides fun summer thrillers. unfortunately I found this one was just OK, maybe it’s just because there was quite the slew of vacation themed thrillers this summer so it’s hard to find a standout. I knew where most of the story was going pretty early in and the ending left a lot to be desired, but was still a quick read

I enjoyed this story although didn't LOVE it. Good premise, but It just didn't click with me. Others loved it so may just have been my mood???

This really is a book within-a-book, with Abby and Benny’s story of meeting up in Sweden at Gia’s invitation enveloping Gia’s manuscript, telling her story of the events leading up to her disappearance in Greece. The book description summarizes the basic details of the framework there.

So we really have two really intriguing mysteries: what’s going on in Greece leading up to Gia’s disappearance- because there’s several things that begin to feel “off” right away….and I was immediately invested in what was going on. It definitely felt like a gothic thriller with a Greek island twist. And then what’s happening in the aftermath, with the emails, Gia’s disappearance and some other things I won’t spoil.

It really adds up to a great mystery/thriller.

And the ending was pretty exciting too. It’s enough of an answer, but with an open “option” that allows for a bit of a “you’ll be looking over your shoulder,” giving you the chills-type ending. I liked that.

My only issue was that at least one of the twists was kind of obvious from the beginning, and there was one major mystery point, that unless I completely missed it (and I was looking for it), remained unsolved. And it was pretty prevalent throughout the book, so leaving it in limbo was a bit disappointing.

But I still enjoyed the book very much. And I highly recommend it. It’s one trip through Europe you won’t soon forget!

Unreliable narrators in a story always thrill me, because we don't know what's true and what isn't, who to believe and who to mistrust. I also love stories that bring old friends together later in life, when they are in vastly different "worlds." This was a mystery that intrigued me from the jump and kept true to the end.

A fabulous book set in Greece jam packed with twists and turns that will keep you guessing which characters are telling the truth and which are deceiving the reader. AA highly engaging book that is told from two viewpoints of best friends Gia and Abby. This is one book that you won't want to miss if you like a good roller coaster ride in a book.
The descriptions of Greece are beautiful and this book is just an all around fun book to read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.

Danggggg. Gia is intense.

This book was all over the place and I ate it up.

The dynamic between Gia and Abby is insane.

Read this one going in blind, all you need to know is this is a thriller/suspense/drama book, giving the perfect European vibes (Sweden, Greece and Paris).

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for my DRC.

Ladykiller is an entertaining thriller, with some romance thrown in. Abby is the poor friend of Gia, a wealthy socialite. The book starts at the funeral of Gia's father, and the surprise announcement that he hasn't left his fortune to his kids. As the book continues, we learn more about Anny and Gia's past, the truth about the story that made them infamous, and their current situation. Against Abby's recommendation, Gia has married a man she barely knows and is living with him on an island in Greece. All the descriptions of the island, from scenery, to the gorgeous people, and clothes, and food and drink and boats, make me want to visit this island! We get the story from 2 points of view, in overlapping timelines, Gia's manuscript, of which we never know how much is true, and Abby's first person narrative. I don't want to give anything away, but you are left wondering about some of the character's true motives.

This is what I would consider more of a slow burn thriller. You are getting two different stories simultaneously (can be considered dual timeline, I suppose, but one is technically a manuscript). It was fun trying to figure out who's telling the truth (if anyone), and just when you decide you can't stand a character something happens and you almost feel bad for them. A bit of a wild ride, I feel like this is a perfect beachy vacation read.

A funny, soapy thriller that's perfect for the end of summer reading. Would recommend if you like Greece, an unreliable narrator, a missing woman, twists and turns. I don't think this book reinvented the wheel but I found the characters to be interesting archetypes and I didn't mind the somewhat open ending. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the arc!

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I liked this book. I haven't read a book in a long time where the narrators are unreliable and I like that. It wasn't a favorite but it had a decent storyline that I enjoyed.

Gia and Abby are friends. But they haven't spoken for a while. Abby told Gia not to get married to a man she only knew for a few months. But Gia doesn't listen
Gia extends an olive branch offering Abby a trip to Switzerland to meet with Gia for her birthday. Gia never shows
Abby and Gia's brother find this strange. Where is Gia. Gias brother and Abby begin digging and investigating to find Gia. They have a feeling it has something to do with Gia's new husband, but once they start searching for Gia, more clues and people involved come into play
What has Gia gotten herself into. Who is she involved with, and what do they know about Gia's whereabouts

If I had to sum up Ladykiller in one word, it would be: Salacious.

Katherine Wood crushed it. This book has it all—intrigue, murder, shady behavior, love, lust, exotic locations, rich people being messy, and yes, hot Greek men everywhere.

I couldn't put it down. A decades-old homicide? Con artists? A hot younger brother and best friend tension? Say less, I’m in. I’ve enjoyed her other books, but this one? Pure gold. Her writing’s sharper, the scandal is juicier, and I am here for every moment of rich people behaving badly.

💙 It’s #thrillerthursday and this is a spicy one to end the summer!

💙 Trust nobody in this book that mostly takes place on a Greek Island. With multiple POV’s and timelines, you’ll constantly be guessing what’s true and what’s make believe. Read this one if you like…
- your thrillers with a side of spice
- rich people behaving badly
- manipulative narrators
- twists and turns you never saw coming

💙 This is a thriller that lands mostly on the fun and sexy side, rather than scary or spooky. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed listening to it. I appreciated that the story swept me off to the beaches of Greece while I swept my floors in Central PA. 🤣

Gia Torres, a wealthy heiress goes missing, leaving behind a manuscript accounting her life for the past few weeks. Her younger brother Benny and her best friend Abby fly to a tiny Greek island, where the family has a home to get to the bottom of Gia’s disappearance.

Told in alternating points of view between Abby in the present worried about her friend, and Gia via her manuscript accounting for the weird events leading up to her practically vanishing off the face of the Earth, we slowly discover a world full of misdeeds and lies.

Ladykiller is a thriller that will leave readers guessing from the beginning to the end, with unreliable narrators and plenty of twists and turns. Though the story started off strong, it fizzles a bit towards the end. I also could have done with less of Gia’s sexual exploitations, and more about her psychological state. Fair warning this novel has abuse, rape, somewhat open-door scenes, mental illness and more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House-Ballatine Books, and the author Katherine Wood for the advanced copy of the book. Ladykiller is out now. All opinions are my own.