"Ladykiller" takes readers on a thrilling and suspenseful journey into the dark secrets and hidden truths of a seemingly idyllic world.

The story revolves around the intertwined lives of two friends, Gia and Abby, who share a traumatic past in Greece. Now in their thirties, their lives have taken drastically different paths. Gia is a wealthy heiress living a life of luxury, while Abby is a hardworking attorney. When Gia invites Abby to Sweden to celebrate her birthday, it seems like a golden opportunity for them to reconnect.

However, the story takes a sinister turn when Gia mysteriously disappears, leaving behind a disturbing manuscript that reveals shocking revelations about her marriage and the enigmatic guests at her estate. As Abby and Gia's brother, Benny, dig deeper into the secrets hinted at in the manuscript, they embark on a quest to unravel the truth and find Gia.

The narrative skillfully weaves together multiple timelines, alternating between Gia's manuscript and Abby's present-day investigation. This dual perspective adds layers of complexity to the story and keeps readers engaged as they piece together the puzzle alongside the characters.

The characters are well-developed, and their motivations and vulnerabilities are explored in depth. Abby's determination and unwavering loyalty to her friend make her a relatable and compelling protagonist. The supporting cast, including the enigmatic guests at Gia's estate, are equally intriguing and contribute to the overall sense of unease and suspense.

The author's writing is evocative, creating a vivid sense of place, from the luxurious settings of Greece and Sweden to the eerie emptiness of Gia's deserted estate. The plot is filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing, and the tension escalates as Abby races against time to uncover the truth about Gia's disappearance.

"Ladykiller" is a roller-coaster of a novel that explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. It's a page-turner that will keep you enthralled from start to finish, and the final revelations will leave you stunned.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. "Ladykiller" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful storytelling that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Taut, mysterious, twisted and thoroughly engaging, #ladykiller by Katherine Wood is a very enjoyable read that kept me up at night. I enjoyed the setting in the Greek isles and Ms Wood did a great job describing it so you felt you were there. I enjoyed the back and forth between Gia’s manuscript chapters and Abbey’s actions and thoughts. Thank you to #netgalley and #bantamdell for this ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Be transported to the exotic Greek Islands and live the life of a carefree, newly married woman. However things aren't exactly what they seem. In this thrilling, thriller, Gia is newly married and is renovating her Greek home left to her by her father. She is getting ready to sell it so that she will have some money after being left nothing when her father passed. She hopes to get together with her best friend Abby and brother. Abby is excited to see Gia since they haven't spoken since a falling out she and Gia had after Gia said she was getting married. There is so much history between these two. When Gia doesn't meet Abby in Sweden, Abby is worried something is wrong. Luckily Gia has left a manuscript that will shed light on what has been happening.

The novel gives Abby's view point and Gia's through her manuscript. There is so much to delve into and you won't want to stop reading this novel. I loved that it was a thriller but also a mystery rolled into one. The setting also makes this book one you won't want to miss. I actually felt like I was on a Greek island as I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. My only critique is I wanted more from the ending. I feel like I still need to know more. Overall, a good thriller.

Thank you to Random House/Bantam Dell for this ARC.

Ladykiller is a debut novel by Katherine Wood, but it is executed so skillfully, the reader would never guess it is a first novel. I learned this trying to find other books by the author after finishing the novel in two sittings.

Abby is the daughter of the chef at a billionaire’s Montecito estate. She becomes good friends with the two wealthy children, and the billionaire educates Abby since she appears to be a good influence on his daughter. Still, the power dynamics of being the help influence what is to come. Is Gia, the heiress, a victim or criminal? Is she really conned by her husband? Is she Abby’s best friend or a world-class manipulator?

There is romance, murder, and other mysteries as layers are pulled away from each of the main characters perceptions and memories. Most of the action takes place on a Greek island. I enjoyed descriptions of that as well as literary allusions sprinkled throughout the book, often with a theme mirroring the action of the novel, such as The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Definitely unputdownable!

Thank you for sending me an ARC to enjoy. While it is a cold winter where i am located, it is always fun reading a book located in an island setting. This story took place in a Greek Island setting and the atmosphere really made you feel like you were there. The story itself was a wild ride and I enjoyed it. You never quite knew who to trust and had lots of twists and turns I never saw coming.

This was a fun mystery/thriller with a few twists and turns. The storyline falls apart in a few places..but still an enjoyable read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199236713

Beautifully written with evocative descriptions of Greece and Sweden. The story is complex and tangled with an ambiguous ending that was completely different from the one I saw in my head. I loved this book and found it hard to put down. The writing was refreshingly elegant. The point of view switched from individual storylines to an unreliable manuscript written by one of the characters.

3.5 stars. Gia and Abby are best friends and spent most of their childhoods together when Abby’s mother was hired to cook for Gia’s wealthy family. Years later, the two are grown up and living countries apart as their pursue very different lives. A birthday trip promises to bring them back together after a recent falling out, but it soon becomes apparent that Gia has gone missing.

This book is an excellent vacation read as it’s set predominantly in the Greek isles as well as in lux resort in Sweden designed to showcase the Northern Lights. The chapters alternate between Abby’s present and what we are told is a manuscript of a new memoir written by Gia. The unreliable characters, rich locations, and cast of interesting characters make this a compelling read but I’m not quite sure the author figured out the ending. I actually thought I knew where this was going about 60% of the way through and weirdly found myself disappointed by the more straightforward and weirdly ambiguous real conclusion.

Overall, this is still a solidly diverting read when you need an escape. Also I do feel that the title is strangely misleading as this is far more a tale of deception and duplicity than overt violence and murder.

Many thanks to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for sending this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I enjoyed the fast pace of the book and the twists and turns it leaves you on a cliffhanger of sorts and never really fully explains what happened to some of the vital characters the author spent so much of the story setting up. Did the soon to be ex husband Garrett die or run away? What really happened to Emilia? Is Gia really a cold hearted person and killed Noah out of spite and then years later kill again? While I love that Abby and Benny ended up together in the end, the end just left me with so many question’s.

When someone tells you who they are, believe them. Excellent advice, yes, but those tells are riddled with so many variations, so many caveats, sometimes so tempered with love that we just don’t know what the real truth is. Bookish Abby grew up with super rich Gia and Benny. Abby’s mom was part of their household staff but Abby ended up being gifted an education along with them. Abby and Gia are besties and Benny has always been silently in love with Abby. Now Gia invites Abby and Benny to a Swedish holiday to celebrate her 30th birthday. Gia is newly married but will be coming alone. But then she doesn’t show up, and calls to her are not returned. They do. get a few return texts but nothing that sounds like Gia. Concerned they travel to Gia’s house in Greece only to find it empty and the locks changed. So what has happened to the heiress Gia and her new husband? The more they find out about the new spouse the shadier he becomes and the more worried they become for their friend.

Is he as the title suggests a lady killer? Or who can really be trusted in this bunch? There are lots of twists and turns in this great summer beach read.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review
Wow what a read!
Gia is writing a book about her life, she married, lives in a beautiful home, has wild parties, and an active sex life but she is worried her husband always needs money- is he telling her lies? Where is the money going? And when Gia goes missing her friend Abby with Gia’s brother go looking for her. Abby begins to follow the clues in the book but are they true or just writing? Where is Gia? Was her husband abusive? Was he stealing from her?
And where is her husband? You won’t want to miss this book!

Ladykiller is a fast paced book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It's a mystery with a lot of red herrings to keep you guessing til the very end which will have you saying "WOW, really?!".

The beginning of the book sets the stage by giving you insight into the dynamics of the 3 main characters - Gia, Benny, and Abby- then alternates between Gia's and Abby's point of view. All 3 have secrets which come out as the book moves along. Just when you think you've figured it out you learn something new and you're back to square 1.

I will definitely be reading more from Katherine Wood.

**I did receive this advance copy for my honest review, which this is.

What a pageturner! I read this in two sittings. It grabs you right away and doesn’t let go. None of the characters are likable. They already all liars. There is just enough truth that you are left wondering who, if any, are telling the truth.. Just when you think you have the worst of them figured out, there is a twist and it goes into a different direction. Even the ending leaves you guessing. Great debut novel.

Utterly fantastic - One of my favorite reads of 2023! Ladykiller was a mind boggling, twisty thriller that I truly couldn’t put down. I think I still need some time to process this, because I’m not convinced on what was truth and what was lies. I found myself jumping to conclusions, just as Abby was doing, and then changing my tune when I learned new pieces of information. Everyone in the story had something to hide and something to lose. Will you be able to unravel the mystery?

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC of Ladykiller in exchange for an honest review. Regrettably, my honesty is not complimentary.

First and foremost, the genre of this thriller is close to pornographic. Exceedingly smutty. I am appalled by the lewd and crude scenarios and dialogue. The mystery is compelling, however, and I learned to skim and skip large segments when I determined the crude, crass, and vulgar content was approaching.

Once I concentrated on the mystery content and found I could skip the aforementioned, I was hooked on the mystery. But there are a lot of factors at play. Something terribly tragic that happened twelve years earlier, Abby and Noah, or was it Gia and Noah, Abby and Benny, the three con artists: Garret, Emelia and Tim, and the main unlikeable, narcissistic character, Gia. There are a lot of scenarios at play as well: the unfinished castles, the mother in a sanatorium in Switzerland; dead goats no one but Gia witnesses; a contaminated well who Gia claims is cursed and she throws peace offerings down the well to appease the evil spirit ( this is addressed ad ad nauseam yet with no revelation concerning it); employed help whose identity can’t be confirmed; the plight of the kitchen cook crying- on and on and on. A. LOT is never explained or resolved.

It is a slow burn, finally building up to the rising action very late in the narrative. There are twists and turns galore, building tension and excitement. Chapters alternate between Abby’s perspective and Gia’s manuscript. That becomes confusing as the chapters are written entirely at different time periods. The reader is kept guessing until the very end: who is the ladykiller? Regrettably, the reader is kept guessing after the story ends. There is no conclusive resolution to the who-done-it. It is a huge disappointment, having been psyched for a killer ending, then..….poof. Unanswered questions and unresolved scenarios- very unsatisfactory denouement.

I was asked to review the novel, “Ladykiller” by Katherine Wood. Other than knowing this book was somewhat of a thriller, I was not sure what to expect. When I found out a major part of this story takes place in Greece, I was very excited.

Gia and Abby have been BBF since childhood. Unfortunately, a falling out leads to estrangement. But then Abby is invited to Sweden to celebrate Gia’s birthday. Yet, when Abby arrives, where is Gia?

Abby’s search leads to a heart-racing tale. The beautiful descriptions—especially of Greece—really put me in the moment, though I did not find either main character all that likable. Part of the story is told through Abby’s POV while part is told through Gia’s manuscript as well as through other literary devices. Though the change in narration could be jarring in places, I liked the technique.

Three and a half out of five stars.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story about two friends, one who mysteriously disappears while staying at her family home on a Greek Island, fell flat. Described as a thriller although it wasn’t very thrilling, it read more like a harlequin romance novel trying to be taken seriously. The characters were all silly and cliched and I just didn’t care about any of them. The only plus is the gorgeous descriptions of the Greek islands, but it wasn’t enough to save this book for me.

4.5 stars

An explosive read! I flew through this story - books about books, a dash of folklore, themes of friendship, wealth/privilege, betrayal, romance - it’s got it all!

I was pulled in from the start with the gossip column-esque overview of Gia’s dad’s funeral, and enjoyed the different literary devices the author employed. The jump between Gia’s manuscript and Abby’s present-day POV helped pace the plot perfectly and created an aura of mystery. I thought the characters were all very well developed, but wish Emelia also had her own POV chapters. I think that would have really helped connect all the events together. Additionally, I would have like to have seen Gia’s obsession with the well and her spiritualism around it explored just a bit more.

This story is equal parts Rachel Hawkins’s Reckless Girls and The Villa, and Andrea Bartz’s We Were Never Here - the ultimate suspense thriller! I highly recommend checking it out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

While I enjoyed the book for the most part, I found that it was not what I was expecting based on the synopsis.
It wasn’t quite as suspenseful as I was hoping, but I did like to hate the characters and their privileged lives and problems.

I also enjoyed the unique style of writing, it was a bit different at first but after a while I got used to it and found that it made for a fun reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This novel is a salacious, twisted glimpse into a world of wealth and privilege where the characters live by their own rules, often at the expense of those around them.
While not especially likeable, their story was compelling enough that I wanted to know what happened to them, and the details of their lives were juicy enough to hold my interest. I found the ending to be a bit of a letdown, and there were a few plot holes that left me shaking my head, but overall this was a fun, quick read.