I love a vacation gone wrong story and Ladykiller is just that. The book is set in Greece and Sweden, so beautiful places that everyone wants to visit. Unfortunately, Gia goes missing and her BFF, Abby and brother, Benny try to find out what happened to her. They find a manuscript that Gia was writing that leaves dark clues that hint Gia may be in harm’s way.

If you love stories about complicated relationships told from different POVs and one being an unreliable narrator, then I highly recommend this book!

Thank you @bantambooksuk for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes and Nobles website)

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
Wow, I absolutely loved this book. It was a fast paced story and I really enjoyed the back and forth chapters on the two protagonists, it created a suspenseful built to what could have happened. The characters were both likeable as well as believable.
My only gripe was with the ending. I personally am a fan of a closed ending that leaves no room for trying to figure out what truly has happened. This book is not a closed ending and leaves room for the imagination...or maybe a sequel? I definitely would love a sequel! Even with the ending not being my favorite, it was still a 5 🌟 read!

I went into this book blind which I loved. The book was very good and kept you thinking. The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars is there was no clear conclusion or even a hint as to what really happened. The book was getting more intense and then never gave you what actually happened or even any clues. Besides that I really enjoyed the book

I hate it when I invest my time into a book/story and when I get to the end, I'm totally unsure about what actually happened. Maybe some people prefer that ambiguity, but I am not one of them. It took entirely too long for Gia to get to the point, the clueless rich kid act was annoying, and that ending left me so confused. Great premise, poor execution!

I wish I would have known this was a pen name for an author I've previously read. Just like her other books, the premise was amazing, but the execution fell flat

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Gia, the daughter from a wealthy family, and Abby are best friends, bound together by tragedy that happened when they were 18 years old in Greece. For Gia's birthday, she invites Abby and her brother, Benny, to Sweden to catch up after years apart, Gia having just married a man after knowing him for three months and Abby thrown into her busy lawyer work. The story told in two points of very and two timelines, we find out that Gia's husband isn't who he says he is and when Gia doesn't show up in Sweden for her birthday, Abby and Benny go to Greece looking for her.

This was an engaging whodunit/beach read. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. Though semi predictable, it was a great read. When can I book my trip to Greece?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This was an interesting book that leaves you wondering who is telling the truth. Is the narrator unreliable?

I enjoyed this story as it had me guessing but there as something in the middle that left me a little bit wanting more. I don't quite get the jealousy between brother and sister aspect partially because I don't have a brother so that one felt a bit off.

Other than that great story line, keeps you guessing - easy read just a little dry and lacks emotion in some spots

I loved everything about this book! It's the ultimate beach read for thriller lovers. "Ladykiller" by Katherine Wood is absolutely sexy and includes rich people drama, a beautiful setting, unreliable characters, and murder.

Thanks again to NetGalley for my gifted eARC for review purposes. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this advance copy of Ladykiller by Katherine Wood - this one screams summer with that cover and is out now!

3.5 stars for this one - I absolutely LOVED the scenery of this book, and I found the author did a great job of setting the scene and the Greece setting, it’s definitely one to read in the middle of summertime during your vacation. I struggled a bit with the pacing, it had some really thrilling parts that I wanted to speed through, yet slow areas - that’s why I’m landing a little middle of the road. I definitely think if you’re looking for an atmospheric slow-burn summer thriller, this one could be a good one to add to your list.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

2.5 stars rounded up, because I did have fun.

Sometimes you just want a thriller about rich people living wildly unrelatable, messy lives; this is exactly that sort of book. The first half of this was really enjoyable – pacy and engaging, the characters and their relationships were interesting and messy and at least lightly queer (and the narration had some fun unreliability), and the Greek island setting and light influence of mythology was really fun. I did, however, feel like it fizzled out pretty badly in the second half; it got predictable and a lot less propulsive, and the plot felt more and more contrived and less engaging. The ending felt quite anticlimactic.

Overall: some good, some not-so-good, on balance, not quite to my taste.

I found Some of this hard to get through. Gia’s manuscript was soooo descriptive and drawn out I didnt Enjoy those chapters. I found Abby and Bennys chapters more enjoyable. The layout of the manuscript chapters were somewhat confusing also, as they started before Abby and Benny even arrived in Greece to find out where Gia went. Overall just okay but would read the author again.

Katherine Wood (previously published as Katherine St. John) is excellent at creating soapy, atmospheric stories full of drama and bad rich people. The gorgeous Greek island setting contrasted with violence and secrets makes for a great setting and plot in this one. This is an ideal summer read for traveling, pool reading, or hiding in a nice cool house and armchair traveling.

This cover and the setting of a Greek Island caught my eye. I feel like this story has been done before and better. It was an interesting read but not an edge-of-your-seat kind of suspense. The predictability of the situation made the ending a bit of a letdown. If you're interested in a quick escape read, this would be a good one.

Gia and Abby became best friends when Abby's mom was personal chef for Gia's wealthy family. The women grew up together and remained close despite a tragedy the summer they were 18. Now Abby is an attorney in Atlanta and Gia finds herself significantly less wealthy after her father's death. She is spending time on their Greek island, readying the house for sale, with her new husband, Garrett. But Garrett not only keeps asking to borrow money, but Gia realizes he's been pilfering funds from the house account. She begins novelizing the experience.

When Gia fails to show up for a planned birthday celebration in Sweden, Abby and Gia's brother travel to Greece to see what's going on. Although they finally act on their feelings for each other, they begin to question Gia's veracity, and Abby also feels compelled to tell the truth about what happened that long ago summer.

What could be better than a suspense novel set on a Greek island? Neither Gia nor Garrett is particularly likable, and Abby is also borderline untrustworthy, but the novel is absorbing. The reader should keep in mind that they are reading Gia's novelized version of what happened and is not a reliable narrator. #Ladykiller #NetGalley

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHATTTTTT did I just read? I’m still mind blown and hope Katherine Wood gives us more in the future. Reading from both Abby & Gia keeps you drawn in and longing for what’s to come.

Ladykiller starts at Papa Hugo Torres’ funeral where we learn he left his entire five hundred million dollar fortune to the Torres Foundation that he and his second wife founded. Gia & Benny are Papa Hugo’s children from his second wife who was institutionalized for her mental illness. Abby is the daughter of the family’s former chef and Gia’s best friend.

Gia is free-spirited woman who falls in love and trusts too easily. After marrying a man she just met, Gia invites Abby & Benny to Sweden to catch up and spend quality time together, just the three of them. Only Gia doesn’t show up sending Abby & Benny on a frantic adventure to find her.

This mystery/thriller is a great one and very worth reading! I have a few speculations about the ending, but I’m still questioning what truly happened and hope for another book. I’d love to read what happens in the future to see if any answers are uncovered.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Wood and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of Ladykiller.

Reading Between the Wines book review #71/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Ladykiller
Author: Katherine Wood
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: If you are looking for a book where you won’t know what (or who) to believe, this is the one for you. Gia goes missing, and Abby and Benny, Gia’s brother, will stop at nothing to find out what happened to her. The manuscript is a good clue to helping find Gia, but as a reader, I just did not know if I could believe what she wrote. What do you believe?

Cheers and thank you to @RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @Ladykiller.

#Ladykiller #KatherineWood #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I was hooked on Ladykiller from the beginning. The story is split between two timelines, Gia’s pov from her manuscript and Abby’s current pov. Even knowing that the narrators might not be accurate, it left me wanting to know the truth. The ending was tough to swallow but can only be expected in a book like this. I would definitely recommend.

Is any narrator truly reliable? This seems to be thematic of contemporary mystery writing and Ladykiller does a great job of using this to its advantage. It was an easy, enjoyable read with many twists and surprises. I wish the ending would have brought more closure, but I wasn’t disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for an ARC of this book.

Jessie and Gina have been best of friends since they were teens. All grown up Jessie lives in Atlanta and is a lawyer while Gina is living in Greece with her new husband, Garett however it’s not as it seems. Jessie starts getting emails about what happen that summer when Noah the Greek boy she liked died at the hands of Gina was it self defense so they claim. Now Gina doesn’t show up to there vacation in Sweden and trouble starts rise. Is it revenge or is it jealousy

I couldn’t read Lady Killer quickly enough!

I loved how the story was told through the dual perspectives of Abby in present time and Gia through her manuscript pages.

It definitely gave me some Hawkins vibes - like The Villa. The story was well-told, and the characters were all very well-developed with secrets of their own! It made reading very fun.

The ending was a little chaotic, as the author tried to tie up a lot of loose strings, but also left a little wiggle room for the reader to form their own conclusion. I would love to read a sequel (kind of like The Next Mrs Parrish/The Last Mrs Parrish!)

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC for review*