Ladykiller

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: When an heiress goes missing, her best friend races to unravel the secrets behind her disappearance using clues left behind in an explosive manuscript…

Gia and Abby have been best friends since they were girls, forever bonded by the tragedy that unfolded in Greece when they were eighteen. In the aftermath, bookish Abby threw herself into her studies while heiress Gia chronicled the events of that fateful summer in a salacious memoir.

Twelve years later, Gia is back in Greece for the summer with her shiny new husband and a motley crew of glamorous guests, preparing to sell the family estate in the wake of her father’s death. When Abby receives an invitation from Gia to celebrate her birthday in show more September beneath the Northern Lights, she’s thrilled to be granted the time off from her high-pressure job. But the day of her flight, she receives a mysterious, threatening email in her inbox, and when she and Gia’s brother Benny arrive at the Swedish resort, Gia isn’t there. After days of cryptic messages and unanswered calls, Abby and Benny are worried enough to fly to Greece to check on her.

Only, when they arrive, they find Gia’s beachfront estate eerily deserted, the sole clue to her whereabouts a manuscript she wrote detailing the events leading up to her disappearance. The pages reveal the dark truth about Gia’s provocative new marriage and the dirty secrets of the guests they entertained with fizzy champagne under the hot Mediterranean sun. As tensions rise, Gia feels less and less safe in her own home. But the pages end abruptly, leaving Abby and Benny with more questions than answers.

Where is Gia now? And, more importantly, will they find her before it’s too late?

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Well, what can one say? The publisher sets up a Sabrina retelling with added Gone Girl tropes. I'm no more than lukewarm to either story. I'm lukewarm about this one.

I think the author's gift is for pacing. Once launched, it's easier to keep going than quit...no matter that it's a well-trodden path.

Come for the concept, stay for the execution. If the author can make my cynical, seen-it-all self read the whole book, she can do even more for you. show less

"Secrets are like bodies. They need to be buried."

I just finished reading "Ladykiller," and was utterly hooked on the first page! The book's stunning cover initially caught my eye, and I couldn't help but wonder if the story inside would live up to it. Well, let me tell you, it absolutely did! I was so engrossed in the thrilling plot that I devoured the book in one day!

The setting was so incredible that I found myself wishing I could join the characters for drinks by the pool. As the story unfolded, I couldn't believe how oblivious Gia was to the true intentions of the people she had welcomed into her home. The suspense and plot twists had me on the edge of my seat, and I was utterly engrossed in the story until the end.

However, when show more the book concluded, I was left with so many questions. While I don't mind a bit of vagueness, there were too many loose ends. I hope there will be a sequel because I need answers from this talented author!

Thanks to Random House Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#KatherineWood #Ladykiller #randomhousepublishing #PengiunRandomHouse #GreekIsland #manuscript show less

Ladykiller Katherine Wood is a highly recommended debut mystery that has strong melodramatic soap opera sensibilities.

Gia and Abby became friends as children, along with Gia's younger brother Benny, because Abby's mother worked for Gia's very wealthy family. The family accepted Abby as one of their own, paid for her schooling including college, and opened up new experiences and opportunities for her. The two became even more bonded together after a tragic incident that happened when they were 18 on the family's beachfront estate on a Greek island. Gia's father, Hugo Torres, recently passed away, and left the Greek island estate to Gia.

Abby and Gia have become estranged recently, when Gia, undeterred by Abby's suggestion of caution, show more married Garrett after knowing him for just three months. Gia and Garrett are living on the island estate now, preparing it for sale. Abby is working fourteen-hour days as an attorney. When Gia invites Abby and Benny on an all-expenses-paid trip to Sweden to see the Northern lights and celebrate her 30th birthday, the two arrive, but Gia doesn't, texting excuses that leave them suspicious. The two set off to Greece to find Gia.

The narrative unfolds in alternating chapters that present the perspectives of both Abby and Gia. Abby's perspective is told through chapters set in the present and past. Gia's story is presented through a manuscript she is writing which purportedly describes events on the island estate leading up to her disappearance. Gia's story is of an entitled heiress living a lascivious life style. The real question becomes clear early on: Is Gia, as depicted in her manuscript, a trustworthy character or reliable narrator?

Ladykiller is a well-written debut novel that held my attention throughout. There are plenty of secrets and scandals unfolding throughout the plot. Expect some twists that may stretch credibility but should not deter you from reading. The ending, which doesn't offer a complete conclusion, will either offer readers an entertaining opportunity to form their own opinions, or, alternately, slightly disappoint those who like closure. That, in itself, could start a lively book club discussion. Thanks to Bantam Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion. show less

Katherine Wood’s Ladykiller is a gripping mystery that weaves together friendship, secrets, and suspense. The story follows Abby, a hardworking attorney, who reconnects with her childhood friend Gia, an heiress, on an extravagant trip to Sweden. When Gia mysteriously disappears, Abby and Gia’s brother Benny travel to Greece to search for her. They find Gia's estate deserted, with only a tantalizing manuscript hinting at the dark truths surrounding her new marriage and glamorous guests.

Wood’s narrative is compelling and filled with twists, as Abby navigates the clues left behind to uncover the truth about Gia’s disappearance. The novel expertly balances the glitzy backdrop of Mediterranean luxury with the sinister undertones of show more hidden secrets and past tragedies. Ladykiller is an engrossing read that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, questioning the reliability of Gia’s story and eager to unravel the mystery before it's too late. show less

Like “a puzzle with too many missing pieces” Wood starts off on a harrowing journey which has you questioning how well you really know someone and how, exactly, can you get away with murder? Set in the Greek Isles, Sweden and US, this puzzle takes a bit to be worked out.
Wood’s writing is fresh, her characters draw you in and her plot is captivating in its detail, scenery and duplicity. The story, told from the points of view of two bff’s, had me trying to work out what exactly was going on, long after I’d have to stop reading for the day. This is an excellent summer read!
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy

Five months after the passing of Hugo Torres, his daughter, Gia, has invited her best friend, Abby to her thirtieth birthday celebration . . . in Sweden. Gia, in the process of selling the family home, tells Abby that she has taken up writing again and is working on a manuscript.

Abby and Gia, best friends since they were thirteen, have not seen much of each other. Gia, hastily married to Garrett after knowing him for only a month, is in Greece while lawyer Abby is an associate in a law firm in Atlanta.

But when Abby arrives in Sweden, Gia is not there to meet her. After some mystifying text messages, Abby sets out to find her friend.

What happened to Gia? And did her new manuscript have something to do show more with her disappearance?

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A strong sense of place and captivating, well-drawn characters pull the reader into the telling of this twisty tale from the outset. The unfolding story, told from Abby’s viewpoint as well as from Gia’s manuscript, slowly reveals its secrets and lies, keeping the intrigue and suspense building throughout the story as some truths finally emerge.

The story moves right along, a mystery in need of solving. Nothing is as it seems and readers may find it difficult to distinguish between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” but the story will have them turning pages as fast as possible.

Readers will find it virtually impossible to predict the outcome of this absorbing tale, but those who enjoy psychological thrillers will find much to appreciate here as the story reaches a denouement that may leave readers with more questions than answers.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#Ladykiller #NetGalley show less

What an engaging, intriguing, thrilling story. Fast paced, complex, keeps you wondering and wondering and wondering. Even though as opposite as can be, Gia and Abby have been friends since childhood, and Gia’s brother Benny has always been in the picture, too. They’ve kept in touch since a tragedy occurred when they were eighteen, have still remained close but made very different lives for themselves. Gia is an heiress and acts the part, except now that her father has died and left all his money to charity her lifestyle might need to be crimped a bit. Abby studied, studied, studied and now works, works, works. Gia’s impulsive marriage put a little crack in their relationship but it doesn’t seem to be anything they can’t get show more past. After initial hesitation, Abby is looking forward to their reunion.

Gia invites Abby to go to Sweden to celebrate her, Gia’s, birthday. No husband. Just Gia, Abby and Benny, like the old days. This little holiday doesn’t go quite as planned, though. Right before she is to leave, Abby receives an anonymous email that sounds like blackmail. When Abby and Benny arrive in Sweden: no Gia. When they fly to her estate in Greece: still no Gia, no husband, no one there.

As the story progresses the narrative flips between the present as Abby and Benny frantically try to figure out what is going on and find Gia, and to chapters from the memoir Gia wrote a decade ago. Lies are uncovered and secrets revealed. No idea who they can trust and can’t find Gia.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance copy of Ladykiller via NetGalley. It is full of mystery and suspense, opening up like peeling an onion. The more Abby and Benny learn they more they don’t understand. It’s a book that will captivate you and I recommend it without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less