Book Review: Ladykiller | Katherine Woods

A twisted little number full of secrets, deception, an heiress, and perhaps even a few who aren’t exactly up front with their true identities. Katherine Wood’s Ladykiller is a perfect vacation read. I stayed up late in bed, but I could picture it poolside with a cold glass of chenin blanc and my toes warming in the sun!

I’m going to keep my review over here where we are spoiler-free a bit short. I’ll put the publisher synopsis at the bottom because it is juicy! But I also kind of thought it gave a bit more away than it needed to. I don’t mind things like that, but this is a book that has so many twists and reveals as it unfolds, that it could be fun to go in a bit more blind. Don’t worry, I’ll get into the spicy details on my spoiler review.

The story is completely immersive, centering around two friends, Gia and Abby. Abby is a bookish girl who has always been grateful for the benevolence of the vivacious Gia—an heiress who’s always shared with her best friend. Their friendship started at a young age, and solidified even deeper after a tragedy that happened when they were visiting Greece at the young age of eighteen. What was the tragedy? You’ll find out, but not for some time so just go ahead and order that second cocktail!

It’s been twelve years since that tragedy, and Gia is back at her family’s estate with her new husband in tow, while Abby is working as an attorney. Gia and Abby have had a bit of a falling out over Abby’s concerns about Gia’s new husband and the quickness of their marriage. Gia extends a Greek olive branch from the family estate (lol) and Abby and Gia’s brother Benny agreed to come visit for Gia’s birthday. When they arrive, Gia is missing and isn’t answering her phone.

Told in two narratives, Abby narrates present day and the time leading up to her disappearance are chronicled in Gia’s memoir. If you think that is strange, it makes some sense after we learn that Gia had also published a popular memoir several years earlier about her own life. The novel is dominated by Gia’s perspective, and that worked perfectly because until the end it is the far-more compelling narrative. Abby comes off as the much more level-headed of the two friends. Gia is impulsive, vivacious, and slightly self-centered. Despite her upbringing, though, she’s doesn’t act as privileged as you’d expect. She is very “what’s mine is yours” with those she loves.

Gia’s memoir is a trail of breadcrumbs leading towards the answers Abby and Benny are seeking. Where did she go? Is Gia ok? It looks grim, but then again, Gia is a bit flighty. The guests at Gia’s estate were an interesting crew. Her husband Garrett honestly does seem a little bit slimy at times, but we are also colored by Abby’s view of him. The staff are gorgeous, as are their wealthy friends. There is so much drama surrounding Gia and the whole crew at the Greek estate that I was totally hooked.

I don’t know if every reader will agree but I actually liked Gia the most out of any character. She was dynamic, compared to the purity of Abby and Benny. We need those goody good characters, but are they the most interesting? Never. The trouble with Gia is that we (and Abby) are reading the events in a memoir, so there’s always the question of how accurately she portrayed things. 

The ending was good but it did leave many questions unanswered. Everyone has their secrets exposed… but not all of their secrets. I didn’t mind the lack of definition at the end. I felt I was able to infer exactly what Katherine Woods was implying without the specifics. A dazzling beachy thriller about rich people, living lavishly, and the people they attract. 

About the Book

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 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?

About the Author

Katherine Wood is actually a pen name for another popular author, Katherine St. John. She is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Southern California who spent over a decade in the film industry as an actress, screenwriter, and director before turning to penning novels. When she’s not writing, she can be found hiking or on the beach with a good book. Katherine currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters.