Ladykiller by Katherine Wood

 When Gia Torres’ father Hugo died, he gave his $500 million fortune to charity, but not before he provided for his wives--current and exes--and divided his properties among his children, in the thriller, Ladykiller, by Katherine Wood, due out July 9. Gia inherited her favorite property on the small island of Miteras in the Aegean Sea.

 

Twelve years ago, Gia came to the rescue of her best friend Abby when Abby was attacked by Gia’s stalker, with Gia recounting the event in a memoir. Now Gia is back on the island with Garrett, a shipping mogul, who she married after knowing him for a month. She is preparing the property to sell so she will not go broke.

 

In the meantime, Gia is planning a reunion with Abby and Gia’s brother Benny to celebrate her birthday in Sweden to see the Northern Lights. Abby and Benny arrive in Sweden, but Gia never appears, and she is not answering her phone.

 

Now it is Abby’s turn to come to Gia’s aid. She and Benny go to Miteras where they find the estate deserted and Gia’s latest manuscript that contains clues to her disappearance. Gia describes how her new husband has turned dark and threatening, and the friends staying with them have disturbing secrets. The manuscript ends abruptly leaving no clues to her fate.

 

With chapters from Abby’s point of view interwoven with chapters from Gia’s manuscript, this is a book that readers will not be able to put down until they reach the epilogue. This is a book for fans of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley who imagined his stories so “intensely that he came to believe them.”

 

Ladykiller is the powerful debut novel of Katherine Wood, a native of Mississippi. She lives in Atlanta with her family.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 14, 2024.

I would like to thank Bantam, an imprint of Random House, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.