Review – Ladykiller by Katherine Wood
Synopsis
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?
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Review
Just when you think you’re following what’s happening, a twist surprises you and changes your perspective on the characters.
This is told from two points of view—Gia and Abby. These two women grew up together. Gia is wealthy, and Abby is the daughter of the cook. However, that doesn’t separate them, and they become fast friends. Fast-forward to the present and Gia is missing. What is left behind is a manuscript that outlines the past few months. Is it fact or fiction? It is up to Abby to help uncover the truth without ending up dead or missing herself.
There are so many unlikeable characters. I had a hard time liking many of them. Perhaps it was their selfish and narcissistic personality traits. Perhaps growing up with that much money gives you a different outlook on life. I had an inkling about a few of the characters, but there wasn’t anything to prove me right until much later in the book. It was easy to feel sorry for Gia, but not too easy. Her father may have left his money to charity, but she did inherit some property that could be sold. Will she do it, or will she hold onto the property for sentimental reasons? Is her memory correct or faulty?
I had a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to know what would happen next and whether my suspicions were correct. Then the ending? Whoa, I did not expect some of that. Some things remain unanswered, but they weren’t enough to keep me up at night.
Overall, this was a decent read, and I enjoyed the Greek island and imagined myself there. We give it 4 paws up.
About the Author
Katherine Wood is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Southern California. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two children, a naughty pug, and a ferocious kitty.
