The Divide was a very interesting mystery. I really enjoyed the authors writing and I thought it was a good novel. I have never read anything from this author previously but now I look forward to reading more from her.

Imagine trying to find someone who has disappeared but has stolen part of your identity before they did. And imagine that during that investigation you find out a secret about your own life that upends everything you thought you knew about your past. Really interesting story that points out you don't always know everything about yourself and your history.

The Divide is centered around Jenny St. John, a former actress turned fake psychic, who gets pulled into the murder of her one and only director and the disappearance of his ex-wife when it turns out that said ex-wife, Genevieve Santos, aka Gena, is a Jenny doppelgänger that was taking credit for Jenny's one movie role. Gena's friends are surprisingly willing to let Jenny enter their lives after one of Gena's acquaintances Boots, hires her to investigate who killed Serge and whether or not Gena is alive. While Jenny isn't really psychic, she is very perceptive, which allows her to meet Gena's friends and come to some pretty solid conclusions about who is or isn't capable of the crimes. The movie she was in, The Divide, was about the idea of the multiverse, and how each moment in our lives branches out with alternative possibilities, and the book explores this with the existence of Gena and Jenny. It doesn't really feel like the book provides closure on this. It's interesting, but in some ways it also detracts from what is a pretty interesting mystery. With no place to call home and a job that's barely putting money in the bank, Jenny increasingly relies on a group of people she's investigating, one of which has to be the murderer to help float her along. The ultimate conclusion isn't mind-blowingly impressive, but it is one that tracks with the storyline that Richter has laid out across the course of the book. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Actress turned fake psychic Jenny St. John becomes wrapped up in a murder mystery as she finds out Serge, the filmmaker on her last failed movie, turns up dead. As the police are hunting for clues, they end up on Jenny’s doorstep as she is a doppelgänger for the dead man’s wife, Gena, who is reportedly missing.

As she is sucked into Serge and Gena’s world, she uses her fake psychic abilities and her appearance to gain the trust of their innermost circle. Digging deeper, she begins to discover things from her past that may put her in the direct path of the killer.

This was an interesting take on your run-of-the-mill murder mystery. While I would have liked more background on Jenny, her character lent an elusive quality that worked well with the plot.

Overall, this was a quick read with fun psychological twists throughout.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Jenny St. John's acting career never took off, so now's she's working as a psychic and living in her office. When Serge Grumet, the director of her one and only film, is murdered, Jenny learns that his ex-wife is Jenny's doppelganger and, enragingly, has been taking credit for Jenny's film role. This sends Jenny off on a mission to find out what happened to the missing ex-wife and who murdered Serge.

I loved the character of Jenny! She was very relatable--not a perfect person but a good person. And I liked following the case along from her perspective--she didn't always know what she was doing, but somehow managed to make it work. I hope this isn't the last we see of her!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Jenny St. John wanted to live out her dream as an actress and believed she had finally gotten her big break when she was cast in the leading role of the movie, "The Divide." However, the movie was canceled before release, and ever since then, Jenny's future as a movie star faded and she's made a living as a psychic life coach since. When her former director, Serge, is found murdered, Jenny is dragged back into the world of Hollywood. To top things off, Serge's wife, who is now missing as well, claimed that she was the one who starred in the film and not Jenny.

The premise of this book was what captured my attention. Jenny is a very compelling main character. It's hard not to root for the underdogs and sympathize with her when you see she's barely making ends meet. Meanwhile, Genevieve, who claimed the role in The Divide for herself, seems to be living the life Jenny always wanted.

I enjoyed the first third of this book where we see Jenny brought into this world of superstars. However, things slow down quite a bit towards the middle of the book, and unfortunately, it gets boring. Some of the questions in the story weren't answered and that made things a bit frustrating as well. Overall, The Divide is an entertaining thriller with an interesting premise. While things slow down a bit in the middle of the book, the plot does pick up a bit towards the end too. Not my favorite thriller I've read, but it's a solid read.

I knew little about this book when I received the Advanced Review Copy from Knopf. I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed The Divide by Morgan Richter.

Jenny St John is a washed up actress barely surviving in Los Angeles as an “intuitive counselor” when she is visited by the police. They inform her that a woman claiming to be Jenny St John and bearing a striking resemblance to her as disappeared from the scene of a murder. From there, Jenny and the readers, are drawn into a tense mystery involving Jenny, her doppelgänger Gena and a cast of artists and actors in LA. The mystery was very entertaining and kept me guessing until the last page. Although I wish some of the mystery had been more neatly wrapped up, I enjoyed this story and would recommend to mystery/thriller readers! Thank you again to Knopf for the electronic ARC!

For the most part, Morgan Richter's "The Divide" is an engaging psychological thriller that blends Hollywood glamour with intrigue. The story follows Jenny St. John, a failed actress turned fake psychic, as she investigates the disappearance of her doppelgänger amid a web of murder and corruption.

Set in Los Angeles, the novel offers a glimpse into the entertainment industry's darker side. Richter populates her story with interesting characters, including a former K-pop star and a wellness-peddling actress, each adding depth to the narrative.

The author's writing style is effective, creating a vivid portrayal of Los Angeles that enhances the story. While the plot stretches credibility at time, especially at the end, Richter's storytelling keeps the narrative engaging. The exploration of themes such as identity and ambition adds layers to what could have been a straightforward thriller.

"The Divide" seeks to be a solid entry in the psychological thriller genre, offering an interesting take on familiar tropes. Sadly though, the Texas-sized plot hole remaining unexplained at the end left me feeling dissatisfied and disappointed.

Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group / Pantheon for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hollywood, psychics, artists, doppelgängers, murders and mystery! Oh my!

This was a quick, easy and enjoyable read. I only wish there had been more insight on the Gena/Jenny relationship.

I would like to thank Knopf, Morgan Richter, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great mystery that could have gone a couple of different ways come the ending. You've got a murder with a clear suspect; however, the suspect is a missing person. The main character could be the missing person or could be mistaken for her. And all this is happening on the edge of Hollywood's movie scene, where no one is their real self! Jenny is a great main character - she is a starlet wannabe or has-been transformed into a mystic or charlatan. She resonates with the average person because she tries so hard to elevate her position without stepping on others around her. She decides to investigate the case in order to clear her name and actually does a great job of intuiting the motivations of others. I like Jenny as a main character, and I was completely engrossed in the way she stumbled onto clues and put the pieces together. The author did a great job of leaving so many questions popping in my mind until the end! The twists and turns kept me from putting the book down - I read it practically in one sitting.

This was a great story Involving characters learning about themselves, questioning themselves and bothers, and trying to figure out who to trust. Theres murder, mystery, twists and turns, and keeps a steady pace. I enjoyed how each chapter is from the point of view of specific characters. It adds to to the story but also has you questioning if you really have the mystery sorted out. With so many characters from different backgrounds, careers, financial status, and upbringings, and how this all intertwines in wrapping up the story it makes a great discussion book.

5 very enthusiastic stars. Fast-paced and well-written, The Divide is a fun read.

Jenny St. John moved to LA from Iowa when she was 18 and scored a leading role in movie called The Divide. Unfortunately, its release got scuttered, and it only made a tiny bleep on the cinematic radar later when the director, Serge, became successful.

Jenny was never able to land any other roles, leading or otherwise, and now she’s scrapping by as a psychic, or what she calls “an intuitive counselor,” something of a life coach. Basically, she’ll ask what’s going on in a person’s life and gently nudge her into making good career and life choices. Then one day she’s visited by a detective, who mistakes her for her doppelganger, a successful artist named Gena. Serge has been murdered and his ex-wife Gena is nowhere to be found. It turns out that Gena has been pretending all these years to have been the star of The Divide. Since that was the biggest thing Jenny has ever done, this rankles.

Rich and powerful people get in touch with Jenny because of the coincidence of her looking so much like the missing woman, and Jenny becomes an unlikely detective trying to figure out this fun and original mystery.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 20, 2024.

When I received a request from the publisher to review this book, I was immediately intrigued. This seemed right up my alley A murder mystery, the main character getting to play detective by posing as a psychic, seeing the drastically different lifestyle of the upper class all made for a very fun read.

I had my suspicions of who the killer was, but the mystery left me questioning myself just enough to feel like it still paid off at the end. However, not all of my questions were answered. One big question (possibly even bigger than the question of who the murderer was) was left in answered at the end of the book. I don’t know if the author is already planning on a sequel, but I would have liked to see some more info explaining the relationship between Gina and Jenny.

All in all, this was a fun mystery read and I would love to see more stories featuring Jenny in the future

I dont mind psychic's in a mystery novel but overall the book ended up falling flat. It started off good but I started losing interest and not caring about the characters about half way through. Overall it was an okay read and I might try the author again the future...

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for allowing me to read this eARC.This was an interesting plot line and had good character building. I really enjoyed the slow reveal of the murder mystery.

The Divide starts out strong, with vivid and believable description’s of Jenny’s life as a struggling psychic consultant living in the back room of her squalid office. As the story picks up speed, things become more fantastical.

There are some effective caricatures here that you may recognize from Hollywood, but others could use some more fine tuning.

If we’re going to lean into the psychic world, I’d appreciate it if we could lean a little farther. A lot was left unexplained which resulted in an unsatisfying end for me.

Jenny St John starred in the movie The Divide but now is a 'once was' actor, masquerading as a psychic. When a detective shows up to question her about the murder of The Divide's producer Serge, a man Jenny had a brief affair with, Jenny discovers that Serge's wife Gena not only looks like her but is taking credit for her role in the movie. Jenny falls back into the Hollywood scene as she tries to find out who Gena is and who killed Serge,
This was a weird and unbelievable story that masquerades as a mystery novel. The explanations of who Gena is vs who Jenny is, were never really clear. The way Jenny just fell back into the Hollywood scene was unbelievable as well. One day she was a nobody, has been, and the next day she is moving into Gena's old home. It was hard to grasp the concept of this story but it was entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

A psychic in a detective story? It’s not a first but it certainly made me want to find out more.

You’d think a fortune teller could live a good life with the knowledge of what’s about to happen. Yet, Jenny St. John who claimed to be a psychic in LA was making only enough money to pay her bills. She wasn’t even sure that she believed in the supernatural world.

When a lady in a suit showed up, everything changed. Jenny suspected that she was caught for being a fraud and taking money illegally. However, she learned that Detective Toni Moreau was there to investigate a murder.

Jenny was feeling pretty anxious finding out that she had an identical twin in the world. Gena Santos was taking credit for her leading role in “The Divide.” It was the only film she had a role in years ago that was never released. The director, Serge Grumet, was now dead and Gena who was living with him was missing. The detective thought it was her. How could this woman claim to be the star in this film when obviously it was Jenny? She informed the detective there was no way she had a twin -- but maybe.

The next day, Jenny was told she had three days to move out for violating the lease agreement. The detective filed a police report that threw her life into turmoil. She was living in the back cluttered room because she was kicked out of her previous place and now where would she go? However, someone coincidentally came to her rescue.

The plot had a strong start with an intriguing twist or two. The reader really got to know the characters that were suspected. Most were likeable in the Hollywood area of wealth but, the story moved slowly and I just wanted to know how it was going to conclude. I was glad to finally find out who the murderer was at the end.

My thanks to Knoph and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of August 20, 2024.

The Divide is an intriguing mystery, especially with the pairing of Jenny and Gena. Author Morgan Richter has a good novel here and I look forward to more. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Weird, so weird. But good! I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with this one, but ended up enjoying the ride. Unique and fast paced.