The Divide by Morgan Richter

Fortyish something Jenny St. John is almost at rock bottom. Two decades ago she starred in a movie that tanked. The movie was great, Jenny was great in it, but it never went anywhere. It was her greatest achievement but her acting career never went farther than that. Now she's barely surviving as psychic and Jenny feels great remorse over the fact that she is a grifter. But a grifter with a heart. She's excellent at reading people, their demeanors, their wishes, their hopes, and what they need to hear. That's what Jenny gives them, what they NEED to hear.

Thanks to a detective visiting her workplace to question her about a murder and then reporting her for living in the back room of her business, Jenny is homeless. But also she's found out that a wealthy painter, Gena, ex wife of Jenny's former movie director, looks just like her and has been passing off Jenny's film as one that Gena starred in. Thus starts a strange murder mystery that not only throws us into the world of the rich and famous but pushes us to suspend our disbelief,

For all her faults, I really like Jenny. There is an incident in her past that she keeps remembering and I worried about what happened long ago. Jenny's in danger in the present, she is now homeless and jobless since she lost her place of business where she was living. She's among the suspects for a murder and if someone thinks she is Gena, she could be in even more danger. I really enjoyed this story and it's Jenny that I wanted to see make it through it okay. She's a smart woman, always living in hard times, and now living the hardest times she's ever lived. But she's not going to go down easily, she's going to solve a murder no matter what she has to do.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC.

What happens when your doppelganger goes missing and the police come questioning you for murder?

Jenny St. John was only 18 when she starred in a file called The Divide. Unfortunately, the movie was scrapped before if even hit the theaters, and Jenny's acting career was over. But now, her old director Serge is found murdered and his ex-wife Gena is missing, the ex-wife that looks exactly like Jenny.

This story was interesting and stood out. I enjoyed Jenny's psychic perspective as she attempted to figure out what happened. The suspects all seemed genuine on the outside but really made you side-eye as more and more info was unearthed. Overall, a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

Interesting read about the almost inner workings of Hollywood in the earlier years, not the true early years, but the 1970s or 80s I suppose and the movie business. How even though you go through the process of making a movie and the process of doing everything needed to have a successful movie, it doesn't mean that anyone will ever see the movie and then someone tries to take credit for your work even though the movie was never released to the public and was not a success. There is a lot more to this book than that, but don't really want to spoil it for anyone.

Whew! The Divide was a journey. Here's what I liked:

-I love the unique premise. The plot didn't feel like a run-of-the mill thriller. Former actress turned psychic solving a mystery? Yes, please.

-Los Angeles and a small town in Iowa play a big part of the story. The author described both places in vivid detail and used the location to develop and explain the characters. For example, the characters that Jenny encounters in LA are your Gwyneth Paltrow style/Goop-ish person, morally grey people in show business, and influencers.

-Jenny is a great main character. She's complicated and interesting.

My only gripe is that the ending didn't feel as wonderful as the rest of the book.

Thanks for the advance review copy.

This book was fine, it wasn’t a great read but it wasn’t a bad read. This book started out nicely and I had high hopes for about the first half, then things started to go downhill. I really enjoyed Jenny’s character and thankfully she was the main character so there was plenty of her. Her story line was nice (until it wasn’t). The twists on this one were decent and did hold my interest though things did get a little weird at times. I think that this one would have been better without the sci-fi element because it didn’t really add much to the story for me and was just distracting. I was annoyed with the ending. I don’t need everything to be wrapped up entirely, but this one felt like things just weren’t resolved and they should have been. It wasn’t like other ambiguous endings because those felt intentional where this one didn’t.

A murder mystery with a twist. Different characters with an oft told story. While the setting and characters are unique, you have read this one before. There is a clever twist and an interesting back story as Jenny travels back home to visit her mom and aunt but I was unfortunately underwhelmed by this one. It was a stretch to grasp the story of Gena and Jenny and that kinda lost me but some readers may enjoy the uniqueness of the twist.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

Jenny St. John is a washed up actress with one movie credit. She was the lead in an independent movie years ago called The Divide. Serge Grumet, the director, went on to become a big time Hollywood director, while Jenny’s career went nowhere. Twenty years later, Jenny’s barely keeping her head above water working as a psychic life coach, trying to kid herself that she not just a grifter. When Serge is murdered, Jenny’s life is turned upside down. Jenny discovers that Serge’s ex wife Gena bares more than a striking resemblance to Jenny. Gena, who’s told people for years that she was the star of the long ago movie, is now missing. Is she a murderer on the lam or a victim too? Jenny sets out to find Gena, reclaim her one & only movie credit, and discover who killed Serge. Hollywood can be a killer business, can Jenny survive?

This was a fun one! I loved the LA setting. Author Morgan Richter definitely knows the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. Jenny’s character was very likable, and there were a ton of suspects. While I was able to figure out who the killer was, there was a twist at the end I never would have guessed in a million years. This is an enjoyable whodunnit with a breezy California vibe.

This was an upcoming release I'd never heard of, but I was offered a review copy through Netgalley and decided to try it out. It's sometimes reminiscent of previous murder mysteries I've read, but it takes enough original turns to feel fresh and invigorating. I really enjoyed reading this, and finished it in only 2 days. I enjoyed the backdrop of Hollywood-esque show business, which always feels slightly sinister to me, against the middle-aged leading lady just struggling to make ends meet in modern-day California. Jenny was such a relatable protagonist. She felt very believable to me, and I felt all her desperation that drove her to making some really morally grey choices. The cast of supporting characters (ie., suspects) was thoroughly enjoyable and appropriately colorful. The story took so many unexpected turns, and at times I just felt like I was holding on to this crazy ride, with no clue where it would go next. I do wish the ending explanation of Gena had been a bit more decisive; I felt that the answers readers were given weren't really satisfactory. I wanted some more closure. Overall, though, this was a really solid murder mystery and one I had a blast reading. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Richter's future books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for my free eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun little murder mystery, focused on Jenny, who gets pulled deep into another world when a woman who looks startlingly like her named Gena is murdered. Jenny is a failed actress turned fake psychic who ends up right back in the heart of Hollywood celebrities when the news hits. The characters are all kind of quirky and the story itself is fast-paced.

Jenny is kind of a mess but you still root for her- she has a self-deprecating manner that worked for me and I appreciated her willingness to always speak her mind. As the mystery with not only where Gena is, but who she really is, deepens, Jenny is in over her head but still tries to find a way to make things work. I thought the mystery around Gena's disappearance (along with the murder of her husband, who just happens to be Jenny's ex-boyfriend) was really well done and had great twists, but I did finish the book still confused about the circumstances between Gena and Jenny's connection.

Overall, I found this to be a light and fun mystery with characters that were easy to root for. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well written novel with an intriguing plot, but for some reason I had a tough time staying focused and interested.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202468403

The Divide had great pacing, suspense and surprise. I enjoyed the story and the dramatic conclusion filled with a number of shocks.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was an extremely creative and unique murder mystery. The Hollywood aspect was unreal anything I’ve ever read!

This book was unique. It was quite a journey. It did drag in some spots. Wasn’t my favorite but a good enough beach read

While The Divide is set up as a page turning mystery, it ultimately tries to do too much to deliver a satisfying conclusion.

Jenny St. John spends her days as a psychic life coach, much to her own disdain. She loathes the grift, but it’s the one way she’s found to stay barely afloat since her film career failed before it ever really got started. When the director of her one film is murdered, the police come knocking. Turns out his ex-wife, Gena, bears an uncanny resemblance to Jenny and now she’s missing. And she’s the prime suspect. In part to satisfy her curiosity about this doppelgänger, Jenny takes on an investigation into the murder.

As a murder mystery helmed by an amateur sleuth, The Divide is largely successful. Jenny’s faux psychic skills - which boil down to an ability to read people well and tell them what they want to hear - and her resemblance to Gena open doors for her that remain shut to the official investigators. There’s an attempt at a subplot/twist involving multiverses - tying into the plot of Jenny’s failed movie - that feels unnecessary and takes up space that could have been better served exploring the murder and connections between Jenny and Gena.

One I would recommend to mystery readers who don’t mind some ambiguity and quick wrap-ups.

Jenny St. John hasn’t had much luck since her promising acting career never took off. Now she’s barely making ends meet as a grifting psychic in Morgan Richter’s quirky thriller The Divide.

When Jenny’s former director – and boyfriend – Serge is murdered, she finds herself pulled into the world she never quite got to enter: The Hollywood Elite. Things get weirder and weirder for her as she tries to solve the mystery, including learning about her own (possibly murderous) doppelganger.

The Divide is a fun mystery that gives cheeky nods to genre troupes without being cloying. Having the Hollywood element is a fun conceit, especially as Richter pokes fun at different aspects of celebrity culture (Goop, influencers). Several side characters are interesting and entertaining.

As for the main character, Jenny is a mess, but she knows it, making her many errors more tolerable and the reader can’t help but hope she gets her life together.

Overall, this was a fun read. Thanks as always to NetGalley and Knopf for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Divide by Morgan Richter tells the story of Jenny St John an up and coming actress starring in an indie film. Twenty years later, the director is murdered and his wife Gena Santos has disappeared. However, Jenny and Gena look very much alike. The title has a double meaning which is interesting. The story line is creative. I really liked the characters. I wasn’t sure where the author was going to go with them so it made for a good read. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

My first Morgan Richter novel but definitely not my last. I loved the premise and characters. Both kept me totally invested and flipping pages long past my bedtime. I enjoyed the psychological aspect and well written interpersonal relationships. A little disappointed in a couple of loose ends but overall enjoyed the book.
Thank you NetGalley, Morgan Richter and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love a good Hollywood mystery and this did not disappoint! This was a new author to me and would gladly pick up another of their books. I enjoyed the plot and agree with others some threads needed to be wound up at the end. Some editing issues led to run-on sentences that didn't seem necessary. Overall a solid, quick read. Definitely recommend this to anyone who likes an interesting take on the genre.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC!

Jenny St. John came to LA when she was 18 to pursue her acting career and thought she had it made when she starred in the film "The Divide", but the film never made it past production and she was never provided another opportunity. Now she is living in her office where she provides physic readings. Then her life gets turned upside down when the police come looking for her because she is an identical match of the missing, Genevieve Santos. She swears there is no relation to Genevieve but they are so identical it is uncanny.

The first 2/3 of this book captures your attention and is full of action, making you want to keep flipping the pages and find out who is good and who is the killer. Then it takes a weird twist when Jenny goes back home to visit her mother to get some answers. It would have been better without adding some sci-fi twists to that section of the book. It took away from the story in my opinion. Other than that particular piece of the book, I enjoyed how they wrapped it up and the ending brought back all the excitement that first part of the book.

Overall it was a good read and I would try another book by author, Morgan Richter.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was hooked on the book from the very first page. Interesting protagonist with a fascinating background who has to use her wits and talents to solve a very personal mystery. This, coupled with the world of Hollywood made for a real pager-turner. There'd better be a second book with this character - well done!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance readers copy.