The Ghostwriter follows Olivia Dumont, a once-successful ghostwriter whose career crumbles after a public clash with a misogynistic author. Facing financial ruin, she reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite her estranged father fiinal memoir. As a bestselling horror novelist, he has lived under the shadow of accusations that he murdered his teenage siblings in 1975. As Olivia begins her work, she uncovers chilling truths that force her to confront her family’s dark past—and her own carefully constructed lies.

Clark’s storytelling shines through with multiple perspectives, primarily following Olivia in the present while unraveling the events of 1975 through the eyes of young Poppy and Vincent. This structure builds suspense, allowing readers to piece together the mystery alongside Olivia. The inclusion of Poppy’s diary entries and home movie transcripts adds an authentic documentary feel, making the investigation feel like you are right in the thick of it.

For me, the novel’s greatest triumph lies in its exploration of generational trauma. Olivia’s struggles with relationships, compulsive lying, and fear of abandonment stem from the toxic legacy of her family’s unresolved past. Clark masterfully portrays how children of notorious figures must navigate a world where their identity is forever tainted by association.

The Ghostwriter is a haunting, thought-provoking thriller that blends psychological depth with a gripping mystery. Clark’s ability to craft complex characters and weave suspenseful narratives makes this a must-read for fans of psychological drama and family dynamics. If you enjoy books that explore the corrosive power of secrets, this one will stay with you long after the final page.

Thank you Sourcebooks for my gifted ARC!

The Ghostwriter hurt my soul. I knew it would be good, because it’s Julie Clark. But what I did not expect was it to rip my heart out and stomp on it, and to mourn for these characters so profoundly. These kids. These poor kids. Talk about being failed by the adults in their lives.

There was such a tense build to this story. This was a story about secrets and memory. Grasping firmly to a story you have believed for fifty years, only to find out everything you’ve ever known was a lie. Can you imagine the heartbreak and the betrayal of your own mind, your own memory? Especially while your mind was already betraying you by way of Lewy Body Dementia. It’s tragic as hell.

Despite the shattering of my soul, I loved this book. It was atmospheric and raw, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Enjoyed this unique take on a mystery! I also appreciated that the mystery remained the main focus and plot line of the book, instead of also trying to weave in (and fail) multiple other directions. The different timelines and POVs kept the story moving along and the pacing was great throughout.

The Ghostwriter is a clever mystery and thriller novel. The story is told in multi POV, with one main character weaving together pieces of a mystery bound to her father’s past.

I loved how this story unraveled. It kept me guessing throughout the story, trying to connect the dots, and discover the true events. The ending was so satisfying, and unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advanced reader’s copy.

An interesting take on how tragedies and secrets can affect familial dynamics, as well as the generational trauma that stems from the inability to properly address said tragedies and secrets.

I felt as though the pacing was a little bit slow at times, but I felt intrigued enough by the bits of anticipation sprinkled throughout. Once the momentum picked up, toward the end of the novel, I felt it impossible to put down until I hit the very last page. I'm not sure I could say that I was entirely satisfied by the ultimate reveal, but perhaps the bigger value with this particular work is in the journey, not the destination.

My thanks to the author (Julie Clark), the publisher (Sourcebooks Landmark), and NetGalley for providing the eARC through which I was able to read the work and write this review.

I should've read "The Ghostwriter" a bit more consistently, because I did lose track of the plot a bit with the multiple timelines expanding on different possibilities about the truth of what happened to Danny and Poppy. Even still, I really enjoyed this book! It definitely had that mysterious/ominous aura that I appreciate in a really good thriller, as well as an appropriately thorny central mystery.

I didn't love the characters and found our protagonist, Olivia, a little flat emotionally, but I did appreciate the complexity of their relationships with each other and how those layers were revealed throughout the narrative. Poppy's diary/home videos worked really well on that point, and as a secondary storytelling device they were unique and effective in raising both questions and stakes.

And in classic fashion, I was appropriately shocked by one major twist; but un-classically, I actually softly guessed a second reveal and was honestly more surprised to be right for once. Coup!

All in all, an intriguing and twisty mystery that kept me engaged and guessing, while hitting all the right notes in the resolution. If that's your vibe, definitely give this one a go! 4/5 stars.

[Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader copy of this book!]

I loved The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell, so I knew this would be no exception! She has us guessing until the end, in a way that I’ve never read before. I did predict the ending twist, but it’s nice to see characters so multifaceted and flawed. Really annoyed, and the quickest read!

The Ghostwriter has all the elements of a fantastic thriller. A well thought out plot that brings mystery to the story but enough substance to it that the characters can be fully realized adding a complexity not normally seen in your fast paced thrillers. The story hooks the reader from the first page, and you don't want to stop reading until all the secrets have been exposed and the truth from the past has finally been learned. Told in dual timelines, the plot is wonderfully paced, and the twists/turns happen organically. I think fans of past Julie Clark's novels will be supremely satisfied with this new novel. I know I have added her to my auto pick author for anything future she writes.

I was provided with an arc through netgalley. all opinions are my own.

When I first started to read this book, my heart sank. What a fine mess this one will be, I said to myself. Here's a character - Olivia Dumont - who has spent an entire life trying to escape someone who treated her miserably. But now, she suddenly capitulates when that despicable someone offers the potential for a bunch of money. Granted, she's broke and may lose her house, but still - do I, a person who traces her unwaivering support of strong women back to the '60s - really want to spend my precious time reading about someone who has no backbone?

But I sucked it up and dove in; after all, I'd accepted a copy from the publisher in exchange for a review, and I take that obligation seriously. Well, let me tell you this: insofar as everyday life would allow, once I started I didn't stop till I'd finished, even giving up my hotly guarded "me" time an hour or so before I hit the sack just to git 'er done. Like Olivia's decision to do her estranged father's bidding or not - and the jury's still out on that one - the story itself (and the expert crafting thereof) was irresistible. In fact, I'll go so far as to say this is one of the best books I've read so far this year.

The someone from whom Olivia has been estranged for years is her aging father, Vincent Taylor - a highly successful writer of horror novels who is dying of Lewy body dementia. Something like 50 years earlier, his two teenage siblings, brother Danny and sister Poppy, were found brutally murdered in the family home. The killer was never identified and the case long since went cold, but most of the locals believed - and still do to this day - that Vincent was the killer.

Before he dies, he wants to write a memoir that outlines what really happened. And since he's incapacitated he wants his daughter, a highly accomplished ghostwriter, to do the actual writing, using only a copious manuscript he's compiled combined with personal interviews. But at this point his memories, even those he's able to recall, are highly suspect - and as Olivia well knows, Vincent is known for his nefarious, manipulative ways and, of course, his ability to craft works of fiction. Is what he's sharing with her this time the truth?

From that point on, readers learn of Olivia's relationship (if you can call it that) with her father as well as flashbacks to what was going on prior to the event that changed the entire family's lives forever - all building up to an ending that will, for many readers, be a bombshell (I'll say only that I had an inkling, but suspecting and knowing are, of course, two different things). In any event, I'm left with the recollection of reading something quite special. Highly recommended!

In 1975 two siblings are murdered in their home and suspicion falls on their brother, Vincent. However, he has as solid alibi and the final conclusion is that a stranger was responsible for their deaths. Fast forward to 2024. Vince Taylor has become a famous writer and his estranged daughter, Amber, is a fallen-from-grace ghostwriter. When Vince decides to write about what really happened to his sister and brother, he insists that Amber is the only person he will allow to help him.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a well-written book with a very appealing premise. It’s about a dysfunctional family, the anguish of dementia and, of course, the unsolved murders. The story is told with three points of view, an unreliable narrator, and two timelines. This is just the type of writing I like.

After enjoying other books by Ms Clark, I had high hopes for The Ghostwriter. While it was a good book, it fell short for me in several ways. My main complaint is that the pace is quite slow. It occasionally picks up a bit, but it takes quite a while to reach the end. The final conclusion is somewhat nebulous in that much is revealed but not all of it is conclusive or even provable. Because of the dual timelines, the reader actually seems to know more than the present-day characters do. It’s an interesting and somewhat unusual way to end the story.

Overall all I enjoyed The Ghostwriter but not nearly as much as I thought I would. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was such a slow burn. I might have an unpopular opinion but I felt like it was so much build up for a pretty predicable ending.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is the best book I’ve read in a long time! Julie is at the top of her game and kept me guessing throughout the story. I loved the chapters showing Poppy’s point of view, and it was fun to glimpse into 1975. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I LOVED the Last Flight and was incredibly excited to read this!!

A slow burn family secrets book with a past present timeline that goes back to 1970s Ojai California, The Ghostwriter is an atmospheric book about truth and lies. It's a father-daughter story as the daughter of a famous crime writer (and a ghostwriter herself) gets hired by her father to write a memoir about a terrible crime he was suspected of committing in the 1970s.

With historical elements, lots of 1970s nostalgia, interesting characters, and an absorbing mystery, this book is a perfect summer read!

With her career suffering and huge debts, Olivia Dumont is relieved to receive an offer for a ghostwriting gig--until she learns the details. Her estranged father, Vincent Taylor, wants her help writing his memoir. Her financial need and curiosity make her accept the contract, only to learn her father is dying and is ready to tell the truth about what happened 50 years ago, when both his teenaged siblings were murdered in their home. Suspicion has haunted Taylor since that night and informed the trajectory of Olivia's own life.

But Olivia soon realizes her father might not be a reliable source, so she begins investigating what really happened. Told from multiple points of view with flashbacks to 1975, this suspense novel explores the complexities of family relationships and inherited trauma. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. #TheGhostwriter #NetGalley

Family is complicated and hard to deal with on the best of days. Add in fifty years of secrets, layered with trauma, addiction, and suspicion and you have a heck of a storm. Olivia is a ghostwriter in need of money. She’s approached by her author father’s publisher to write his memoir. She’s done this many times for others, but it’s much more difficult when your own life is wrapped up in the story…and so many questions. A great read!

Take an unsolved murder, family trauma, and a dysfunctional family, and you have this book.

I was drawn in from the beginning, following Olivia as she navigated her life after a situation that financially landed her in hot water and reconnecting with her father. The latter was not by choice, but out of need. Despite the past, Olivia is drawn into the truth about what happened to her aunt and uncle fifty years ago. Only a few people know the truth; it takes persistence to uncover what happened that day. When the whole story is revealed, it is quite a surprise!

The story is primarily told in the present, but there are chapters from 1975 from Poppy and Vincent's point of view. These chapters help fill in the gaps of what happened that fateful day. We don't get all of the pieces until the end, but these snippets fill in the pieces until the whole picture is revealed.

This book has quite a bit of drama, from family to personal issues for Olivia. However, the tension between Olivia and her father adds to the story. Olivia has to reconcile her past relationship with her father with the man he is today. I found it interesting to learn about Lewy Body Dementia, which her father suffered from, and it added a little twist to the story.

I enjoyed this novel, even with the unreliable narrators. I think that added extra drama because I didn't know what they might do next.

We give this book 5 paws up.

This one had me hooked from page one—cold case meets potential comeback novel as a ghostwriter digs into a decades-old family mystery.

Told through dual timelines and multiple POVs (1975 - Vincent & Poppy, siblings / 2024–25 - Olivia, Vincent’s estranged daughter & the ghostwriter), this story unravels a notorious crime that shattered a family. The suspense builds slowly but steadily, as secrets blur the line between truth and memory. Julie Clark puts a clever twist on the unreliable narrator trope, and it works!!

Poppy was my favorite character. Her hidden diary and old home videos made the past so vivid—I could feel the atmosphere of 1975. Poppy is fierce, with a strong moral compass, and her determination mirrors Olivia’s present-day quest to uncover a dark legacy. The emotional depth really hit, especially as Olivia begins to understand how deeply her family's trauma has shaped her.

To call this story captivating is an understatement. Any spare moment meant picking up the book or putting in my earbuds. I've enjoyed three of Julie Clark's novels, but The Ghostwriter is my favorite. Her storytelling is razor-sharp, the twists feel both unexpected and believable, and her female characters are always rich with depth and complexity.

🎧 Narration Note: The audiobook is excellent! All three narrators brought their characters to life, especially in the past timeline—Poppy and Vincent’s voices added so much depth and tension.

👍 Final Verdict: If you love a smart, emotional mystery with family secrets, don’t miss this one.

I LOVED this book! It was so different from others I have read and was so entertained from beginning to end! I loved the ghost writer storyline and the dual timeline. Just when I thought I had this one figured out another big plot twist knocked me off my feet!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. A few of my thoughts below:

Julie Clark has become like an auto-read author for me thanks to her witty characters and quick-moving plots. The Ghostwriter is definitely different than the novels she has released before, but I enjoyed the way this one broke into the familial drama angle and used alternating timelines/narrators to enhance the story. The changing perspectives kept the book moving forward at a good clip.

It was also intriguing to learn about each of the main characters through each other's alternating points of view. You really understand their history and what brought them together to try and write Vincent's book while his health is failing. I found myself rooting for Olivia and hopeful she would overcome some of the other elements haunting her from her own past.

I didn't necessarily see the ending coming, while it made complete sense, it surprised me and pulled all of the seemingly innocuous parts in the book together.

Thank you again for the advanced copy, and I already look forward to reading the next Clark novel.

This was such a fun and engaging read! I don’t know if I would call it fast paced exactly, it felt like a bit more of a slow burn thriller to me. But the tension remained high throughout and I loved having the 3 different POVs! Now granted I’m really terrible at guessing the endings to thrillers, but I truly never once figured out where this was going😅 I loved it! I thought it wrapped up so nicely too.