This book!! I wasn't sure id be into it since it kept flashing back to the 70s but it was really good! I totally binged in one day!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark weaves past and present together and tells a story of family trauma as well as its after effects. Vincent Taylor is the only surviving sibling of a horrific murder that took place in 1975..he's also the main suspect if you let the townspeople tell it. Decades later, he's a top selling horror author with a secret. Finally ready to discuss what happened that fateful night and who killed his siblings, Vincent reaches out to Olivia. Olivia is a well known ghostwriter but she also happens to be Vincent's estranged daughter.

The Ghostwriter was a multilayered read. It tackles family dysfunction, grief, suspense, and true crime. There were plenty of twists to go around. Some twists I figured out early on while others left me shocked. The characters in this book were well developed. Poppy is a character that will stick with me for many years to come.

I really enjoyed how the story wove through past and present with scenes from 1975 and present day. I also liked the dual POVs. I can really tell that Clark spent time researching and plotting every detail of this book. While it is a slow burn, I think that really adds to the atmosphere and story that is being told. Overall, I had a great time reading this story

I was pretty quickly drawn into The Ghostwriter and really really loved it. Julie Clark is excellent at the twisty suspense and mystery novels, and The Ghostwriter was truly another excellent installment from her. I super did not see the twists coming, and really enjoyed the process of researching and understanding the backstory of her father. Super engaging, super entertaining, super recommend!

Julie Clark has become one of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed all of her previous books, so I was excited to read her newest thriller. This is a story about two murders and the mystery surrounding the circumstances that led to the deaths of those two teen siblings. But more than that, it is a story about family and about love and regret. Olivia has reinvented herself after growing up with her father, a renowned fiction author who was a teen when his two siblings were brutally murdered. She grew up in the midst of rumors and accusations that her father was the murderer. She never believed them, but she also never knew the truth. After feeling abandoned by her father, she changed her name and cut ties. She is now an acclaimed ghostwriter in the middle of a scandal and in need of a new project when her agent gives her just that: to ghostwrite her father’s memoir, focusing on the night his siblings died. He is finally ready to discuss that night, something he has always refused to do. But he will only work on it with Olivia. Reluctantly, and not without sacrifice, she agrees to his terms. The story unfolds beautifully, moving between 1975 and present day. The twists and surprises aren’t just for the thrill of it, they are deeply woven into the heartbreaking narrative. The characters are achingly real; the kinds of characters I miss immediately upon reading the last sentence. This novel was a gift to step into for a short time; a five star read for me!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a slow-burning, emotionally layered mystery that unfolds with haunting precision. The novel follows Olivia Dumont, a disgraced ghostwriter who reluctantly returns to her estranged father Vincent Taylor, a famed horror author and long-rumored suspect in a decades-old double murder of his siblings. Now battling dementia, Vincent wants Olivia to help him write his final book: the truth, or at least his version of it.

Clark masterfully plays with unreliable narration, memory, and truth. Vincent’s disjointed recollections and Olivia’s buried trauma make for a compelling push-and-pull, as family secrets slowly surface through diaries, notes, and whispered regrets. The novel's pacing is deliberate, revealing just enough to keep readers guessing without overwhelming them with twists.

Though some secondary characters lack depth, the father-daughter dynamic and literary setting shine. Perfect for fans of atmospheric, character-driven mysteries with emotional stakes and long-held secrets. A gripping vacation read.

Olivia Dumont grew up in a less than ideal situation. Her father was rumored to have killed his two siblings in a murder case when he was in his mid-teens. The case was never solved. Her mother left when she was in kindergarten and she hasn't heard from or seen her since. When she hit 14 years old, her Dad shipped her off to an international boarding school abroad. There began her estrangement with him.

Vincent Taylor is the sole survivor of three Taylor children. His brother and sister were murdered when he was a teen and although he has an alibi, he’s always been rumored to have done it. Faced with Lewy Body Dementia, he is now ready to tell his side and he wants his daughter, Olivia Dumont, to ghostwrite it. She must get over her feelings about her father and help him finish this project.

This book was 5 stars for me! I loved the alternating timelines and point of views. The 1975 setting made was super nostalgic and made you feel like you were really back in that time. I loved how Poppy’s diary and the finding of her film reels helped uncover the story. It was a really interesting way to get the clues. No notes from me. Julie Clark wrote it perfectly!

This was my first novel from her although I have her 2 previous ones sitting on my shelf. I am definitely going to push them up in my TBR pile now and look forward to more of her books. Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC and opportunity to read and review this one early.

Slow moving mystery about a 50 year old crime and the ghostwriter who is trying to solve the case. Olivia Dumont is ghostwriter in her 40's who is broke since she lost a court case from slandering a fellow writer. Olivia does have a loving partner at home but has never been honest with him or anyone else in her life about her connection to horror writer Vincent Taylor, who is now suffering from Lewy body dementia. Taylor has requested Olivia to write his memoir before he dies and she is hired without her agent knowing she is his daughter. Olivia has been estranged from her father for many years. Not only was he suspected in the deaths of his teenage sister and brother but he was an absentee dad, leaving Olivia in the care of his assistant or sent off to boarding school. Olivia's mother left the family and has also not talked to Olivia in many years.

In 1975, teenagers Danny and Poppy Taylor were killed in their home while their parents and brother Vincent were out. Vincent was always suspected of the killing even though he had an alibi from his teacher Mr. Stewart and his girlfriend Lydia who later became Olivia's mother. Olivia arrives at his home suspicious of his motives in hiring her to write a memoir and she is convinced of his guilt. Vincent has only short periods of lucidity and he tries to give Olivia clues to finding information as to what really happened that night. Much of the book is set in 1975 as we hear from teenage Vincent and his sister Poppy. I found Poppy to be an interesting character but otherwise the past parts of the book weren't suspenseful and were repetitive. I also found the villain of the story to be obvious and didn't find any real stakes for Olivia in the story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC to review.

I went in with high expectations after all the buzz—and while it took a little while to get to that “OMG” moment, once it hit... it hit. ⚡
I loved the back-and-forth timelines and the slow, suspenseful build. The mystery unravels with precision, and the past is layered in all the right ways. It’s a solid, twisty thriller that leaves you thinking. If you love a slow-burn psychological unraveling, this one’s for you. 👀

Review: I just love a good decades-old murder mystery, and this one does not disappoint! The pacing was very well done, and the characters were multi-dimensional and easy to get attached to. There were twists and turns as the story is presented through various pieces of history like diaries, memorabilia, and film. The author did an amazing job of tying all the pieces together so that the reader could have epiphany moments while reading. That is one of my favorite things about murder mysteries- when we as readers get to fully submerse ourselves in deciphering the clues and solve the puzzle laid out before us.
Summary: When Olivia, a well-known ghostwriter, runs upon some hard luck, she reluctantly takes a job writing a memoir story of a famous author whose tainted past is shrouded in mystery. What the rest of the world doesn’t know is that this famous writer is her father… someone she’s spent her entire adult life trying to forget. Fifty years ago a tragic murder unfolded, the murderer and reasoning behind it is still a mystery. Now Olivia’s ill father is ready to tell his story about what he knows, and he wants her to write it. The biggest challenge? He’s become an unreliable source of information. Olivia must delve into his past with any clues she can find in order to resurface the tragic mystery and expose the truth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an ARC. All opinions here are my own.

3.25⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourebooks for my arc copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a highly anticipated thriller read for me and I really really wanted to love it. I liked it. I feel I may be the outlier here because I have seen so many rave reviews I think it was very hyped up for me and I ended up being a little disappointed. It took me longer than usual to finish this one which may be more of a me problem because I’ve been a little distracted lately with life.

I enjoyed the dual timeline of past and present and the way the main character searched for answers throughout the entire book. I wasn’t very shocked by the twist. Overall I liked this one and recommend it to my fellow thriller readers. I feel that it was maybe more of a me problem as to why I didn’t find this to be a five star thriller like I had hoped and anticipated.

Love her books! I’ve enjoyed all of her previous novels and look forward to the next book that she writes. Thank you so much for this opportunity to the author of the publisher and net galley!

Happy book birthday to this gem 💎 of a book! It was one of my highly anticipated reads of 2025, and it did not disappoint.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and held my interest to the very end. I love when a book has the ability to absorb all of my attention increasing my focus, and heightening my sense of immersion.

I really felt for the FMC Olivia and the position she was put in due to her financial circumstances. There was a bit of a character arc in the sense that the financial “crisis” she found herself in, worked as a catalyst for her to grow and change her current situation. 𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰 𝘬𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳!

🤌: 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍: 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚, 𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙑𝙨, 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 🔥 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙙.

📝:
I first became familiar with the author’s work from her book The Lies I Told. I’m a fan of Julie Clark’s writing style and hope to see more from her in the future.

Many thanks to the publisher/Netgalley for an ARC!

I was excited to get my hands on this book because I've thoroughly enjoyed Julie Clark's previous works. Unfortunately, this book put me in a bit of a summer slump. I didn't quite feel that the plot was moving fast enough for my liking, and I struggled to finish reading. The main character's desire or necessity of ghostwriting her father's memoir was interesting enough, but having to tease every single detail out of him, then wondering what was truth and what was fiction, was insanely frustrating. Finally, the details emerge in the final pages, and the slow-motion plot is abruptly over. After being stuck at the halfway point for a couple of weeks and lacking a desire to pick up this book, I couldn't get past the bad taste it left in my mouth. Perhaps this wasn't the right time for me to read it, and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy it more!

What do you get when you mix long unsolved murders, hidden family secrets, ghostwriting, and small town homecomings? A perfect atmospheric read for the summer. The Ghostwriter was the perfect summer read. While I did feel the first 20% of the book dragged just a bit, overall it was well-paced. There were a few plot points I saw coming but overall the author did an excellent job scattering clues & red herrings throughout the story to make the ending both surprising and believable.

The hype was HUGE for this latest from thriller writer Julie Clark so I had very high expectations in this dual timeline story that sees Olivia, a ghostwriter contracted to help finish writing her famous writer father's tell-all memoir about a series of murders in 1975 Ojai, California. Unfortunately I found this one not that shocking or twisty compared to the author's other books. While there was some good secrets involving Olivia's mother, for the most part it felt fairly formulaic. I did enjoy that there was a terminal disability/dementia aspect involving her father though. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review but this isn't going to be a memorable, must-read I recommend to everyone this year.

Julie Clark is an autoread/autobuy author for me and this newest book solidified that for me! I loved how the plot was paced and how the story was constructed. Furthermore, the alternating timelines/stories really helped build suspense.

This was twisty and entertaining! The characters were not the most likable, but the story kept me guessing. The alternating POV were cool.

I've enjoyed the author's previous books but this one might be my favorite yet! I was completely engrossed in this story the entire time, and I think the back and forth between past and present really worked. My theories changed every couple of chapters, and I was suspicious of everyone at some point! I did guess one of the twists, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of everything else. Would highly, highly recommend and I can't wait to see what Julie Clark does next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Ojai, California 1975 the Taylor family is destroyed. Two of three teenage siblings are viciously stabbed to death in their home. The troubled middle child, Vincent becomes a famous horror author but the rumors that he is a murderer continue to persist over the decades. Vincent’s estranged daughter, Olivia is a down on her luck ghostwriter who has been running from her father and the family tragedy most of her life. Struggling to stay on top financially, she reluctantly accepts an offer to ghostwrite her estranged and dying father’s next book. What she doesn’t know is that it is actually his memoir and he plans to finally tell what happened in 1975. But… is he telling the truth?

I love thrillers where a tragic event from the past is being solved in the present, so this was a home run for me. It isn’t an action thriller, but a character based one that deals with the skewed dynamics of a family that is still feeling the aftershocks of a tragic event decades in the past. The fractured relationship between Olivia and her father is well done and as he deteriorates, she tries to find ways to nudge the truth out of him. The frustration she feels is palpable and that is what generates the tension in this hard to put down thriller.

I loved this book. I flew through it and even though I guessed one of the plot twists early on, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment whatsoever because I was so invested in these characters. Watching a dying father and daughter trying to connect and heal from traumatic memories from both of their childhoods generated real emotion. It can be hard to tricky to create genuine suspense from a murder so far in the past, but this book pulls you in and the underlying terror from 1975 is still palpable. This was one of my favorite reads of the year so far. Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the arc.

THE GHOSTWRITER – by Julie Clark

‘The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them . . . .’

‘Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book.’

‘I love the anonymity of ghostwriting, the ability to slip into someone else’s skin and inhabit their life just long enough to tell a good story. No one can see who I am or remember who my father is. I’m an invisible hand on the page instead of the name on the cover.’

Whoa—My Heart!

That was a Heartbreaking, engaging read I did not want to put it down—Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with an eBook ARC of THE GHOSTWRITER in exchange for an honest review.