3.5 stars!

This is my very first Julie Clark book. I have heard such good things about her other books and I have been meaning to read one. So I was very excited to get approved for this one on Netgalley.
I was hooked pretty much from the beginning. And I very much loved the premise behind this book. There were times I thought I knew which way it was going and I ended up being wrong. So it did keep me guessing on some things. However, I did guess one thing about the ending about halfway through the book. The ending fell a little flat for me and not because I predicted part of it. I just did not really like the way it was wrapped up. But overall, a very solid thriller/mystery. I woyld absolutely recommend this book if you love a good mystery/thriller. And I will definitely be checking out her other books.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I was invested pretty much from beginning to end. The plot was very intriguing to me and I just had to know where the story was going & I was very on the edge of my seat throughout. I also really enjoyed the way the story was written and how it was outlined. The flashbacks were such an important and interesting part of the story. I also really enjoyed the overall 70s vibes that this book had during the flashbacks and film scenes.

Poppy was also probably one of my favorite characters I have read in a long time. She was so full of life and very f*ck the patriarchy & I just loved seeing that tbh.

I would definitely recommend picking this one up when it releases! Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review. :)

The best thrillers are the ones that break your heart a little. Because you have to care to want to reach the end. Author Julie Clark doesn't just make you care, she makes you yearn to see the story, dark as it is, through to its bitter, bloody end. Olivia has grown up in the shadow of her father. Not just the shadow of his titanic career as a celebrated author but the darker one of accused murderer that has hung over their family since his brother and sister were found brutally murdered years before Olivia was born. Years of estrangement have left them virtual strangers but now Olivia has come home to help him write one last book. This time he wants to tell his story, the true story of what happened the night their family was destroyed.

Balancing beautiful prose with grisly suspense to create a dark and lovely tale of generational trauma and repentance Clark has created something truly unique with this novel. Highly recommended for fans of gothic, family drama who enjoy a whodunnit where the puzzle pieces have to be found before they can be put together. This is a cerebral mystery that delves into the hearts of victims and perpetrators, digging into the dark truth that even the guilty can carry heartbreaking pain of their own.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a gripping and emotionally intense novel that keeps readers on edge until the very last page. Told through multiple perspectives and timelines, the book explores the complexities of family, truth, and the shifting nature of memory.

The central character, Olivia, is a writer who has been estranged from her famous father for years. Their strained relationship is rooted in a tragedy that has haunted their family: the murder of Olivia’s teenage aunt and uncle—siblings—decades ago. The event has cast a dark shadow over her father’s life, with accusations of his involvement in the murders following him for years. Now, as Olivia’s father battles a degenerative disease, he asks her to be his ghostwriter for a tell-all book that promises to reveal the truth of what happened that fateful night. But with his unreliable narration, due to his mental decline, Olivia finds herself questioning whether her father is truly revealing the truth or purposefully misleading her.

What makes this book particularly captivating is the ambiguity surrounding Olivia’s father’s memories. His condition makes it unclear whether his recounting of the past is genuine or if he is deliberately manipulating the story. He often says, "the truth belongs to the dead and is beyond reach," a haunting sentiment that leaves both Olivia and readers grappling with the notion that truth may be forever elusive.

Olivia’s journey to uncover what really happened to her family while grappling with her complex emotions toward her father creates a compelling, layered narrative. Julie Clark excels at blending past and present, pulling readers through a maze of secrets, lies, and revelations. The multiple timelines and shifting perspectives enhance the story, deepening the mystery and adding layers of suspense.

Usually, I can predict the ending of a psychological thriller, but The Ghostwriter kept me guessing right up until the final pages. The twists are brilliantly executed, and the mounting tension builds to an unpredictable and heart-pounding climax. This book kept me on my toes in the best possible way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book. Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a haunting, thought-provoking thriller that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. I highly recommend it to fans of suspenseful and psychological fiction.

4.5 Stars

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter and has spent her career writing books based on other people's lives. When she gets an offer to write the memoir of her estranged father, horror writer Vincent Taylor, Olivia agrees because she needs a way out of the financial struggles she's found herself in. Olivia hasn't had contact with Vincent over the past twenty years, but writing his book will reveal past secrets and shed new light on the events of the horrific murder of Vincent's teenage siblings, in which he was the prime suspect. Now Olivia must unravel her father's secrets and face the consequences of the secrets she's also been keeping for the past twenty years.

The Ghostwriter is a twisty, messy family drama that completely drew me into the story. There were so many things I loved about this story, including an unsolved double murder, main characters who are both authors, strained family relationships, personal career struggles, and unreliable narration. It all works together to create the perfect sense of mystery and suspense.

I enjoyed the fact that Clark keeps you guessing as to what really happened on the night that Danny and Poppy were murdered. Olivia's research and Vincent and Poppy's POVs lead you to believe you have everything figured out, but it's difficult to be sure because you're dealing with 50 year old accounts and Vincent's unreliable memory and penchant for not always telling the truth.

I felt like the characters were well developed, and I sympathized with Olivia, as she had to return to her life as Olivia Taylor after spending the past twenty years as Olivia Dumont. The side characters added to the mystery of the story surrounding Vincent's siblings deaths, because they all have their own opinions of what took place. And I enjoyed the shifting perspectives of who seemed to be guilty in relation to the information Olivia was uncovering. I always love multiple POVs, so hearing parts of the story from Olivia, Vincent, and Poppy was a great way for the past and present to unfold.

If you love books with unsolved cases, slow burn reveals, family secrets, and complicated family relationships, then I would highly recommend The Ghostwriter.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this novel. I connected with Olivia right away, and wanted to see her happy. However, at times this novel seemed too long and repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Ghostwriter. I am so happy to discover novelist Julie Clark. This is my first time reading one of her novels, although I have some of her books on my "to read" list.

Estranged from her father for twenty years, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont is reluctantly hired to write a memoir for her father, a successful horror novelist who may or may not have murdered his siblings 5o years ago. The story is told in a dual timeline - in the present as Olivia tries to piece together the family history and back in 1975 when the crime took place. We get multiple points of view with chapters narrated by Vince, the father, and Poppy, his sister. which give clues to what may have happened and serve to propel the story forward. There are lots of family secrets in the past and also secrets that Olivia is keeping from her partner. A solid 5 stars!

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, embattled and in desperate need of a job, receives a lucrative offer from horror writer Vincent Taylor. In addition to being a suspect in the murder of his siblings in 1975, Taylor is also Dumont's estranged father. I very much enjoyed Julie Clark's previous books and was very excited to read an ARC of this one and it did not disappoint! It's a twisty, propulsive mystery with a heart and I literally could not put it down-- I read it in the course of a single day. The Ghostwriter will be published on June 3 and I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list.

this started off strong, then really dragged in the middle, the big reveal was predictable and I am kinda bummed overall since I was really excited for this new release, did have great feminist vibes

Deep family secrets, long buried, come to life as Julia ghostwrites her estranged father’s last memoir. As her father’s memory fades, Julia never knows what is real and what is imagine.

This book was a fast, dark and wild ride for the reader. Twists and turns. Past and present. Multiple points of view with excellent character development. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this one! The characters and the complexity- it was really beautifully done. I highly recommend adding this one to your Summer reading list!

Thank you NETGALLEY for the ARC- Julie Clark is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors.

I very much enjoyed Julie Clark’s previous books. She has a way of keeping you hooked and questioning everything. This story about a ghostwriter helping her father tell the story of his murdered siblings in the 1970s had me frustrated at times with the slowness and the decisions made by everyone. This was a trauma train wreck but I kept reading. Three stars for the story but five stars for the cover. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Another Julie Clark, another expertly woven 5 star read. The pacing never let up, the plot was so unique with the “ghostwriting” element where we find out alongside the narrator and try to piece together the “treasure hunt” of clue her father is leaving. With the epitome of unreliable narrator through her father’s dementia and memories, this is the perfect plot device to have us slowly put the store together of what really happened on the fateful June 13th.

Would you take a job ghostwriting a memoir about your own father? What if you had been estranged for many years? What if your writing career had spectacularly imploded and this was the only job you could get?
Olivia Dumont says yes and heads to her childhood home. Her father Vincent is extremely ill, and this might be her only chance to find out the truth about his early life and the murders of his two siblings.
The story is told in the present and in the past. In 1975, Vincent came home and found his siblings dead. No one has ever been arrested, and even though Vincent had an alibi, many people believe that he killed them. Olivia has complicated feelings about her father, but she never believed he was a killer. Now, as she asks him probing questions, she isn’t so sure.
I made multiple guesses regarding who killed Poppy and Danny. I managed to guess part of the truth, but there were definitely more than a few surprises. A really enjoyable treadmill read. I have to say that Poppy was my favorite character. Which really made the fact that she was dead, all the more heartbreaking.

I've been a Julie Clark fan for years, but I think this is her best yet! I have no doubt this will be a breakout novel for her. This was a compulsive and captivating read--once I started, I could not put it down! I will be telling everyone I know to read this--and her backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. I am such a fan of Julie Clark’s work because there’s always a twist that feels of the moment. I liked the setting of this novel and found it to be a page turner.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark tells the story of Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who is estranged from her father Vincent Taylor a well known horror author. Olivia agrees to be the ghostwriter for her father who is writing a memoir. Her father is under suspicion for murdering his brother and sister when he was a teenager.

Wow! What a story! Told through Olivia’s POV with flashbacks to the 1970s when the murders took place. The story kept me reading because the author has you trying to figure out who did it but only gives bits and pieces of information.

Highly recommend this story and author. I have read her other books and they are just as good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC book.

This was very good book. I believe many people who have childhood trauma would benefit from reading this book ! a little hard in beginning but really grabs the heart strings. Enjoy Life isn't always pretty!

📚 The Ghostwriter
✍ Julie Clark
📖 Mystery/Thriller
⭐4.25/5

🙏Thank you to Sourcebook Landmark, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of The Ghostwriter. All opinions are my own.

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🎯 What I loved: This was dark, twisty and, for lack of a better word, thrilling. The story was told via a narrative in the present about a daughter ghostwriting a novel for her estranged (and potentially killer) father and a collective account of the months leading up to the gruesome murder of her father's siblings in 1975. Though the conclusion of this book was darker than I anticipated, I felt like the clues came together in a really satisfying way and I was on the edge of my seat trying to put things together. Toward the end, I felt like there was one missing piece of the puzzle/character that hadn't been addressed but, of course, that was the final twist in the story. This was a wild ride but it was plotted well and the treasure hunting tradition was a really clever addition to the story. Definitely recommend!
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Read if you love:
*multiple POVs and dual timeline
*revisiting unsolved crimes from the past
*complicated family dynamics
*writer main characters
*subtle women's rights themes
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See also: A Flicker in the Dark, No One Can Know, Daughter of Mine

I don’t know why, but this is my first Julie Clark novel. The Ghostwriter was an incredibly well done thriller. It’s more of a slow burn before it becomes a fast pace. This was a fascinating family trauma that tore so many lives apart. The main character is struggling and accepts a job she normally would never. It’s for her infamous father and she has talked to him for years.
Complex family dynamic and so many secrets are revealed. Can she save her career and her family or will it all come crashing down? I loved this journey and I will be reading more of Clark’s books. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. This will be a big summer book and you should definitely pre order it ASAP!