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!

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a riveting blend of psychological suspense and family drama that explores the intersection of memory, trauma, and long-buried secrets. The novel centers on Olivia Dumont, a skilled ghostwriter who reluctantly accepts a job to pen her estranged father Vincent Taylor’s final book. Vincent, a celebrated author, has lived under the shadow of suspicion for decades after his siblings, Danny and Poppy, were brutally murdered in 1975. Now battling Lewy body dementia, Vincent claims he is ready to reveal the truth about that fateful night—but Olivia must navigate his unreliable recollections and her own conflicted emotions to uncover what really happened.

Clark expertly weaves dual timelines, alternating between Olivia’s present-day investigation and the events of 1975 told through Vincent’s and Poppy’s perspectives. This structure creates layers of misdirection and tension, keeping readers guessing about the true culprit behind the murders. The novel delves deeply into themes of family trauma, memory distortion, and the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the past. Vincent’s deteriorating mental state adds complexity to the narrative, as Olivia struggles to discern fact from fiction in his chaotic notes and conflicting accounts.

The writing is immersive, with Clark painting vivid portraits of both the idyllic yet oppressive small-town setting of Ojai in the 1970s and Olivia’s contemporary struggles with financial ruin and familial estrangement. The characters are richly developed, particularly Olivia, whose journey from avoidance to confrontation is both poignant and relatable. Vincent himself is a fascinating figure—a talented storyteller whose charm is tempered by his flaws and haunting secrets.

While The Ghostwriter has been praised for its emotional depth and intricate plotting, some readers found the pacing uneven, particularly in the middle sections. Additionally, Olivia’s decisions at times feel perplexing, though they ultimately serve to highlight her internal conflict. Despite these minor drawbacks, the novel delivers a satisfying conclusion that balances ambiguity with resolution.

Overall, The Ghostwriter is a compelling and thought-provoking mystery that combines psychological tension with an emotional exploration of family relationships. Julie Clark masterfully examines how time can distort our perceptions of truth while crafting a story filled with twists that will keep readers hooked until the final page. Fans of slow-burn thrillers with rich character development will find this novel deeply rewarding.

Okay, The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark? Total mind trip. This book had me flipping pages like I was solving my own scavenger hunt.

We’ve got a famous horror writer (Vincent Taylor) with a dark past—his siblings were murdered back in 1975, and everyone kinda thinks he did it. Fast-forward a few decades, and his estranged daughter, Olivia, who happens to be a ghostwriter, gets roped into writing his final book. But here’s the kicker: it’s not a novel—Vincent is finally ready to spill the truth about what happened that night. Or at least, his version of it.

The story unfolds like a puzzle, dropping clues and flashbacks that make you question everything. The scavenger hunt dynamic between Olivia and her dad is brilliant—the whole book feels like a game, leading to an ending that is so satisfying. And honestly? The way this book plays with the idea of truth is genius.

"Truth isn’t a fact—it’s the story we choose to believe."

That line sums it up. If you love thrillers with complex family drama, mystery, and a plot that keeps you guessing, The Ghostwriter is a must-read.


Great reminder that our personal perspective will always skew facts as we create our truths.

Olivia, a renowned ghostwriter for her celebrated father, Vincent, a celebrated horror author, discovers that her latest assignment is not merely a fictional narrative. Instead, it delves into a haunting account of a tragic event from her family’s past that has remained concealed for decades.
While the narrative may experience some pacing issues in certain sections, it possesses the potential to evoke a sense of unease and suspense in certain readers. The conclusion is particularly intriguing.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

This is a nice, evenly paced, quiet thriller. There are no great, unbelievable, or even startling revelations. As the story unfolds, everything falls into place and makes sense. The resolution is satisfying and wraps up in a way that doesn't frustrate the reader with unanswered questions.

There may have been a better way to fill in the blank spots than a retrospective first-person narrative from a dead girl, but that is a very minor criticism, and it didn't really bother me.

I'm grateful to Netgalley for suggesting this book. I was unfamiliar with the author and have discovered a wealth of back catalog to dive into.

The Ghostwriter is a delightful “slow-burn page turner”. It is murder mystery, family drama and psychological suspense rolled into a very deftly wrapped package. I absolutely devoured this book.

I enjoyed the setting — Ojai, California (which I visited about 20 years ago), as well as the book's time-flips back into the 70’s — a decade I remember well!

I’ve read the other books by Julie Clark. While I also enjoyed them, I feel that with The Ghostwriter, she has really honed her skills at crafting suspense novels.

This was such a twisty story and I loved the murder mystery . I liked how the author used dial timelines of the past (the 70’s) and the present, and used multiple characters povs. I also really liked how Olivia discovered poppy’s old movies and journal to help solve the murder. This book was scary and I couldn’t put it down until I knew who killed poppy and Danny. Great thriller. The k you NetGalley for the digital copy.

The idea of being a ghostwriter is so fascinating to me. Your job is writing books for other people but basically passing it off as someone else's. It seems like a very different from the way other writers make their living. In The Ghostwriter, we hear from someone who has not only worked as a ghost writer, but who has been very successful at it, until being canceled after a social media gaffe. Lo and behold, who calls her agent seeking her ghost writing services, just when she really needs a job, but her estranged, mysterious writer father.

Through her work on his final, much anticipated novel, Olivia struggles to create a coherent story out of her father's notes, and wonders if she will ever make it into something worth reading (and something that can hopefully get her career back on track). While staying with his father working on the book, she manages to find some witnesses willing to talk to her about her father's childhood and she realizes that she may be able to solve the mystery behind who killed his brother and sister way back in 1975.

I really enjoyed this book and found the take on the multiple timelines and different perspectives very unique and fun to read. I did not see the truth of what happened coming! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery!

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reading copy in exchange for this honest review**

A domesti.c thriller and murder mystery all rolled into one great read. The story develops through several points of view and dual timelines, but is never confusing,.... all adding up to unexpected twists as the truth is finally revealed. 4.5 stars.

Wow - what a fantastic novel told in a totally engrossing format. Clark pulls the reader between timelines and perspectives seamlessly. The writing to me was almost reminiscent of King - the way you can be transported into a decade and feel exactly what the family dynamics are, picture the atmosphere of the time and feel like you are stepping back to another place. Loved this read and can’t wait to tell more people about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It took a minute for me to get into this one (the first 20% or so felt a bit slow), but once I did, I was hooked.

Olivia, a somewhat disgraced writer, is called to her hometown to ghostwrite a memoir of a man who may or may not have killed his siblings. He's also, as it turns out, Olivia's father. The story goes between Olivia's present-day experience and flashbacks to various characters in 1975, and it does a good job dropping interesting hints and keeping up the intrigue. Did I figure out some of the big reveals ahead of time? Yes - but I wanted to keep reading and see if I was right.

Unlike anything Julie Clark has written before, this twisty tale of family secrets will pull you in from the first line. The dual timeline, paired with multiple points of view, completely immerses you in the tragic story of the Taylor family and the murder of two of their three children in the 70’s.

Fast forward to present day where the Taylor’s surviving son Vincent, now a famous author, summons his estranged daughter to ghostwrite his memoir as he slowly succumbs to dementia. Will her research finally solve the murder of her teenage aunt and uncle long before her birth? And does she really want to know the truth?

Tradegy strikes in the 70s when the Taylor family loses two children on the same night and the third child is suspected to have committed the crime even though he says he didnt do it. Fast forward to years later and Olivia is a famous ghostwriter but has a fall from grace after a very public uproar and is in financial strain. One day Olivia gets a request to be a ghostwriter for a famous author to really tell his story but when she finds out who it is she immediately wants to decline due to the author being her father who was accused of killing his siblings and who she has been estranged from. She decides to take on the job but tells no one that the subject is her father. As she embarks on this journey she discovers way more than she bargained for and goes through some personal turmoil as well.

I thought this was an incredible book and kept me wanting more. I have read other Julie Clark books and this one hit it out of the park. It was fun of mystery, sadness, and finally truth at the end. I never thought while reading that it would end the way it did. Highly recommend!

My jaw is on the floor. I DEVOURED this ARC. I am so picky with my mysteries & thrillers because so often I can guess the direction it is headed, and often times ideas are repeated and overused. This book blew all of my expectations out of the water. The writing was addictive and the pacing was perfect. Each chapter revealed just a little bit more information that had me dying to read more. I loved the ending and I loved that Olivia’s relationship with her father had healed.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would do so without hesitation. I have not read a book in years that made me have goosebumps on my arms with the reveal of the book occurs. Olivia is a ghostwriter that had found herself in a little trouble in the author scene. She receives an offer from her estranged father, a famous author, to ghostwrite a book with him revealing their families dark, dark secret surrounding the murder of his siblings. Oh, I wish I could keep telling you all about this book. It is living rent free in my mind! I could not put this book down. AMAZING!! Thank you for allowing me to preview this book for my honest opinion. I can hardly wait to press it to my friends.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this title, and it’s explosively good. I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, every book I’ve picked up has been sort of “meh”. This one gripped me immediately, and all I wanted to do was read. I devoured it over the course of a couple of days (work got in the way) and it left me stunned at the final conclusion. It’s got great multiple timelines and viewpoints that allowed the story to unfold in a very satisfying way. Loved it!!!

Julie Clark can do no wrong in my eyes lol. The only reason I could not give it 5 stars is because it was a little slow moving for me. Thank yo NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Julie Clark but won't be the last! I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful family drama, full of secrets and twists. It pulled me in from the first page and kept me interested all the way to the conclusion. There are changes to the narrator and time period throughout the book, but they are clearly marked at the beginning of the chapter so there isn't any confusion. It's a very good, suspense mystery and I highly recommend it.

I have been looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint. I love the layers of the story told through Poppy and Vince's POV it gave the characters depth and it really worked out. I stayed up all night reading this because it was so engaging.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 3, 2025

"Everyone is an unreliable narrator, she'd said. "But someone who has killed another person?
They are the ultimate gaslighters. You begin to question everything- even the things you can see to be true."

🖋 Disgraced Ghostwriter
🖋 Unsolved Cold Case
🖋 Dual Timelines
🖋 Feminist Themes
🖋 Unreliable Narrator
🖋 LGBTQ Side Character

Synopsis: On the 50th anniversary of his sibling's murder, which he was accused of his whole life, novelist Vincent Taylor has his estranged daughter ghostwrite a tell-all book recounting the events leading up to that fateful night.

Review: *sigh* I don't really know what I expected. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller this one is not for you. I think I'd call 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 a women's literary fiction with minor *thriller elements.* Olivia is incredibly dull, and getting to the interesting twists meant having to trudge through the other 80%. I think this book would've benefited greatly from a bit of streamlining.

The story, as a whole, has some interesting twists and unique characters, especially Poppy who is a feminist spitfire. If you're looking for more women's lit fic in your thrillers, you'll enjoy 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳.

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

PG-13: ⚠️ abortion, SA, murder, dementia, abandonment, underage drinking