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

This book went back and forth between 3.5-4 stars.

Julie Clark is a phenomenal writer but tends to give you slow introductions and backstory for 30-40% of the book before the thrills and page turning chapters comes into play but when it does, it’s amazing. Even tho I predict the major “twist” 50% in, I still enjoyed the storyline and writing style between current time and chapters from 1975.

Olivia a professional ghostwriter gets hired to write a memoir for her father. Someone she has not seen in 30 years for many reasons. One being he possibly murdered his brother in sister in the summer of 1975, a case still unsolved. Olivia finds herself driving back to her families hometown to help her estranged father right this book while being haunted by secrets and opinions of everyone around her of what really happened.

*** Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This was one of my favorite thrillers of the year so far. In addition to a murder mystery, it explored grief, forgiveness, and the reliability (or unreliability) or memory. Instead of the typical trope of an unreliable narrator, there were intermittent flashbacks to other characters with conflicting POVs that led to questions and suspense to drive the plot. This book kept me guessing until the end and even the final chapters left a hint of ambiguity (but not enough to be disappointing or frustrating). An original storyline, compelling characters, and overall satisfying mystery read!

I love Julie Clark, and I was so excited to see this one pop up! This was different from the other Clark I've read in the past, but not in a bad way. I would recommend it for anyone who loves a good, deep storyline - this one really kept me thinking late into the night.

The Ghostwriter follows Olivia Dumont (FKA Olivia Taylor) as she navigates a floundering career as a ghostwriter. Once prominent and sought-after, she called out a fellow ghostwriter in a public forum and watched everything she had built crumble around her. She’s drowning in legal fees and without any work on the horizon, she gets an offer she cannot refuse. The offer is to write a memoir for the famous mystery writer Vincent Taylor. This is a particularly complicated job because Vincent Taylor is her father. Olivia and her father are estranged and her feelings around the man are complex to say the least. But Vincent has a story to tell. When he was a teenager his brother and sister were found brutally murdered in their home. The case has never been solved and Vincent has been unwilling to discuss what happened to any extent.. until now. But is this story he’s telling the whole truth? His failing health and spotty memory makes for Olivia’s most challenging assignment yet. Will she like what she uncovers? Or will she realize that she knows the man she calls her father even less than she thought she did?

Ok I should start by saying that I love a good cold case story so I was predisposed to loving this story from the jump. That said, I absolutely DEVOURED this book. It’s been a minute since a mystery kept me up so far past when I should have reasonably gone to sleep but I just kept saying to myself “one more chapter.” Julie Clark’s ability to build a story working in two different directions from different perspectives and timelines is exceptional. The characters were layered, complex and imperfect and that’s just the way I like it!

I will be pre-ordering this book and will immediately find and consume any other books written by this talented woman. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for offering this title for advanced review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was another great mystery by Julie Clark. It was more of a slow burn than an edge of your seat thriller but it still had some great twists and I couldn't put it down. The switching between the point of view of Poppy and Vincent in 1975 and present day Vincent and Olivia worked really well to enhance the mystery and understand the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

A professional ghostwriter must return to her childhood home to help her (in)famous father, a successful novelist under suspicion of an long-ago unsolved family murder, write his biography and face the truth. Clark's novel hums like the engine of a muscle car on the highway, and this story of a father and daughter and the decaying tension beneath their relationship combines nostalgia, memory, and long-buried secrets into an intoxicating mix that's one of the summer's highlights. Seek this one out. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Makkai.

Within the first 10 pages of this book, I was hooked. I loved that the book included both past (leading up to the murder) and present (researching the murder) timelines. This book was ultimately a book of revenge in the best way. I made so many assumptions during the book as to how it would play out and end and each time I was absolutely shocked. I enjoyed reading this book so much and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good, quick thriller!

Thank you to sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC!!

Olivia Dumont has spent her entire adult life running away from her past. Her mother abandoned her at a young age, and her author father has always lived with the stigma of murdering his two siblings back in 1975 when they were all teenagers. Coming upon the 50th anniversary of the murders, Olivia is offered the job of ghostwriting her father’s final book where he is ready to talk about what really happened on that fateful night back in 1975. While he is not the most reliable character, as he has recently been diagnosed with dementia, Olivia finds herself putting pieces together from various sources. The book was very well executed and pacing was just enough to keep me wanting more. I didn’t see the ending coming. Julie Clark does not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

****for some book-related illustrations, check out my blog :)****

reminiscent of the story of the happy face killer (new series just came out - great timing for a book with similar components)

-loved the layered story. it kept me hooked and guessing where things were going, but also very present with the story because there was never a dull moment.
-unpredictable twist upon twist upon twist (yes, you read that right)
-the cycle of trauma was well written
-clark gives unlikable characters likable qualities during their character arc
-not slow. kept me guessing and wanting more. enjoyable to unfold.
-wraps up very nicely but not all fluffy
-satisfying ending, satisfying twist(s)?!

i appreciate that clark didn’t take the easy way out with any part of the story line. she didn’t choose to be “predictable” and it paid off.

i didn’t realize until i finished the book that my first book blog post was another julie clark book (the lies i tell) - check out my review for that on my website if you're interested!

thank you netgalley and sourcebooks landmark for the ARC - i immensely enjoyed this book!
4.2/5 stars

This book was just ok. I just don’t feel her books have been as good as her first one. Olivia has dropped her father because he’s an alcoholic and rumored to have killed his brother and sister. She gets hired to ghostwrite for him so returns to her home town. As she digs into the past, she finds answers to things she maybe never wanted to know. This book had a shocking ending but I skimmed a lot of jt.

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter introduces us to Olivia, a once-successful ghostwriter whose career has been derailed by a public scandal. When she’s unexpectedly offered a job writing a memoir for her estranged father, the renowned author Vincent Taylor, she reluctantly accepts. But this isn’t just any memoir—Vincent wants to revisit his traumatic past, specifically the unsolved murders of his younger siblings in 1975. As Olivia delves into his history, she finds herself unraveling dark family secrets and confronting long-buried truths.

This novel is not a fast-paced thriller but a carefully crafted, slow-burn mystery that reflects the nature of real-life cold cases. The story is told through multiple perspectives, alternating between modern-day investigations and firsthand accounts from 1975. While these shifts add depth, they can also be disorienting at times, as it’s not always clear whether we’re reading a diary entry or a memory. That said, Clark does an excellent job of exploring the lingering effects of trauma and the complexities of uncovering the past.

Overall, The Ghostwriter is a compelling murder mystery full of twists and turns, particularly for readers who enjoy methodical investigations and whodunnit narratives.

My most sincere thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my non-biased review.

This was an excellent thriller that I absolutely did not figure out until the very end.

Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter is tasked with writing her father's memoir. He is a horror author suspected of murdering his own siblings. This is not something Olivia wants to write but due to mounting debts she agrees to take it on. She has been estranged from her father since she was a teenager and most people do not even know they are related. Olivia now must uncover what is really true and find out if her own father is a murderer.

What really shines here is the intricate dance between Olivia and her father. After decades of silence, Vincent is finally ready to tell his story, and Olivia finds herself caught in a web of half-truths, buried secrets, and the gnawing question of her father's guilt or innocence.

The tension throughout the book keeps simmering. There are tantalizing clues and red herrings that will keep you guessing until the very end. While reading my mind went through so many different scenarios of what could have happened. This is a gripping thriller that explores the dark side of family secrets. This is a great read for anyone who likes thrillers or a great mystery!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. I was so fortunate to be part of this review process.
Julie Clark is an amazing author and her upcoming novel The Ghostwriter is a stunner.
A young woman who works in the publishing world, Olivia, was very successful. That’s until she upset her career by making remarks that cost her the reputation she tried to build.
In debt with no work insight she receives an offer to ghost write a book by a famous writer. Problem? Yes, the writer is her father who she is estranged.
But Olivia is stuck between a rock and a hard place. She must accept the reality that she will lose her home and all she has if she doesn’t take this assignment.
Olivia does not go by her childhood name so no one knows the assignment is for her father. This includes her current boyfriend.
Olivia’s family is notorious because her father’s brother and sister were murdered in 1975 and her dad was and is a suspect. Although never charged with murder, he has carried the guilt of surviving this murder., as well as, the belief he killed them
Olivia soon discovers her father is ill but he wants to write his memoir and needs her help.
It is up to Olivia to make sense of his ramblings and whatever else remains of this murder mystery information.
The chapters take the reader back to 1975 and the present time while Olivia navigates what little information there is at the time of the murders.
This book is engrossing and at times disturbing but truly a remarkable book.
I could not put it down. 5 stars !

I really enjoyed this book just as much as the rest of Julie Clark’s books. A shadow was always hanging over Vincent’s life and Olivia’s as well. One of things I really loved about this book was the fact that our memories are not always true and real.
Circumstances may color them in ways we cannot see. I also loved how Vincent added clues to his notes, knowing that Olivia would follow them like she had in so many treasure hunts growing up. Beautifully written and very engaging story.

4.5 stars

This is a gripping exploration of how the stories we tell ourselves shape our world and who we are in it. Of how fickle memory can be. Of how you never really know the truth of someone unless they're willing to be vulnerable and share it.

Every part of this story works. The characters are interesting and complicated and real. I was able to connect with them as much as you can with this kind of story. The snippets of 1975 are woven in beautifully and to great effect. It's tragic and scary and infuriating and heartbreaking.

My favorite part is how well plotted this story is. Until you get to the reveal, you never really know what happened or how it's going to play out. But hindsight shows you the clues that were there. My subconscious registered a number of them -- like the ping of a metal detector -- but the narrative is compelling enough to keep you from straying and guessing anything too soon.

I definitely recommend this book!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I enjoyed this one even though it was very slow from the start. I found it a little different than her previous books which wasn't expected. It should not be marketed as a thriller because it was more of a mystery if anything.

This book was a bit more of a slow burn than a fast paced thriller. At times it was hard to pick up. It had potential and I was invested in finding out what happened to Danny and Poppy but it was a bit of a let down for me. Thank you for the ARC.

More of a slow burn mystery than a suspenseful thriller, but a really great story! I wish the pacing was quicker because I do think the mystery of Danny and Poppy had potential to be a really suspenseful unfolding, but the slow aspect was really distracting. I didn't find myself wanting to read the book. I do think the story kept me interested and I was surprised by the ending, but I think the author missed the potential here.