I love Julie Clark! It's truly incredible how different her books are. They all hold a completely different vibe, which I appreciate so much as a reader. I loved the premise of this book: a ghostwriter's daughter is "forced" to ghostwrite her estranged father's last book. There are so many secrets that are uncovered, stories that are weaved throughout, and characters (both in the past and present), but none of that feels like too much or overwhelming. Thank you, NetGalley!

The Ghostwriter



This is the first book I've read by Julie Clark and it certainly won't be the last! This was very well written and had me intrigued the entire time! Such a great mystery with some great twists! I loved all the 1970's references of music, tv shows, food, etc that had me reliving my own younger days in the 70's.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Julie Clark is an auto-buy author for me. She totally gets the thriller space and does it so well. In the author interview in the back of the book, she says one hard thing about writing this book is keeping up with who knew what and when. I love that. I always imagine author’s have these elaborate outlines hung up on their wall with strings connecting each character. Kind of like they are solving a murder.

The Ghostwriter is a good one. Olivia spent her entire childhood being made fun of because everyone suspected her dad murdered his sister and his brother when they were kids. He never spoke about it and she really never asked. She distanced herself from him and her hometown, as she grew up. Her past is coming back to haunt her, though. She works as a ghostwriter and her now estranged father is a popular horror writer. He has asked her to ghostwrite his memoir. He’s finally ready to tell the story of what happened to his siblings.

We get Olivia’s POV in present day and Poppy’s POV back in the 70s. Poppy is the sister that is murdered. The flashbacks to the 70s is kind of a fun twist. Poppy is a teenage feminist. She goes to protests and carries a video camera with her. A camera that catches so much of the story.

If you’ve read this author, then you know she always has a twist or two up her sleeve. I had my theories and I really enjoyed that I kept second guessing what I thought may happen. I couldn’t get through the pages fast enough in the last 20%.

It’s twisty page turner. A fabulous read for thriller lovers.

I couldn't put this book down! It was so interesting from the perspective of a ghostwriter and her unreliable father who's memoir she's writing. Multiple POVs and timelines help build the story. It kept me guessing, trying to figure things out but the twist still totally surprised me! So well done!!! Highly recommend!!!

thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks landmark for this arc! THE GHOSTWRITER publishes today, june 3!!

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY ↡
📝 author main characters
👥 multiple POVs
⏪ past & present timelines

REVIEW ↡
i’m usually a big fan of julie clark’s work, but this one missed the mark for me. i didn’t feel very invested in the storyline or the MC’s experience ghostwriting her dad’s memoir. objectively a good book though and i think others will enjoy it!! i think it would make for an entertaining movie too!

Julie Clark has once again proven why she’s an auto-buy author for so many readers! She writes with equal parts intelligence and heart, giving us stories that feel both deeply personal and universally resonant. With Ghostwriter, she’s crafted a story that is as much about a haunting crime as it is about the things left unsaid between fathers and daughters.

What I loved most was the structure—told through shifting timelines and unreliable perspectives, the mystery unfolds slowly but deliberately, building suspense without sacrificing emotional weight.

Olivia and Vincent’s relationship is at the center of this book, and their fractured bond is painted with such nuance it hurt in the best possible way. It’s complicated, messy, and achingly real.

The murder mystery? Deliciously twisty. You’ll think you know what happened—and maybe you’ll even be right—but it won’t matter, because Clark is more interested in why it happened. And in the impact those events still have, decades later.

One thing that struck me: while the book is undeniably dark and introspective, it is never without reason. Every revelation feels earned, and every emotion, from shame to hope, rings true!

An excellently paced read that will definitely go over well with a large part of our demographic. Twisty thrillers are a big hit - already ordered for our shelves.

Title: The Ghostwriter
Author: Julie Clark
Pub Date: June 3, 2025 (TODAY!)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter. Her newest project is for Vincent Taylor, a horror writer and the sole surviving sibling of an unsolved 1975 murder of his two siblings, Poppy and Danny. Beyond that, Olivia is Vincent’s estranged daughter. This project is what brings her home to Ojai, California, after nearly three decades.

As Vincent battles Lewy body dementia with hallucinations and loss of memories day by day, it’s Olivia’s job to help recount the past and reveal the truth leading up to the murders—unravelling family secrets and finding clues to determine fact from fiction.

MY THOUGHTS:
This book. I loved every second of it! An unsolved murder mystery of the past and family secrets galore. You get multiple POVs from current day to 1975 flashbacks as Poppy and Vincent. The pacing was perfect, and I was hooked from the start. As soon as I thought I had an idea where things were going, there was a new piece to the puzzle. I highly recommend giving this one a read!

Thank you to the publisher (Sourcebooks Landmark) for the chance to read this eARC via Netgalley!

Julie Clark is one of my favorite authors and I was beyond thrilled when I received this ARC.

This book beautifully combined a twisty thriller, mystery, and dysfunctional family drama. I loved the suspense in exchanges between Olivia and her father, and was honestly surprised up until the end.

While I tend to prefer a bit of a fast-paced thriller, this one was more of a slow burn and this is genuinely what fit the storyline best.

Definitely recommend adding The Ghostwriter to your summer reading list 🔥

Thank you to bookmarked, Julie Clark, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A little slow at first but then you get into snd don't want to put it down. Enough twists and turns to keep you interested but easy enough plot to follow.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

This was my first Julie Clark book and it certainly won’t be my last! I was so intrigued by this one from the very start.

This story follows dual timelines between the present and 1975 and is told in multiple points of view. We follow our main character, Olivia, who was contacted by her estranged father to ghostwrite his memoir about the murder of his two siblings. For years, he was the main suspect in the case, but there was never any proof. Olivia has to dive deep into the secrets that her dysfunctional family has held for decades in order to uncover the truth. With her father’s health and memory declining, she has to go through some extra lengths to get the answers she needs.

This was an excellent mystery that had so many twists and turns. I had so many theories as I was reading and I truly was not expecting that ending. Right when you think you have it figured out, you’re hit with another curve ball sending you in a completely different direction.

I loved the chapters that were told in Poppy’s point of view. I absolutely loved her character, but I also felt so sad for her and the life that she didn’t get to live out. Because of Poppy and her camera, Olivia was able to piece this tragic story together and find out what really happened to her aunt and uncle.

If you haven’t read this one, I highly recommend adding it to your TBR🖤

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a gripping, dual-timeline thriller about family secrets and long-buried truths.

In 1975, teenage siblings Danny and Poppy are murdered—leaving their brother Vincent as the prime suspect. Decades later, Vincent’s estranged daughter Olivia is hired to ghostwrite his memoir… and uncovers the chilling truth behind that summer.

I loved this book—fantastic storytelling, strong characters, and multiple POVs done right. I saw most of the twists coming, but the writing was so good, I didn’t even care.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark & NetGalley for the ARC. The Ghostwriter hits shelves June 3, 2025!

✨Thriller lovers, add this twisty gem to your TBR! I BINGED this on my flight to Greece.✨
.
Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is part chilling mystery, part emotional family drama—and completely unputdownable.
.
Olivia’s career as a ghostwriter is in shambles after a public scandal… so when her estranged, famous horror-author father asks her to ghostwrite his final book, she says yes—even though no one knows she’s his daughter. The catch? It’s about the unsolved murders of his siblings in the ‘70s, and he’s been the suspected killer for decades.
.
As Olivia returns home and starts digging into the past, through her father’s fading memories (thanks to Lewy body dementia), she starts to wonder: is he finally telling the truth… or rewriting history?
.
This one hooked me with its dual timelines, unreliable narrators, and slowly unraveling secrets. It reads like a true crime doc, but with heart.
.
The shifting POVs from the ’70s were especially atmospheric, and I loved the raw exploration of Olivia and Vincent’s broken bond. Yes, there are twists—but it’s the layered characters and emotional payoff that really make this shine. A smart, haunting story that lingers.
.
📚 Perfect for fans of character-driven thrillers, complicated families, and stories that keep you guessing. 4.5 stars from me!
.
Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for the ARC!
.
#Ghostwriter #JulieClark #ThrillerReads #MysteryBook #UnreliableNarrator #BookRecs #CurrentlyReading #BookReview #NetGalleyReads #FamilySecrets #TrueCrimeVibes #TBRAlert #BookTokMadeMeReadIt #ReadMoreBooks #FallReads #CrimeFiction #BookishThoughts #DualTimeline #DysfunctionalFamily #SuspenseReads #Whodunnit #ReadersOfInstagram #PlotTwist #BookClubPick #MustRead2025

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a twisty thriller that had me hooked from the start! This isn’t just a murder mystery, but also a character driven story about family secrets and trauma. The story centers around the complicated bond between a daughter and her infamous father. Olivia Dumont is a struggling ghostwriter who has been reluctantly hired to write her estranged father’s final book. She ends up finding out it’s not fiction, but a confession! I loved the use of dual timelines, which slowly unravel the truth in such a suspenseful and satisfying way. This book kept me guessing and emotionally invested the whole time. Hands down, one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year!

When I finished The Ghostwriter, I stayed in that world for quite a while due to being so immersed into the story. I felt as if I lived the story with Olivia and her family. This is a fantastic, well written book by Julie Clark. The Ghostwriter incorporates murder, mystery and psychological suspense to tell the story of a very damaged family. I really don’t want to say more except if you like these genres, read the book!
Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for this advanced e-book. I would gladly read any other books by Julie Clark!

#SourceBooks Landmark #Julie Clark

This book was a perfect way to kick off my summer reading!
Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter who is deeply in debt due to a lawsuit stemming from another author who she spoke out about and legal fees. So when the chance to write a memoir of a famous horror author, the choice was simple. However, the author turns out to be her estranged father who has Lewy Body Dementia and about 20 legal pads on which he has scrawled his story about the murders of his two siblings 50 years ago.
The story is told from her father's writing (Vincent), his sister Poppy's diary and films, and the research that Olivia undertakes. It also served as a vehicle to reconnect with her father as his memory failed.
Throughout the book, the reader understands Olivia's complicated past with a mother who walked out on the family, being sent to a Swiss boarding school at 14, and the possibility of selling her home to pay off the author and lawyer.
I loved the way Olivia used her journalism background to delve into 1975 newspapers, and to meet with people in Ojai who knew her father's family in 1975 - including the man next door. She found 10 of Poppy's films which she had digitalized and reviewed to "get to know" her aunt and uncle.
I thought the story was well crafted, intriguing, and suspenseful The mystery was unraveled in a clever believable way. The author definitely picked up California in the mid 70's noting songs and typical 70s activities.
I flew through this book in 2 days. I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and I am leaving my opinions voluntarily.

I was really looking forward to this book after completely devouring The Lies I Tell, but it wasn’t quite as gripping, and I know this is an unpopular opinion.

This story was intriguing and unique, but it wasn’t quite a very slow burn, which isn’t something I was ready for after Clark’s last book. I enjoyed how Olivia unraveled things, but I wish it had been quicker with far more twists. This one wasn’t as unputadownable as I was wanting. I also saw the twists from the very beginning. The foreshadowing was pretty blatant.

Rating: 3.5 rounded to 4

Olivia is a ghostwriter commissioned to write her estranged father's memoir (he’s a horror author). She has to uncover the truth behind the murders of her aunt and uncle, which occurred nearly 50 years ago. The narrative unfolds through dual timelines; Vincent's perspective and Poppy's voice which also includes her diary entries and old video footage.
This novel is emotional as well suspenseful with an intricate plot and complex characters. It’s the kind of book that you can’t put down until the murderer is revealed.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoyed reading Clark’s The Lies I Tell, so I was excited about the opportunity to read this newest novel. The premise intrigued me: not only must the ghostwriter protagonist uncover the mystery of a 50-year old murder, but she is also the estranged daughter of her latest client– a job she is only taking out of desperation and not a genuine desire for reconciliation.

The narrative shifts between the present day and 1975, the latter of which sheds light on the mystery surrounding the Taylor siblings’ brutal murder. Vincent Taylor proves to be somewhat of an unreliable narrator, which raises the question: is he being deliberately misleading or are his recollections affected by his recent diagnosis of Lewy body dementia?

Protagonist Olivia must balance her non-existent relationship with her father and the truth about who murdered her aunt and uncle fifty years ago. Her father has always been suspected of the crime, but there was never enough evidence to charge him. Is his book supposed to be the Actual Truth or one last attempt to avoid taking responsibility for the slayings?

I’m usually pretty good at figuring out mysteries but this book kept me guessing the whole time. My theories were constantly shifting as new evidence appeared, rendering old evidence moot or obsolete.

I would absolutely recommend The Ghostwriter. This is an engaging novel from start to finish. Every new revelation led to three new questions, pushing both Olivia and the reader farther away from the truth rather than closer to it.


I received a digital ARC of this book from Sourcebooks/NetGalley.