I had few expectations when I started reading The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, but the book really delivered for me. The premise of the novel is excellent (a woman who had been totally estranged from her parents is now tasked with ghostwriting her famous father's memoir) and Clark does a nice job of flipping between the story in the present and several points of view on the past. I liked the balance of relational issues with the heart of the thriller, and the twists, though not extraordinary, definitely delivered. I'll recommend this to readers who like a family-based thriller and it may well be a pick for our bookstore's thriller book club. Oh, and the edges of the first edition are definitely pretty!

“Very rarely do people like what they find when they go digging into the past.”

I LOVED this book. Seriously I cannot say enough about it. Julie Clark has the amazing ability to craft a thriller where information is revealed at just the right time with the perfect pacing.

The three POVs and the dual timelines worked impeccably well. I really don’t know how she kept all the details straight in her writing process. In fact, the 1975 portions made me feel like I was back in the 1970s with the vivid detail and music choices.

I also appreciated the strife in Olivia’s personal life with her parents and other relationships because of her family trauma. It all played into the story extremely well. Loved ones can live in our hearts and memories in a variety of ways. Some is real and some is myth. And, pain and trauma can manifest itself through years and generations. This story shows us all of that!

While I thought I had one part figured out, I wasn’t sure and needed to keep reading to piece together the story. It’s always hard to review thrillers without giving too much away, so read this book! You will not be disappointed. It is worth all the stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. I’ve read other books by Ms. Clark and they were definite home runs. This one was good, but perhaps not quite as good as the others. It’s 1975, and two teenage siblings are found murdered in their home. The surviving brother spends years being the suspected murderer. Vincent goes on to become a famous horror author (probably fueling those rumors). Present day, his estranged daughter Olivia is hired to ghostwrite his memoir. After 50 years, Vincent Taylor is ready to tell the world what happened that night. Olivia is not just going to listen to her dad’s version though. She starts to research, and many more secrets come to light. I loved the dual timeline. The 1970s vibe was terrific. This is a good one for the beach bag! It’s finally going to be beach weather here in NYC this weekend! #bookstagram #whatiread #whatsinyourbeachbag #bookgram #reading #bookworm #julieclark #books #goodreads #netgalley #advancedreadercopy

Well, hello, favorite thriller of the year so far! Readers, if you're looking for a hot new thriller that is perfect for binging this summer, I can't recommend The Ghostwriter enough! Was I on the hunt for a fast-paced suspense that would keep me glued to the page? Yes. Did I realize just how addicted I'd become, that I would lose track of time and have to quickly order takeout because I missed my window to make dinner? No, I did not. 😂 The Ghostwriter obviously hooked me hard, and I also loved that it featured an unreliable narrator at its core, which had me guessing until the end. This one definitely lived up to the hype for me!

I loved this!! It took me forever to finish because I was so busy but if I wasn’t I think I could’ve read this in a couple of days. This definitely got me out of my reading slump. I also loved all of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and sourcebooks landmark for the ARC!

I did not care for this one at all.

The pacing is far too slow.

The FMC is annoying.

Her father was equally annoying. Why not just speak the truth instead of speaking in riddles all the time?

Disappointing ending.

2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my complimentary copy.

THE GHOSTWRITER is a deeply moving, dysfunctional family drama that still lingers in my thoughts days after reading it. In several ways, it's a tragedy - the heartbreaking story of young lives cut short while others are ripped apart by a series of traumatic events that altered their futures forever. Author Julie Clark brilliantly captures the essence of each character, bringing their individual as well as collective stories to life while drawing readers into the fold. The result is a haunting, thought-provoking, mysterious drama that I read from cover to cover in one sitting.

Olivia Taylor aka Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont cut family ties years ago, leaving her last name and devastating family history buried in the small town where she grew up, along with the unwanted notoriety of being the only child of legendary horror author, Vincent Taylor, -- who’s even more famous as the prime suspect in the 1975 brutal, unsolved stabbing deaths of his siblings, Danny and Poppy. No one, including her agent and Tom, a man she hopes to build a life with, knows her real identity. Deep in debt and in danger of losing her home, Olivia has no choice but to accept when a request from Vincent asking her to collaborate with him as a ghostwriter on his final book arrives through her agent. Reluctantly, Olivia heads home only to discover her father is losing his memory and life to Lewy Body Dementia. It's soon clear through his raving hallucinations, faded memories, and short periods of lucidness that Vincent has a different story in mind for his daughter to write - he's ready to tell his story, his memoir, his version of the events that occurred that fateful night in 1975. In doing so, will Vincent reveal himself as a murderer . . . or identify someone else as the villain? Is her father manipulating her into one final treasure hunt through his cryptic notes like the games they played when she was a small child? Olivia knows it’s too late to turn back now, but in proceeding with her investigation, she’s forced to face a few hard truths of her own and decide if she, too, is ready to move out of the shadows, acknowledge her roots, and move forward with her life.

Like the expert she is, Author Julie Clark delivers a mesmerizing, gut wrenching mystery that resonates with regret, guilt, betrayal, and what "might have been". Seamlessly alternating past/present chapters evolve through multiple points of view from highly unreliable narrators. In the past, readers get a firsthand accounting of the chilling events as they occur through Vincent and Poppy's voice, old, grainy, silent film footage and Poppy’s diary. The present is told through Olivia's interviews with her father, his haphazard, puzzling notes and chaotic manuscript as well as her investigation and interviews with other people. An insane pace accentuates a dire tone of malice that increases page by page with every new twisted revelation until the shocking truth is revealed. Multilayered characterizations are expertly crafted, each packing a punch as the story unfolds through tautly interwoven plot and timelines. The strained father/daughter relationship dynamics are brilliantly explored with so many lost moments and missed opportunities lending an air of regret while increasing the tension. Clark's research on Lewy Body Dementia is obvious, and I appreciate her managing the topic with grace and compassion. My thoughts on who the murderer was shifted back and forth throughout this story and while I guessed part of the truth by the climax, the author still surprised me in the end.

THE GHOSTWRITER is a deeply immersive, hauntingly beautiful, not soon to be forgotten family drama. Author Julie Clark has firmly established herself as a must-read author in the mystery and suspense genre. The depth of emotion she evokes in characters and readers is nothing short of amazing. I can't wait to read what she writes next. Highly recommended to fans of twisted mysteries, family dramas, and suspense.

LOVE this book! It was so complicated and compelling, it made for a fantastic read! The characters were so well written and I didn’t want to put this down. I was so excited to finish it that I took the day off of work! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free ARC is exchange for my honest feedback. I loved it!

My Rating- 4/5

The past few months or so, I've been finding that the thrillers I've been picking up have been a bit lackluster. Normally one of my favorite genres, each time I seem to pick up a thriller I end up walking away disappointed, and feeling that the story was rather tired. Thankfully Julie Clark decided to come along and write The Ghostwriter, a book that is a lot of fun and not at all tired! I'm hoping that after this lovely little thrill ride, I'm back on the thriller hype train!

Shall we get into it?

Premise- This story follows Olivia Dumont, the estranged daughter of successful horror writer (and suspected murderer) Vincent Taylor. As Vincent's health declines, he decides to hire his daughter to ghostwrite his final novel, a tell-all memoir about the murder of his two siblings, and the part he played in them. Now, speaking with full honesty here, the whole "my dad is suspected of murdering members of our family" premise isn't exactly new. Off the top of my head, I could name at least a handful of other books that have a similar basis, and yet, Julie Clark does a good job of keeping her story fresh. Personally I feel that the ghostwriting aspect is what keeps this premise afloat. By having the main character be a ghostwriter, she is able to get right into the thick of the mystery in a way that is both believable and, thankfully, not overdone. At this point, the thriller genre is flooded with stories featuring reporters and, more recently, podcasters, to the point that these narratives have been done to death. Olivia as her father's ghostwriter feels believable, and while being in the same vain as a reporter, is not yet overdone. 4/5

Mystery- As I said before, the main mystery here isn't anything earth shattering. 'Murder in the family' seems to be all the rage these days, but despite having read many similar stories myself, I still was drawn into this one. Julie Clark did an excellent job of doling out each twist and turn at just the right time, and I was hooked beginning to end. 4/5

Characters- Olivia served as a fine main character. I felt that she was interesting enough, and her personally connections to the unfolding mystery made for some good emotional beats in the story. I think the shining star in the character department are the interactions between Olivia and her father, Vincent. Clark does a great job building up their strained relationship, and I found that their moments together were some of my favorite in the book. I felt that Clark did a great job keeping Vincent true to his character while also having him face remorse for his past actions in the face of his declining health. It was easy to understand and empathize with Olivia as to why she had cut contact with her father, and yet you also feel for empathy for him by the end of the story. My only wish in the character department was that we were able to see a little more of Olivia and her boyfriend. Due to him being absent for the entirety of the story, its a little difficult to feel the full effect of their tension, but that's mostly a nitpick, all of their interactions were handled very well, I just would have enjoyed a little more. 4.5/5

Ending- Without diving into full spoilers, I felt that the ending was satisfying without being too convoluted (not the easiest feat when it comes to thrillers). While not the most groundbreaking of conclusions, it did keep me on my toes and hit a nice emotional punch. 3.5/5

In conclusion, I found The Ghostwriter to be a solid story and I'd recommend it to any thriller lovers out there who are in need of a pick-me-up. Julie Clark did a very nice job here, and I'm sure that this story will be well received.

******NOW AVAILABLE********

So very thankful I was given an ARC of this book!!!

Olivia is in a situation that she must go back to her childhood home to aid her father with a memoir type book, his health/memory aid even more challenges to the task. Their past is troubling and she has done her best to leave that all behind her. She discovers the truth about the murder of her teenage aunt and uncle during the 1970’s. The discovery is painful and shocking at times but written perfectly!! Love the scenes that are displayed on the old movie reels Olivia discovers along her journey.

Read this book!! You won’t be sorry!!

Thank you to netgalley and Sourcebooks for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

I've come to the realization that I am definitely a Julie Clark fan. Although somewhat of a slow burn, this twisted family mystery will have you questioning everything about the Taylor Family, from their tragic past all the way to the present. I love how the author dropped subtle clues along the way that you were able to extrapolate and understand during the reveal and in hindsight. I love the unreliable narrators and how they manage to draw you in and make you believe their "version" of the tragic story the family endured. This one was SO good!

I really like Julie Clark’s books and this one was no exception! I loved the split timeline and Ojai setting. The twists were great and thought-provoking.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited for this because of all the positive reviews I had seen. But it really lacked suspense and thrill for me. I was mostly annoyed with the main character for not even attempting to find answers sooner in her life. Your father is accused of murder by the whole town and you never sat down and asked anyone questions? Since they are uncovering this so many years removed from the actual incident, it felt less immediate and therefore not exciting. I think there were lots of things that could have been amped up more (the treasure hunts, the best friends relationship, the mom's disappearance) to make this better, but none really felt fully developed. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the free ARC.

Just wrapped up The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, and wow, what a ride! You've got family drama, suspense, and plot twists galore. A ghostwriter reconnecting with her dad who's tangled in his own dark past is such a captivating setup. I couldn't put it down! If you love thrillers that keep you guessing late into the night like I do, this one's for you. So tell me, if you could be a ghostwriter for anyone, who would it be?

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4⭐️
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: Unsolved crimes, strong female leads, dual timelines, and family secrets.

In my opinion, Julie Clark is a master of suspense and this book is no exception!!! ‘The Ghostwriter’ is about a woman, Olivia, who has been haunted by her family past all of her life. She is a ghostwriter and her father, the center of a past tragedy, is ready to talk about his life. Without a choice, she must go on this journey,.sifting through family secrets, painful memories, and shreds of hope – looking for a semblance of what might have happened back then…

This is such a crazy, suspenseful ride, and I loved every single second of it!! I cannot tell you how good this is! Definitely one of my favorite suspense books this year!!

This was a slow burn for me. I was interested because I wanted to know what happened that fateful night in 1975, but it didn't quite have me on the edge of my seat.

Obviously, the chapters from 1975 were the most entertaining for me because the actually moved the story along. But without Olivia's chapters, we wouldn't be able to guess if Vincent is really innocent or not, and that's really what the whole story was about.

This was not my favorite novel by Julie Clark. I enjoyed her previous novels more. If you're into a slow burn with a lot of family drama, then this one is for you.

3.5 stars rounded up

Olivia has been estranged from her writer father, Vincent Taylor, for the last 20 years or so. When she was young, she found out that her father was suspected of murdering his siblings, Danny and Poppy, when he was around sixteen. Vincent was a big drinker, and after Olivia's mom left, it got worse. When he sent Olivia away to boarding school, she eventually cut him out of her life and she became a ghostwriter using a different last name. She never tells anyone that she's related to an alleged murderer, even her long-time boyfriend. When Vince hires her to write his last book, she doesn't want to do it but can't turn it down, so she heads home. It turns out that Vincent wants to come clean about what happened back then, and it's up to Olivia to make sense of his rambling notes.

We mostly get Olivia's point of view from the current time period, interspersed with chapters from Poppy and Vincent in 1975. The more Olivia digs, the more puzzle pieces start falling into place.

All in all, this is a good family mystery story. I had never read anything by Julie Clark before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This was kind of a slow burn, more literary mystery than a suspense or thriller. If you enjoy a good puzzle, then you'll enjoy this one.

The Ghostwriter was such a twisted, slow burn of a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. A woman gets asked to ghostwrite a book for a famous thriller author except, the catch is that it is her estranged father. Her father who was accused of killing his brother and sister when they were kids. No spoilers but let’s just say, this was so well done, with so many red herrings to throw me off course, so many subtle clues, so many unreliable narrators, and so deliberate in how the clues were dropped. It was heartbreaking and intense at the same time and really had me emotionally invested.

4.0 stars
The Ghostwriter
Julie Clark

I was at 3/3.5 stars for The Ghostwriter, but I was emotional at the end of the novel and quite swept up in the honesty of the writing so a 4 it is! I think the blurbs for this book were quite misleading. This was definitely not a thriller and not very suspenseful. It was a tragedy filled with family dysfunction and constant sibling unease. The author gave us and the Protagonist in the book many, many clues to solving the crime(s), but it really affected the pacing of the book. It took me way too long to finish this novel, which is never a good sign. I really enjoyed The Last Flight, but this story did not have me flying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eCopy for me to review. My reviews can be found on Barnes& Noble, Amazon, and Goodreads. My opinion is my own.

I was provided and ARC of this book via Sourcebooks and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful, family drama. This follows ghostwriter Olivia in the wake of her social ousting. She had the gall to speak her mind at a conference and now she has essentially been cancelled and what was once a successful career ghostwriting memoirs and nonfiction has completely dried up. No one wants to be associated with her after she angered one of publishing's most successful writers. When a new project crosses her desk she has to take it, it just so happens to be her estranged father's memoir and the story everyone has wanted him to tell about what happened to his family. The problem is Olivia isn't sure if this is another one of his horror novels, another way he is trying to manipulate her, or if he really is telling the truth about what happened.

I haven't read a good thriller in quite a while. This alternates between the present day from Olivia's perspective, her father Vincent's perspective in 1975, as well as her Aunt Poppy's perspective also in 1975. In the present, Vincent's health is failing and he wants to tell the truth about what happened to his brother and sister as he is the only one who knows the truth. In bringing Olivia on to tell his story, it was almost as if he was making amends in a way for many things. Olivia is given very specific stipulations on how she must write the book, but being a good writer and a prior journalist she is able to seek out the information she needs to make sense of what her father tells her and the notes and clues he's left her. As we travel back in time and hear from Vincent and Poppy we learn of the tension and dark emotions that were running among the 3 Taylor siblings. There were plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing as to what really happened and why Vincent was so secretive about it all of these years.

If you are looking for a book full of secrets and scavenger hunts, this is a great read.