I really enjoyed this! A really good thriller/mystery and I loved the secret daughter/father relationship. Each chapter gave a little more information and kept me interested and made me want to keep reading. I felt a lot of similarities to We Begin At The End which was one of my favorite books I read this year. The end really broke my heart.

I really enjoyed this one! I went in expecting a straightforward story, but what I got was a layered, twisty mystery that completely pulled me in. At its core, this was more of a did he/didn't he type of mystery, which I loved. I had so many theories while reading and was constantly trying to piece things together along with our protagonist.

One of the standout elements for me was the complicated father/daughter dynamic. The author did an incredible job building the tension and depth between them, making the story feel personal amid all the suspense. There were a few layers to unravel in this book, and I really appreciated how it was plotted and organized by the author. Every reveal felt earned, and the pacing kept me hooked from start to finish. I would recommend this one, and I want to read more from this author.

If you are looking for a mystery with layers pick this book up. With a main character that is a ghostwriter this story contains a book within a book. The book in the story has a known unreliable narrator, and creates a great puzzle of what to actually believe. Told through multiple viewpoints, and timelines, this book will keep you questioning what really happened until the final page. It also shows what happens to generations as a result of secrets, and trauma. It is an extremely entertaining, and quick read.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a psychological thriller that looks into the family secrets of Vincent Taylor, a horror writer. When Vincent learns he has a debilitating disease. He asks his estranged daughter, Olivia. To ghostwrite his memoir. Olivia returns to her childhood home to learn the truth about Vincent’s dark past as the rumored murderer of his siblings 25 years prior. The novel is a slow burn with several twists. I rated this dysfunctional family drama a solid 4-stars.

I have read all of Julie Clark’s books and she is auto- buy author for me ! Ghostwriter is no exception ! Lots of twists and turns which make a my favorite ! Highly recommend

Olivia Dumont is watching her whole life go up in flames. She’s the single child of a prolific horror novelist named Vincent Taylor, infamous for both his terrifying fictional tales and his alleged involvement in the brutal double homicide of his siblings, Poppy & Danny Taylor. Vincent was never able to escape public scrutiny and ignominy for his reputed sins, but her father’s career only benefited from this thrilling aura of mystique since it only fueled the public’s morbid curiosity. Unfortunately, it also created quite a horrifying situation for Olivia to grow up in; therefore, she has spent her entire adult life trying to become a ghost, her true identity hidden in plain sight from the public eye. Suitably, her chosen work as a ghostwriter has provided her with the privacy she has needed, but now she’s facing an impending financial collapse and could soon be sitting in the ashes of her own burgeoning writing career. Which brings us to Olivia’s current conundrum: ghostwrite her father’s last book and resurrect ghosts from the past or simply walk away, keeping her family’s dark history securely archived and forgotten. Either way, she will be striking a match to the pages of her own life’s story.

Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a slow-burning, intricate murder mystery that will engross the reader inside a firestorm of secrets, family drama, devastating betrayals, and heartbreaking truths. The plot was cleverly complex and attention consuming. It was skillfully written in a past and present narrative, shifting between 1970’s and current day Ojai, California and alternating between multiple key characters at the center of the mystery. This was executed in a way that let the reader get acquainted with the characters at play and added to the building suspense without confusing the reader or congesting the flow of the story. I was totally impressed with the twists, and I was suspicious of multiple characters over most of the story, also a notable accomplishment by the author. I also appreciated that this story is more than just a terrific tale of murder, mystery, and intrigue: the author incorporates a theme of fatherhood/parenthood and illuminates the fragile equilibrium that exists between a parent and child. It all comes down to choices. Mistakes can so easily result in traumatic experiences and burning resentments, often times creating a tragic situation where the child ends up mourning the loss of what could have been but never was. I think the resolution was compelling with its explanations, and I felt incandescently angry about some of the characters’ situations. However, since we are just a captive audience to their stories, we are powerless to interfere and will inevitably be forced to watch their fated demise. I couldn’t put this book down until the mystery was solved. I highly recommend this book and will definitely be picking up more books by Julie Clark! This book was just published on June 3rd, so get yourself a copy! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own.

This is the first story I've read by this author, and it won't be the last. I found it atmospheric, and I loved how the story unfolded.
I enjoyed all the povs, and really loved all the twists, turns, and secrets Olivia uncovered while working for her father.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can't wait to read Julie Clark's other books.

4.5-5⭐️ Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, daughter of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, has spent her career hiding from their connection. But when she is tasked with being the ghostwriter on his memoir and last book, she cannot turn it down. Using the book as her last chance to get to the bottom of what really happened the night her father’s teenage sister and brother were brutally murdered, Olivia must deal with old ghosts and new revelations as she revisits the past.

A gorgeous hardcover with sprayed edges that look as though they have been set on fire? Sign me up! In all honesty, though, Julia Clark novels never ever disappoint, and she quickly reached auto-buy status after I read The Lies I Tell. I have seen reviews for The Ghostwriter, slowly but surely, but the trailer that has been floating around Instagram this week ended up hyping me up even more - something that can end up being either a good thing or bad. In this case, it really helped set the stage for exactly what I got - a slow burn, chilling, psychologically thrilling book that was as emotionally deep as it was suspenseful. When all was said and done, I felt such profound sadness for all the characters involved, something that doesn’t often happen to me with thrillers.

I loved pretty much everything about this story. To start, I was endlessly fascinated with the cold case at the heart of the story and the lasting repercussions for our very engaging MC and her family. Her brokenness is apparent from the start, and as we unwind the case, her layers are slowly but surely peeled back, until her vulnerability and reasons for it were on full display. And it’s through this emotional connection with her that I found myself connecting more with her father and his turbulent past. We are treated to a series of perspectives, particularly in the past, and I always enjoyed hearing his “side of the story”.

Another really fun aspect was just how atmospheric and haunting the book felt. The house is in many ways a character in and of itself. Each time we encounter it, it tells us one more secret. And when the final reveal comes, during a revisit to the past, you can feel the pain of the house, as much as the characters in it. How could this family, once seemingly so happy, be all but destroyed in a single night? Well, I will leave it to you to read the book and uncover the answer for yourself.

Read if you like:
▪️domestic suspense
▪️atmospheric settings
▪️books about books
▪️true crime, cold cases
▪️houses as characters
▪️complex father/daughter relationships
▪️multiple POVs

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy.

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a haunting, slow-burn thriller that delves into family secrets and blurred truths. Olivia Dumont, the estranged daughter of infamous horror author Vincent Taylor, reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite his final book: a tell-all about the decades-old murder of his siblings. As she sifts through his cryptic notes and her aunt’s old diary, Olivia uncovers chilling revelations that challenge everything she knows.

Clark masterfully built tension, weaving past and present with eerie precision. Though the pacing leans deliberate, the layered mystery and complex family dynamics me turning pages. Olivia’s journey was gripping: part investigative unraveling, part emotional reckoning. Fans of Clark’s previous thrillers may miss the breakneck speed, but the atmospheric storytelling and shocking twists more than compensated. A must-read for lovers of gothic-tinged suspense. 4.25/5 stars!!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a twisty thriller that definitely kept me up past my bedtime because I couldn't wait to find out what happened. It has multiple POV's, a dual timeline, unreliable narrators, and a dysfunctional family. The book is well written and I highly recommend it.

Synopsis:
June, 1975.

The Taylor family shatters in a single night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write.

After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced digital copy of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. I love this author & again, she did not disappoint, definitely recommend.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.” 🖤

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 was amazing and surpassed all my expectations! It grabbed my attention right from the start and kept it until the end. I really liked the tense relationship between Olivia, the ghostwriter, and her horror writer father, Vincent, who suffered from the early stages of a form of dementia.

Learning about the dark past she had to write about in his memoir added a thrilling element to the story. The details about his childhood and the tragic deaths of his two siblings made the story much deeper.

Julie Clark did a great job with the plot, and creating an unreliable narrator in Vincent, revealing the truth through multiple characters' viewpoints and dual timelines. I also liked the old Super 8 clips included in the book. The characters felt real, their growth made sense, and they kept me guessing.

The ending was very satisfying, especially the twist of Olivia, the daughter of a suspected killer, coming back to write her father's memoir as a smart marketing move.

This book is both a family drama and a mystery thriller, offering emotional depth and real suspense. I also always love books about books. I highly recommend this one!

Many thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Ghostwriter by Julie Clark delivers a compelling mystery rooted in dark family secrets and emotional reckoning. The story follows Olivia, a struggling ghostwriter who takes on a high-paying job only to discover her new client is her estranged father—an aging horror novelist and a long-suspected figure in a decades-old double murder. As Olivia digs deeper into his past, she must confront painful memories and untangle fact from fiction.

Although I enjoyed the book overall, it took a while to get to the heart of the story. The pacing in the first half felt slow, with a lot of setup before the real emotional and narrative substance kicked in. That said, I thought the author did an excellent job portraying what it’s like to interact with and care for a loved one suffering from dementia—capturing both the heartbreak and the confusion with nuance and empathy. And just when I thought I had the mystery figured out, the book surprised me with an unexpected twist at the end that I did not see coming. A solid read for those who enjoy slow-burn thrillers with emotional depth and a final jolt of surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing an ARC of this book to me.

The ghostwriter is a slow burn suspense novel with a father/daughter story at its core. Olivia has always had a fraught relationship with her dad-the famous horror novel, Vincent Taylor, even though she followed in his career path. She is surprised when he asks her to write his memoir for him, as his health is fading due to Lewy body dementia Seeing this as a chance to rebuild her struggling career, Olivia hops at the opportunity. Olivia also sees this as the chance to find out answers to a tragedy that has plagued her family her entire life. In the 70s, her dad’s two siblings were murdered leaving her dad as the sole surviving sibling. However, there was always a twinge of suspicion on him for the murders. Will Olivia clear his name or prove his guilt?

This was a good read! Slow burning filled with twists and turns! I liked the multiple povs in the flashbacks to the 1975 lead up to the murders. The story between Olivia and Vincent propels this and makes it stand out above other thrillers. Well-done!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book just didn't come together for me—there was both too much and not enough going on. We hear that Olivia's father is a famous horror writer, but never hear anything about his work (which seems relevant, given the rumors around him!). There were too many character POV chapters. I felt like I barely knew anything about Lydia by the end, and Olivia herself, the main character, was also a cipher. The ghostwriting was a good setup, but ultimately, the book just didn't become more than the sum of its pieces.

The Ghostwriter is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoyed this book! It had kinda a slow start, but then it got really good! I did figure out one of the twists, but then I was surprised by the other twists. If you like suspense, mystery and a fast page turner then I recommend you read this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Julie Clark has done it again! The relationship between father and daughter and the secrets between them kept me hooked the entire book. I was invested with and in Olivia and couldn’t wait to see what really happened. Twists, turns and the slow burn was exactly was I what I always expect from Clark. I will be looking forward to more from her.

A slow burn twisted thriller -running out of money and options, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont takes a job to help write the memoir of famous horror author, Vincent Taylor. What her agent doesn't know is Vincent is Olivia's father - and he has been living with a secret. In 1975, Vincent's brother, Danny, and sister, Poppy, were murdered in their home on the opening night of the local carnival. For years, rumors have swirled that Vincent murdered his siblings. Olivia, who has told people that both her parents are dead (neither are) comes to realize that in order to tell Vincent's story, she must find out what happened on that June evening in 1975. Told in several perspectives - Olivia's, Vincents, and Poppys. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

A ghostwriter named Olivia who ended up being a pariah in the writing industry is about to lose it all ( her house etc). She is asked to ghostwrite a book for her dad Vincent an accused murderer who she has cut off years ago. Vincent is dealing with medical issues and needs his story to be told. Julia is very good about switching through characters point of views. I devoured this book in 48 hours. Stayed up way past my bedtime. The ending was shocking and not at all what I expected. I will be reading way more from Julie Clark and already have some of her other books in my wishlist.

It was shocking, suspenseful and everything I wanted in a thriller. I love julia’s writing and will be reading more of her books. Definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley!! It’s very hard to get a 5 star but this was a very easy 5 star read for me.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, this was a new author for me so wasn't really sure what to expect. Olivia has not seem her parents for many years. Her mother left when she was young, her dad shipped her off to boarding school overseas so she has hard feelings from them both. As a writer whom has gotten in trouble and owes a lot of money to one of her clients, she is desperate and when a job offer comes up to be a ghostwriter to her fathers book she is torn whether to do it or not. She really doesn't have much choice, but once she arrives back in her home town she is thrown for a loop to find out her dad is sick. What follows is a woman's search to find the answers to a mystery that has plagued the town for many years. Overall I found this to be an entertaining read, one that I could connect with the main character. I would recommend this book to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.