"The Ghost Writer" is a captivating suspense thriller that expertly weaves a nonlinear plot, adding layers of complexity and intrigue. The overlapping storylines contribute significantly to the tension, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as Olivia, the main character, delves into her father's mysterious past. The narrative is beautifully crafted, resembling an intricate spiderweb—delicate yet powerful—drawing you deeper into the story with each turn of the page. The way the pieces come together is both surprising and satisfying, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. Overall, it's a thrilling journey that keeps you guessing until the very end. Highly recommended!

I received an advance reader copy and in turn I am leaving an honest review.

I did not like Olivia. Her biases really hampered her in figuring out what became fairly obvious to me well before the big reveal. I had far more sympathy for Vincent, both as a kid struggling to be understood and receiving absolutely no support from his family and that end, and as a man trying to connect with a daughter who had told herself so many stories about him that she forgotten what was true.

Ghostwriter is getting rave reviews, and likely for good reason! However, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

There’s a lot going on with this book. Family drama, personal drama, work drama, historical drama. Lots and lots of drama. At times it was hard to follow and some of my investment in the story got lost in the drama.

I wanted more focus on the actual mystery at hand - who killed Vincent’s siblings 50 years ago? I didn’t love Vincent’s character - now or then - and the sibling and girlfriend drama felt overdone and at times unnecessary.

I also didn’t need all the present day drama. Olivia’s story was complex but her drama entirely of her own making and it got a little tiring. The issues between her and her partner added no value to the story. And while the conflict between Olivia and the other ghostwriter was interesting and added real value to the narrative, there was so much other junk going on that it was a little overshadowed.

Finally, the book starts out with a preface about how much research was done into the setting - Ojai. There were caveats that any mistakes were Clark’s alone and she tried to do the setting justice. That preface had me excited to learn about Ojai and get invested in the locale. That did not happen. This book literally could have taken place in any town in America and I had to read another review to even recall the name of the town.

Admittedly, this review is reading a little harsh. And I’m clearly the outlier. It’s not a bad book by any stretch. It just isn’t good enough for it to be memorable. Like what even happened to Poppy and Danny? Idk don’t ask me!

Thanks for the copy Sourcebooks!

Julie Clark is an auto-buy author for me at this point. I’ve loved every single one of her novels, and The Ghostwriter is no exception. This one has a more emotional edge than her usual fare, but it still had me riveted. I loved the premise: a woman ghostwriting her estranged (and infamous) father’s final novel while confronting the bloody family secrets he built his fame on. Yes, please. The main character, Olivia, was guarded and sharp, yet complex and relatable. I was deeply invested in the mystery at the novel's heart, and I found the ending surprising and satisfying. I'm pissed at myself for waiting so long to dive into this one, but once I started, Clark’s twisty storytelling wouldn't let me go until I'd turned the final page. Fantastic read. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

2.5 stars, rounding down. I really wanted to love this one—I’ve been a fan of Julie Clark’s other books (The Last Flight and The Lies We Tell were both hits for me), so I went into this with high hopes. Unfortunately, it just didn’t land. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook to review.

The pacing felt slow, and then when things finally picked up, the reveal (especially the 1975 piece) was so convoluted that it lost me completely. I don’t mind a twisty thriller—I actually love being surprised—but this one crossed into the territory of unbelievable, and not in a fun way.

And to be honest, none of the characters stood out enough to keep me invested. Everyone was just kind of… fine. Nothing to hate, but nothing to love either.

I hate when a thriller falls apart in the last stretch, and this was one of those cases. Bummer.

A MUST READ. I love love love an unreliable narrator. This was incredible, I could not put it down. A small-town mystery, a famous author with secrets and a phoenix rising from the ashes career recovery.

An interesting story with a unique premise, I’m afraid the hype I heard around this book built up expectations that were hard to live up to for me. A slower burn than previous Julie Clark books, this book was an ok read for me but I wished it was more.

What pry tell, would I say that? For one, I guessed the whodunit aspect of this book early on. Yes, there were a few times when I thought “maybe I’m wrong”, but it wasn’t often and didn’t last that long. I think anytime you know what the ending will be in a thriller, even if the writing is good, there’s a bit of disappointment at its conclusion.

Second, I think the premise of Olivia revisiting her past, especially the games she played, had so much promise. There were snippets of hope as we delved into this, but I felt there was a lot of potential that wasn’t explored. I kept screaming “what else is in those notebooks!” But beyond the first glance we got nada on them even though there were 20 of them even after we find out there was more to them than we initially thought. Instead we got periphery interviews that I thought didn’t necessarily help the story.

So why three stars? Well, because the writing was good. I enjoyed the flashback parts. I really liked Poppy and enjoyed hearing her thoughts. I liked the story of Olivia and her father working together and finding new ways to communicate around their challenging past, even if I also early on guessed what caused their rift. The story was also not bad at all..again, I just went in hearing how shocking the ending was, and it wasn’t shocking at all for me. It left me looking for things that I wish were done differently rather than thinking about the twists and turns I didn’t experience. In terms of thrillers, I don’t think fans will be disappointed with this one as long as they haven’t heard too much about it going into it.

—Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!—

Wow! This was a masterpiece. Very well written and masterfully crafted. There weren't too many characters, it wasn't too complicated and it kept the pages turning quick without increasing my heart rate. Loved it!

Olivia Dumont, originally Olivia Taylor, has spent two decades purposefully estranged from her father the once renowned mystery writer, Vincent Taylor. Vincent’s drinking and drug use were out of control when she lived with him, but the fatal component to their soured relationship was his ability to ignore the fact that his brother and sister were brutally murdered when he was a teenager.

Twenty years later, she’s contacted by her publicist with an offer she can’t refuse. Vincent Taylor wants her to Ghostwrite his final novel, a memoir about himself and what truly happened the night of Danny and Poppy’s deaths.

What begins as a personal journey into her fractured family history slowly transforms into a tense psychological exploration of what really happened leading up to the murders. Olivia peels back layers of long buried secrets, revealing a story that is as much about inherited trauma as it is about the stories we choose to tell or silence.

The writing is quietly evocative, with a steady build-up that rewards patient readers. Olivia is a compelling protagonist; guarded, skeptical, but driven by the desire to learn the truth. As she reconnects with her dying father, the shared emotional weight is heartbreaking.

The Ghostwriter succeeds as a slow-burning literary mystery, one that lingers long after the final page.

I enjoyed this story and was excited after reading the premise. I felt it was a slow burn so hard to go back to at times. Definitely a slow moving story with interesting twists and the ending was fantastic!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my ARC of this story which published 6/3.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter and the only child of Vincent Taylor whose teenage brother and sister were brutally murdered in their home on June 13, 1975. The murders were never solved but that didn’t stop the rumors from circulating that Vincent was responsible. Vincent goes on to become a famous bestselling author and now 50 years later after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, decides to ask his daughter, who is now estranged from him, to help him write his memoir. Vincent finally wants to tell the story of that day in his own words.


Written with dual timelines and multiple POV, we learn what happened to Vincent’s brother and sister, Danny and Poppy, on June 13, 1975, when, attending a carnival, they both went back home for unknown reasons and were savagely murdered. Olivia uncovers hidden film reels from Poppy’s camera that were filmed during the weeks leading up to the murders and slowly puts the mystery together with the help of her ailing father.

Clark’s storytelling is flawless, and I found myself savoring each chapter, following along with the timelines and different points of view while forming my own opinions. Vincent is a deeply flawed character, and I went from despising him to caring for him after I learned what made him the way he was. I loved Poppy’s chapters and when her life was ending, I cried for her. Nothing was what it seemed, and I felt the ending was perfectly executed. THE GHOSTWRITER will go down as one of the best thrillers I have ever read, and I will forever be recommending this book to thriller fans.

Thank you @bookmarked for the early read and to @julieclarkauthor for writing this brilliant story.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Taylor family is devastated by the murder of their two children, Danny and Poppy, leaving behind just one child, Vincent, who is being blamed for their murders. Years later a well known horror author, Vincent hires a ghostwriter Olivia to write his memoir of the night his siblings were murdered telling the truth about what really happened that night. Olivia has spent her life hiding the fact that she is the estranged daughter of Vincent and that Poppy and Danny are her Aunt and Uncle.

I loved this book. I loved the back and forth in time jumps, the suspense of figuring out what actually happened to the siblings Poppy and Danny, the comeback story of Olivia and how she deals with her family history. The whole book kept me captivated and I did not guess the plot twists. Definitely top of my favorites for the year!

The Ghostwriter ~ Julie Clark

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.

This book was an absolute barnburner. It’s told in a non-linear format between excerpts of memories, diary entries and other means. Olivia has to come to terms with her father’s past while trying to determine fact from fiction.

The author takes you to the brink with every chapter literally keeping you on the edge. Honestly this is her best work yet! All the stars 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julie Clark for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Ghostwriter coming out June 3, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It wasn’t quite was I was expecting. I thought there would be a little more suspense than everything happening in the past. I think family secrets can be an interesting plot, but I felt like the story was a bit dry for me. I’d check out other books by this author.

This book was a slow-burn suspense thriller with a complex family mystery and an unreliable narrator. Julie Clark weaves an intriguing story about the murder of teenagers Danny and Poppy in 1975 and the writing of the surviving sibling Vincent's memoir being ghostwritten by his daughter Olivia in 2025. Told from multiple POVs and alternating timelines this mystery unravels in a way that will keep you guessing until the very end.

I enjoyed the parallels between Olivia and her aunt Poppy and how it highlighted how little women's rights have advanced in the last 50 years. It was also poignant and a little heartbreaking seeing the father and daughter reconnecting after a long estrangement while the father was battling dementia.

The overlapping storylines help build tension as Olivia delves into the past and finds answers to the decades old murder. The mystery is well crafted, emotional, and intricate. The pieces falling into place felt wholly satisfying and the ending was both surprising and cleverly written although I did have a small inkling of where it was headed.

The Ghostwriter was a wonderful thriller and a perfect summer read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Beautifully Crafted Story of Tragedy and Redemption

The unsolved murder of two teenaged siblings profoundly affected the lives of their surviving sibling, Vincent, his high school sweetheart (and future wife), and ultimately their daughter. Vincent was widely believed to have killed his siblings but was never charged because of the alibi provided by his girlfriend and one of their high school teachers.

After a successful career as a horror writer, Vincent is finally ready to tell what really happened on that fateful night. He is adamant that he will only work with one ghostwriter, Olivia DuMont, who is also his estranged daughter. Olivia has taken great pains to hide her relationship with Vincent, but her precarious financial situation has her reluctantly agreeing to work with him. The situation is further complicated by the neurological condition that is robbing Vincent of his ability to write and his memory. As Olivia delves into the horrific tragedy that has overshadowed her life, she uncovers secrets about her family and the shocking truth about the murders of her aunt and uncle.

The Ghostwriter moves between the past and present bringing a heightened poignancy to the murder of two young people and the devastation it caused to the lives not only of those who loved them, but extending to the next generation. Julie Clark has created an emotional, complex, and highly satisfying story. The resolution of the mystery is surprising and vexing but the conclusion of the book is ultimately satisfying.

Olivia grew up in a volatile home with a famous father who was an author. He was an angry drunk and her mother left them early on, leaving Olivia to leave home early going to a boarding school in France. Olivia becomes a successful ghostwriter on her own. But when the jobs dry up, her agent calls with one job that is too good to turn down - ghostwriting for her father.

Her father is suspected as having killed his siblings , but never convicted. The money is too good to turn down, but she really doesn't want to ghostwrite his memoir. However, knowing the truth would be important to her.

I am a Julie Clark fan but this book felt different, slower than her others - a slow-burn mystery that is well-told.

My thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this e-book.

This book had a really interesting concept. Any mystery that is able to incorporate and unravel family drama and secrets is immediately a book I know I will enjoy. This is my first Julie Clark read and I will definitely be reading future books from her.

I think that this book is perfect for fans of Liv Constantine, Stacey Willingham, and Peter Swanson,

I was excited to read a new thriller by Julie Clark since I loved her debut THE LAST FLIGHT, and this cold case/'true crime'/family drama did not disappoint. Clark does a great job of juggling two different time periods and multiple POV's. THE GHOSTWRITER is actually sadder than most thrillers because of Clark's ability to humanize her characters' trauma, tragedies, and isolation.

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

Forty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Dumont is weighed down by a great deal of emotional baggage. When she was five, her mother left her and her father, Vincent Taylor, who achieved fame when he became a best-selling author. Olivia's dad traveled a great deal, drank and took drugs, and sent his daughter to boarding school. In "The Ghostwriter," by Julie Clark, Olivia is in serious financial trouble after losing a court case brought by a fellow writer whom she maligned verbally and on social media. Formerly, Olivia was a successful ghostwriter, but no one is interested in hiring her now. One day, Olivia's agent calls with a surprising offer. Vincent, from whom Olivia is estranged, insists that he wants her to help him write his memoir. It is only because she is in danger of losing her home that she agrees to collaborate with him. Time is of the essence, since Vincent is seriously ill and his memory is failing.

"The Ghostwriter" is a work of psychological suspense that has a more leisurely pace than Clark's previous efforts. One of its central themes is the elusive nature of truth. Fifty years earlier, in 1975, someone murdered Vincent's two siblings, fourteen-year-old Poppy and seventeen-year-old Danny. There are those who believe that Vincent—who had anger management issues—was guilty of the crimes, but he had an alibi and was never charged. Olivia, who is trying to set the record straight, scans old newspaper articles, discovers hidden films that Poppy had shot with her Super 8 camera, and interviews people who knew her family. She comes to the conclusion that each of us lives in his or her own reality, and the assumptions that we make are often flawed.

We care about Olivia's plight, especially since she has suffered so much. She struggles to come up with a marketable and accurate manuscript, especially since she finds evidence that contradicts Vincent's account of what happened during his childhood and adolescence. Alas, the many flashbacks, changing viewpoints, abundant red herrings, and numerous twists and turns are a bit much, and the finale is neither plausible nor particularly satisfying. The one saving grace is that Olivia comes to realize that, in order to move on with her life, she must come terms with her painful past.