The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
#fiftysecondbookof2025 #arc #theghostwriter

CW: death, murder, Lewy Body dementia
Off page: rape, abortion, child molestation

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.

My thoughts: I thought this was just okay. None of the characters are fully fleshed out, even the main character, and it’s hard to care about someone you don’t know. The MC’s father is supposedly a Stephen King-like literary figure but there is nothing supporting this and nothing to describe his alleged fame and struggles other than a few stories of his assistant interacting with the MC. It was all very vague. I also failed to understand the motivations for keeping the book’s secrets for fifty years, particularly about a murder, so it was really hard for me to sympathize with anyone involved. It was pretty slow paced and didn’t really engage me. This one was a miss for me.

Thank you to @bookmarked Sourcebooks Landmark and @netgalley for the advance copy. (Pub date is 6/3/25)

What a page turner! The whole premise felt original to me. I liked the story being told from multiple points of view trading off between Olivia, Poppy and Vincent. The moving between past and present worked well for unwinding what happened in 1975. This was my first book by this author and it won't be the last. I found the pacing of the story worked well. The unraveling was done slowly giving us small pieces of what happened on the night of the murder. There were a lot of emotional baggage between Olivia and her father. While I guessed a few of the twists there were plenty that took me by surprise. I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Ghostwriter
By : Julie Clark

Down on her luck, Olivia had been hired to be the ghostwriter for her estranged father’s latest book. Set in idyllic Ojai, we are swept along with reveal after slow reveal, uncovering what actually happened in the 1970s that tore her father’s family apart. A past mystery, a current relational conflict concurrently unfolding.

What I Liked :
—The 1970s true-to-life California vibes were accurately captured
—Jumping from the ‘70s to current time worked well (but I enjoyed the 70’s setting more)
—The reveal at the end felt satisfying and conclusive
— Not whiplash fast but not boring
— Mood readers will love the Ojai summer feels throughout

Why not 5 stars? It felt a little bit slow through the middle. A definitely worthwhile read for your summer!

A new thriller I’ve been looking forward to for months is out today: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. This dual-timeline story explores how a horrific trauma can haunt a family for decades. Vincent Taylor was one of three teenaged siblings growing up in 1970s Ojai, California. But both his older brother and younger sister were murdered one awful day, leaving him the only survivor—and the one most in town believe was the killer, even though he was never convicted. Fifty years later, his estranged daughter Olivia has been hired to help Vincent (himself a famous horror author) write a memoir finally revealing what really happened.

What I Liked:
- Complex father-daughter relationship. Vincent was a single father to Olivia after she turned five, but with his writing career and addictions, he was often absent (whether physically or emotionally). They’ve been estranged since her early 20s, and it’s only now, over two decades later, that she’s back in his life to help him write a memoir. They have to find a way to understand each other despite all the baggage.
- Messy sibling relationships. Vincent was the middle child between older brother Danny and younger sister Poppy. All three were teenagers in 1975, and between the volatile relationship between the two brothers and Vincent’s insecure romance with his first girlfriend, Lydia, tensions were high. The issues only became more tangled leading up to the murders in June of that year. But were the siblings that hateful and violent? Or was it someone else?
- How memories and narratives can be wrong. How well do people remember what happened years, even decades, ago? Can video footage be misleading? How do the ideas we have of people color the way we see events? All of these are at the heart of The Ghostwriter, from the way others saw Vincent at a villain to the way he portrays himself and those around him. I loved all the dissections of lies, memories, and hidden meanings.
- Portrayal of Lewy body dementia. Related to inaccurate memories, Vincent now has Lewy body dementia. I knew nothing about this disease before reading this book, but it is a devastating disease that affects cognitive abilities. Here, it’s the reason Vincent needs Olivia’s help to write the book. It’s also an obstacle in her learning the real truth as opposed to fabrications and misremembered details.
- Treasure hunts. Vincent was a big fan of leaving clues leading Poppy, and later Olivia, to fun surprises. This may be a crutch in how he communicates with others, too, always choosing an indirect form of getting messages across.
- Poppy’s feminism. And Olivia’s too! I loved seeing how Poppy was already so active in women’s rights at the age of 14, going against her mother and other women in her life. Olivia clearly got the same genes as her aunt!

Final Thoughts
The Ghostwriter is an intricate and absorbing novel about family dynamics, long-buried secrets, and the ways little things can add up to something awful. I enjoyed falling into the 1970s setting and watching Olivia and Vincent finally find some sense of mutual understanding, even in the midst of all the trauma.

This is my first time reading Julie Clark, but I look forward to reading more. I already have The Last Flight ready to go!

This was my second by Julie Clark (first was The Last Flight) and I find myself at the same conclusion.. underwhelmed. Despite the premise of the story being something I'd normally devour, this did not give me what I'd hoped for.. ☹️ Very, very slow burn without the pay off an immersive slow burn, if that makes sense?
Star knocked off for that.
And a star knocked off for the main character, as her "I'm a ghost writer and this is what I need to do" or "I need this money" statements were excessive and didn't make me any more drawn to her.. which, I wasn't in the first place.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected pub date is TOMORROWWWW June 3rd, 2025.

I love everything Julie Clark writes! This felt a little different than her others but i enjoyed just the same. It kept me guessing and the twists weren’t so over the top that it took me out of the story. This felt more thriller/murder mystery than twisty popcorn thriller which was nice. Just as bingeable though! 4 stars.

I can't wait to rave about this book to anyone who will listen! On the eve of it's release, can I recommend it be your summer thriller to break up the lighter fare you might be reading in the summer months? It's so well written. The author really gives you a clear sense of the characters and their many motivations. I loved the protagonist's best friend. He felt so authentic. As a person who lives in Southern California and has spent time in Ojai, I'll never look at that area the same. In the best way!! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the early copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Ghostwriter was a wild ride of twists, secrets, and layered characters that kept me hooked from start to finish. Julie Clark masterfully blurs the lines between truth and fiction, weaving a story about power, manipulation, and redemption. The pacing was sharp, the tension never let up, and the characters—especially the ghostwriter—were complex and compelling. Every chapter peeled back another layer, and just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist hit. This one’s a must-read for thriller fans who love smart, emotionally charged suspense.

Famous ghostwriter Olivia Dumont is struggling to keep her career alive after a very public feud with a famous author. When she is offered a deal to ghostwrite the final book for famous horror author Vincent Taylor she reluctantly agrees, because Vincent is actually her estranged father. She has spent her whole life trying to hide this fact, but if she wants to save her career she has to take the job, even if it means confronting some dark secrets from her family's past.

I absolutely loved this! I've seen some reviews that said this was a slow burn, but I completely disagree. I felt like this moved quickly, and revealed components steadily throughout the book, so that the reader wasn't bombarded by reveal after reveal after reveal in the final act. Also, this thriller was absolutely packed with emotional depth and dynamic characters. I especially loved how the narration shifts made me think one thing, but then the timeline jumps offered a new look at information we thought we once knew. Brilliantly executed, and I loved the ending!!

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a smart, slow-burn mystery wrapped in family drama, buried secrets, and the complexities of memory. When Olivia, a disgraced ghostwriter, is asked to finish the final book of her estranged father—a famous thriller author—she’s forced to confront a past she’s worked hard to forget.

Vincent, her father, has been haunted for decades by the unsolved murders of his teenage siblings, Danny and Poppy, back in the ’70s. Though he had an alibi, suspicion never left him. Now, with his health fading due to Lewy body dementia, he wants to set the record straight. Olivia reluctantly agrees to help, driven by both financial desperation and a deep need for answers.

Told in dual timelines, this isn’t a high-octane thriller, but a layered, emotionally rich mystery. As Olivia sifts through her father’s fragmented memories and old notes, she begins to question everything she thought she knew—not just about the murders, but about herself.

Clark’s writing is sharp, the characters are complex, and the story digs into the blurry lines between truth, memory, and the stories we tell to survive. Thought-provoking and quietly powerful, this is a book that lingers long after the last page. Highly recommend for fans of character-driven suspense with real emotional depth.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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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.
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I do love a good thriller. And I have come to love the kind of thriller that Julie Clark writes. Told in dual timelines, this book takes us from the modern day, when Olivia is trying to get to the root of a long-ago mystery while recapturing her career as a ghostwriter, to half a century ago, when her father's life and that of his family fell apart. It is full of twists and turns, and while I had my suspicions about who the bad guy might actually be, I really was kept guessing right up until the very end. I loved how the relationship between Olivia and her father unfolded, and I enjoyed every page of this fast-paced novel. This was the kind of book that you will want to read in one sitting, and I can say that with confidence because that is exactly what I did today!

📕Alright! I’m not sure how I can explain why I loved this book so much in words. There was something about it and especially Olivia made me stick around and not stop until it hit that last page. It might be that her visibility as a woman vocal in demanding the respect she deserves and invisibility as a ghostwriter of books incredibly publicized
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📗Olivia got offer to work with her estranged father who happened to be a famous author and an infamous suspect for murder of his siblings. Olivia loved her father until she was old enough to see maybe he was not the best father. Her mother was out of the picture long time ago. With bills piling up and her reputation down the drain because of a man with ego larger than whole US, she had no choice but face the man and the truth (both of her life and her aunt and uncle’s murder)
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📘 Without the flashbacks into the days before the horrific events from Vincent and Poppy’s perspective and meeting with Lydia, this book could have been dry. It would be only of Olivia’s inner turmoil. With other perspectives weaved into it, the story turned into an rollercoaster that I gladly got on

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like a slow burn for me. It was interesting to see the book's mystery slowly unravel and I never really found it boring or anything. It kept my attention through it all. It was also fun seeing Olivia trying to get to the truth of it when she's dealing with her father who is either lying to her or is losing his memory.

3.5 stars rounded up

THE GHOSTWRITER by Julie Clark is a unique and riveting story that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. It ties together a chilling mystery with a dysfunctional family and shocking event from the past. Olivia Dumont was an acclaimed ghostwriter, penning the memoirs of her famous clients, before a professional scandal ruined her reputation and her financial standing. Olivia is stunned when her agent informs her that famous horror writer, Vincent Taylor, has specifically requested her to ghostwrite his final book. What no one knows is that Olivia is actually Vincent’s estranged daughter. She wants to refuse, but needs the money so she reluctantly agrees. When she arrives at Vincent’s home, she learns that he wants to finally tell the story of what really happened in June of 1975, when his 18-year-old brother, Danny, and fourteen-year-old sister, Poppy, were brutally murdered in their family home. The suspicion that Vincent was somehow involved in their deaths has followed him his entire life and now he wants to set the record straight. But Vincent’s mind is slowly deteriorating from Lewy Body Dementia. Can his memories be trusted? It will be up to Olivia to unravel the truth. The story alternates between the events of the past and present and is told from multiple points of view. It is a haunting story with unexpected twists and heartbreaking revelations that I couldn’t put down. I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

I enjoyed this dark and twisty thriller full of secrets and family drama. Defiantly a slow burn novel but held my interest throughout. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of The Ghostwriter.

Olivia is trying to put her life back together after an issue with another author. She gets a call that Vincent Taylor a famous author wants her to ghostwrite his new book. Initially she is hesitant but she needs the job so she agrees. She goes to meet with Vincent and he is truly shocked that his estranged daughter has agreed to come home. He wants the book to be about the anniversary of his brother and sister’s murders and he is finally ready to tell his truth. The more Olivia digs the more she wonders what to believe.

This book had potential but there was so much information that was added to the story that was not needed so it made it really drag out. I was not a huge fan of the ending. It was just okay in my opinion.

Julie Clark has done it again! This was brilliant! This was twisty! This was... emotional? Wasn't expecting the sentimental vibes but it really made the story that much better. Engrossing, captivating, and haunting. Fantastic tale worth binge reading!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this, definite 5-star read! Weaving dual timelines of 1975 and the present as Olivia tries to get the truth from her father with a failing memory and shame, this story is a dynamic tale of family secrets, murder mystery, grief, and healing. This face-paced story had be completely captivated until the satisfying ending. You know when you finish a book and think, "I want to erase my memory so I can experience this book again for the first time in the future?" This was one of those books for me.

Thank you @bookmarked @netgalley for the digital arc!

Olivia Dumont returns to her childhood hometown of Ojai, California to ghostwrite her father’s story about the unsolved murders of his brother and sister when he was a teenager. But is he telling the truth?

This was an exceptional mystery with so many intriguing aspects. I really liked the flashback points of view that unravel the mystery from different perspectives and really captured the feel of the 1970s. My theories of what happened kept changing until the end. The complicated relationship between Olivia and her father added emotional depth and I could really feel for each character. Overall, it’s a fantastic mystery that I highly recommend!

Rating 4.5⭐️

Olivia is a ghostwriter who, for her adult life, has hidden who her father is. Her father is known for the horror novels he writes but also for being a suspect in his brother and sister’s murder. Olivia returns home to help her father write his memoir and she starts to question what really happened the night her aunt and uncle died.

Julie Clark’s The Last Flight is what got me back into reading a few years ago. And this book would have done the same thing! SO. GOOD. I kept going back and forth with what I thought actually happened. Some of my guesses were correct, but they weren’t ones I wholeheartedly believed. The book was perfectly paced and it kept my attention the whole time. Highly recommend!

This ARC was provided by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark via NetGalley.