This is a great psychological thriller, with outstanding characters and a tense storyline. The points of view alternate between the main characters, and the juxtaposition of the past (1970's) and present keeps the story suspenseful and interesting. The exploration of memory and family trauma add depth to the narrative. The story reveals the truth in increments as the memories of each character provide a different picture of events, and evidence is often revealed by what they intend to conceal. The relationships between Olivia and her father, Vincent, and also between the young Vincent and his siblings and girlfriend, are masterfully developed. I found myself racing to the climax and conclusion, and the ending doesn't feel forced or too neat.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter. She has had some success, but hard times have fallen down on her. As luck would have it, she receives an offer to write a memoir for a famous horror author,Vincent Taylor, and he insists she is the only one who can do the job. The offer is amazing and would pull her out of debt. ONE CATCH: Vincent is her father. Estranged father for decades. She reluctantly accepts with the goal of prying out the truth about his past. Living under the suspicion that he killed his brother Danny and his sister Poppy has always haunted her, but he had a solid alibi and was never convicted. But still, the rumors persist.

Told from 1975 around the time of the murders and the present. The suspense of seeing events unfold in the most unexpected ways and knowing the outcome made this book impossible to put down. I enjoyed when the chapters switched back to ‘75 and offered a sense of nostalgia with references to food, clothing, music, hitchhiking, etc.

The present was equally suspenseful as Olivia conducts interviews with people from that time and goes to forbidden places for research. This family has secrets upon secrets buried deep, that have had an impact for a generation. As Olivia gently grills her father for answers, an understanding between the two opens and healing from past events begin.

A suspenseful thriller that will delight fans of the genre. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an early copy.

A ghostwriter is hired to write her own ailing father’s memoir, which may or may not involve a long-awaited confession to the brutal double homicide of his siblings 50 years ago. Julie Clark and this synopsis? I mean…come on, of course I was all in on this. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, with the dual timeline and multiple POVs, with the past slowly being revealed to the reader as Olivia (our MC) sleuths for clues in the present day. It had less twists than her previous novels (or maybe I’m just getting better at guessing them), so I wasn’t particularly surprised by the ending, but the tension and what-ifs were there right up until the end. The biggest letdown for me was Olivia. I would have liked to see more character development and was left wanting more, generally speaking, from the present-day timeline overall, which keeps this from being 5 stars.

Pub Date: 6/3/25
Review Published: 6/2/25
eARC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Clark is an auto-read author for me, and her latest novel does not disappoint. Olivia Dumont, professional ghostwriter, has been hiding from her childhood for her entire life. When her estranged father, successful horror author Vincent Taylor, hires her to complete his last novel, she soon discovers herself pulled into writing his memoir instead. Vincent's brother and sister were murdered when he was a teenager, and many people think he was the one who killed them. Olivia is determined to uncover the family secrets and find out what really happened all those years ago. There are so many interesting and compelling twists and turns in this story, and Olivia is a great character, full of flaws but still easy to root for. I couldn't put this down and finished it one day. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital review copy.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a slow burning thriller full of secrets and trauma that explores the intricacies of family relationships and what happens when a secret is hidden away for years.

When Olivia's ghostwriting career takes a hit after a controversy, she is desperate to find a job, any job, to keep her head above water. When the famous horror author Vincent Taylor reaches out to employ her to write a novel, Olivia is hesitant to take the job. That's because Vincent Taylor is Olivia's estranged father whom she hasn't spoken to in years. With no other options, Olivia reluctantly takes the job. When she arrives she is shocked to learn that not only has Olivia's father been diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia and is slowly losing control of his mind, but that Vincent wants Olivia to write a memoir about what really happened 50 years ago. In 1975, his brother Danny and his sister Poppy were murdered and Vincent was the main suspect. For years rumors and speculation have followed the Taylor family. As Olivia starts to write her father's failing thoughts down what she finds is a dark secret that has been festering for decades.

This was one of those books that I could not put down! And then when I had to put it down, I was thinking about it. With a mix of family drama, secrets, and mystery this thriller had it all. It is a slow burn, but stick with it, I promise you that it's worth it! With multiple POVs and a dual timeline the story came together perfectly and I like how everything was tied up in the end. Clark absolutely nails that tension filled vibe as more layers of what really happened back in 1975 are revealed. Character development is strong, watching Olivia evolve and shift her perspective is a highlight. Overall a great twisty and gripping story that is an absolute must read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Clark, and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC!! Publication date is June 3rd 2025.

I was able to read an ebook ARC of The Ghostwriter thanks to Netgally. The synopsis completely drew me in and I am a fan of Julie Clark’s writing style.
It was a slow burn, but there was enough happening in the story that I needed to know where this would lead. Highly recommend!

This book kept me guessing and constantly developing new theories throughout. It's told through the past, mostly via the diary of the murdered sister, and from the present perspective of Olivia, the daughter of the surviving sibling. It's a slow burn with a satisfying ending. Publishing tomorrow—be sure to check it out!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for the advanced reader's copy!

It didn’t take me long to get hooked on this story and I absolutely flew through it.
Despite being a slower burn, it wasn’t any less thrilling and I was dying to get to the bottom of all the Taylor family secrets being kept by what seemed like everyone, right alongside Olivia.
My theories were ever changing as the story progressed, which I love in a thriller. I stayed guessing until the very end, despite having some inklings of who and what and why.
The Ghostwriter such a heartbreaking but exciting thriller and it has me running to read Julie Clark’s backlist ASAP!
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 6/3/25

Olivia has spent her entire career as a ghostwriter hiding the fact that famous horror author, Vincent Taylor, is her father. Now as her estranged father is near financial ruin he calls on Olivia to ghostwrite his latest book. Little does she know that this isn’t a fiction book but rather about the night his siblings were murdered in which he was the main suspect.

Love a good family secret book! Julie Clark knocked it out the park with the amazing multiple view points and solid whodunnit angles. A solid and satisfying read!

Characters: 3.75⭐️
Setting: 4.75⭐️
Plot: 3.75⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 3.75⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3.5⭐️
Overall rating: 4.00⭐️

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter who is hired to write the memoir of author Vincet Taylor, who requested her specifically. Little does anyone know, Olivia is Vincent's daughter. She has tried to put distance between the two of them due to her terrible upbringing, her father's alcoholism and the secrets of his past. When she returns to help him write the memoir, he is ready to talk about the biggest secret of them all; who had murdered his teenage brother and sister in the summer of 1975.

This book had a very interesting premise of a daughter trying to find clues about what had happened to her aunt and uncle when they were teenagers, stabbed to death in their own home. Olivia lied about her past as well, making up a story of her father dying so she wouldn't be associated with him. When she comes to his house, he wrote his story on legal pads, but she also discovers that he has Lewy body syndrome which is a type pf Alzheimer's. I think the story benefitted from an unreliable narrator as the story had sprinkles of flash backs. You are told what really happened, but Olivia still questions it.

Overall, I think this story was a good, but it was a SLOW BURN thriller. It felt like there were missing pieces throughout but the story came together in the end.

Would I recommend this book? Yeah.

<i> Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was a terrific read. This is a solid mystery told from multiple points of view. There is history, dysfunction in addition to the mystery. The family dynamics are featured, and the book shows how these dynamics can haunt us. If you enjoy a good mystery, this is the book for you. I look forward to Ms. Clark’s next book!

I just finished reading the “Ghostwriter” and I have to start by saying I enjoyed this story. The story goes from past to present. I was anxiously connecting the dots and trying to piece together the murders of Poppy and Danny from almost 50 years ago. I truly felt as if I were there in 1975.
Olivia has been hired by her estranged/famous author (Vincent) father to write his memoir about what happened. Vincent has always been a suspect. Olivia is reluctant but her recent financial troubles and her dad’s failing health forces her into working with him.
This is my second author by Julie Clark, and I have become a fan. She can simply tell a great story. This is my opinion, and I encourage readers to read it for themselves.

This twisty, slow-burn thriller had me hooked from the very first chapter! It follows Olivia Dumont, a woman who’s spent her life hiding a dark secret. She's the daughter of legendary horror author Vincent Taylor, who was once accused of killing his own siblings as a child.

After her ghostwriting career takes a hit, Olivia is unexpectedly offered the chance to write her estranged father's memoir. From there, the story unravels in the most gripping way.

This book is packed with suspense, but what really stood out to me were the powerful family dynamics. It’s more than just a whodunit, it’s a deep, emotional dive into a fractured family haunted by trauma and buried truths.

Told through multiple POVs and different timelines, this novel is packed with secrets, trauma, and slowly revealed truths that kept me flipping pages late into the night. Every chapter had me second-guessing what I thought I knew.

Julie Clark nails the psychological tension, and her character development is a chef’s kiss. Watching Olivia grow and evolve, and seeing how her relationships shift throughout the story, was one of my favorite parts.

If you love dark family drama, long-buried secrets, and a mystery that truly keeps you guessing, The Ghostwriter is a must-read!

Thank you so much to @bookmarked for the copy of this e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for my arc! I really enjoyed this book. I did find it repetitive at times toward the end, but overall, it’s a solid thriller!!

OLivia, a ghostwriter with a recent string of bad luck, has been
offered the option to ghostwrite her estranged father's
autobiography. Feeling like she has no choice but to take the
job, Olivia heads back to her small hometown and encounters
her ailing father, sick with dementia. As she digs into his past in
order to write his story, the decades old murders of his siblings
take center stage, and Olivia finds herself trying to solve that
mystery in order to write a best seller and redeem her father's
reputation.


This was a fun thriller, alternating between the 1970s, when the
murders occurred, and the present day, when Olivia is
attempting to solve them. The twists in this one were just
right...Clark lays enough clues out there that the reader can
guess them, but they aren't too obvious. I loved the inclusion of
a main character with dementia, who can obviously be nothing
other than an unreliable narrator. The unreliable narrator trope is
getting a bit old, but this was a fresh take on it.

I was excited for this one because I read and loved The Lies I Tell by the same author, and I wasn't disappointed! I enjoyed the flashbacks and dual POV's to try and figure out what happened. I did think it was a tiny bit slow overall and I feel like I was left with some questions still in the end, but it was still a solid thriller and I had a good time reading it!

Outstanding! This book has a woman signing up to ghost write a book by her estranged father, someone who the whole town believes killed his brother and sister years ago. It puts her in an uncomfortable position, because she doesn't necessarily believe what her father is telling her. She decides to try to find out the truth herself and things get complicated.

I really enjoyed this book. There were plenty of twists and turns and the dual timeline worked very well for telling the story.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter that ran into some controversy and ended up in deep debt, and a bad reputation making no one want to work with her. Until a famous horror author, Vincent Taylor asks Olivia to write his last book, a memoir about the murders of his siblings. Vincent is also Olivia's father who she has been estranged from for years. But with no other income sources on the horizon, Olivia accepts the job and goes back to her hometown of Ojai to face the ghosts of not only her past, but also her father's.

The story is told from the POV of Olivia (present), as well as Vincent (past) and his sister Poppy (past). This was a slow burn full of dysfunctional family drama. The characters were really brought to life through their unique perspectives. It's a thought-provoking psychological thriller that keeps you guessing about what really happened when Danny and Poppy were killed.

Everyone has family secrets they want to hide out of embarrassment, shame, or fear. For ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, her father, Vincent Taylor, is not just a horror writer but also a man suspected of killing his siblings, Poppy and Danny. Separated from him by choice, Olivia reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite his final book due to financial need. The book, a semi-autobiographical account, delves into Vincent's past through his memories, Poppy's diary, and her films. As Olivia pieces together their family's dark history, she uncovers secrets that led to tragedy and turmoil. This gripping story is so well-crafted it was hard to put down, and I highly recommend it. The narrative flow was seamless, highlighting how secrets can destroy our lives.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Netgalley and Sourcebooks/ Landmark for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Additionally, thank you Julie Clark for crafting such an excellent story.

Growing up, Olivia’s father loved giving her puzzles to follow, but the questions of his past caused her even more problems. As he became a famous author, her life at home became even more unstable, until she was sent to a boarding school overseas. When she returned years later, her name had changed, and she left everyone from her hometown behind. The story starts when she is offered a new job as a ghostwriter: much to her chagrin, the offer is to live with and write her father’s last story, which is the one of his past. Can she uncover the actual truth, or will her father lead her on another quest with no results? Will she be able to overcome the hurt from the past and her mom’s need to escape? The story alternated between the present and the months leading up to the events that changed her family forever.