This is my first Clark read, and I loved it! I loved the unique premises of having a daughter who needs work to accept an offer to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir. Their reconnection at his reclusive estate was taught, and as she begins to dig into his past via interviews, journals, and local snooping, Clark used flashbacks in a perfect way to build the narrative. If you like atmospheric reads with unreliable protagonists, unsolved crimes, and twists and turns, this new release is absolutely one for your summer reading.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I knew I had to read The Ghostwriter immediately. Page turner status right here!

Quick confession: this is actually my first Julie Clark novel. I’ve heard great things about The Lies I Tell and The Last Flight, but just haven’t picked them up yet. If they're anything like this one, I’m in for a real treat.

From the very beginning, I was hooked. I had to keep reading to find out what really happened. The story unfolds in dual timelines — past and present, which kept me fully engaged and added a compelling layer of suspense. I love thrillers that peel back layers this way.
The premise grabbed me right away: two out of three siblings murdered decades ago, and the truth about that night still murky.

Add in a “found footage” element, and the mystery deepens in the best possible way.

Vincent’s diagnosis also added an extra layer of uncertainty. As an unreliable witness, his perspective made me question everything I thought I knew.

I devoured this book and absolutely recommend it—not just to thriller fans, but also to anyone looking to break out of a reading slump.

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book! It's been a long time since a mystery delivered for me, and this one definitely did.

I was NOT expecting this to be as good as it was. Oh my goodness! The Ghostwriter was my first Julie Clark book, but it certainly won't be my last. I was simply unable to stop reading this book until I discovered what really happened all those years ago. The pacing was perfect. It kept me guessing the entire time. Obsessed. 5 stars. Loved.

The Ghostwriter is a tangled knot of unreliable memories, lies, and family drama. I loved trying to untangle the mystery of what happened 50 years ago and seemed to change my theory every few chapters. The only reason this book is a 4.5 star instead of a 5 star is because I struggled to warm up to Olivia. I couldn't understand her motives and actions, and that was a problem for me since she's the main character.

Overall, I loved the jumps between past and present, the multiple POVs, and the ending that required me to reread it several times. The final chapter was such a perfect way to end the story. I absolutely love the new direction Julie Clark took for this book!

Olivia Dumont's writing career is just about over after a public incident turns the public against her. But when an opportunity to ghostwrite the Vincent Taylor's final novel becomes available to her, pressure to get back into the writing game induces her to accept. Vincent Taylor is a renowned horror novel author and many people would kill to be able to work with him. But unknown to everyone else, Vincent Taylor is Olivia's estranged father and the horrible past that he was a part of is being dredged up when Olivia returns to her hometown.

Thank you Julie Clark and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange for a thorough and honest review. All thoughts and opinions here are mine and mine alone.

This was a gripping and chilling novel. I was invested the whole time, wondering who the true culprit was. I really liked how Clark wove the story, including dual timelines, past and present, with twists and lies to keep the story moving and engaging.

Be sure to add this one to your TBR for the summer if you are a fan of thrillers!

Excellent thriller! Here is your best choice for a summer vacation mystery if you like twisty plots, complicated families, loads of secrets, and many surprises. This novel is a medium-paced, absorbing story. I kept wanting to return to this book, and that's the best sign of a good thriller.

If you like books with estranged family members, cold cases, literary settings, and twisty plots, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an eBook copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

I liked this one. The premise was very new to me and I was intrigued the whole time. Some parts did drag, and that’s why I have it four stars.

Julie Clark always gets you! When you think you know it, you don't. She is a master at writing complex characters and especially complex families and weaving all of them together.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Clark, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC. This story gripped me from the start and didn’t let go. A haunting slow burn that had me turning pages late into the night, heart pounding and eyes wide. Each chapter offered just enough to keep me holding my breath, slowly unraveling a devastatingly tragic tale that hit hard by the end. Absolutely unforgettable.

Really enjoyed this thriller / mystery! Super quick read. I loved the unreliable characters, the different POVs, the journal entries. Even slightly confused at the end of who really did it!

In the mood for a book with some TWISTS you don’t see coming and a major character who you know you can’t trust? The Ghostwriter delivers in both categories.

After decades estranged from her author father, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont returns home when he hires her to finish his final novel. Vincent Taylor has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and he has one final story that he needs to tell: how his siblings were murdered as teenagers. The world once pointed their fingers at Vince, but when he was found not guilty, the killer remained a mystery. It’s finally time to reveal what really happened, once and for all, but his twisted memories will make it more difficult for Olivia to finally reach the truth.

I had a lot of opinions on how I thought this was going to shake out – some of them were on target, a few others were WAY off base. People I was suspicious of were cleared, people who I didn’t see coming played a way different role than I expected.

I’ve really loved Julie Clark’s previous novels, so I had no doubt that she’d deliver something I wouldn’t want to put down. This was a perfect plane read – gripping and twisty, deep family drama – just truly fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy of this read in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this twisty, emotional story about estranged family, buried secrets, and the uncertainty of memory. Olivia returns home to care for her father, who’s struggling with a memory-related illness, and finds herself piecing together what really happened to her aunt and uncle years ago.

The mystery kept me hooked, especially with the added tension of not knowing what she could trust from her father’s fragmented recollections. I didn’t fully connect with Olivia as a character, and the ending didn’t quite land for me, but the journey was compelling, and I was invested the whole way.

I can't recommend it enough! I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a couple of days!

Fantastic book! I enjoyed this book very much. The plot was well written and the characters well developed.

The Ghostwriter wasn’t what I thought it would be. I struggled to connect to the characters and I found myself wishing the book moved faster. I struggled to finish this one and I normally love a mystery. Especially one with dual timelines. But this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Decades after a horrific family tragedy left him the only survivor—and prime suspect—Vincent Taylor, a famous horror novelist, is finally ready to tell the truth. When his estranged daughter Olivia is hired to ghostwrite his final book, she discovers it’s not fiction he wants her to write—it’s a confession. What really happened the night his siblings died is far more terrifying than any story he’s ever told.

I’m a total sucker for family drama layered with suspense, and The Ghostwriter delivered everything I crave in a thriller. Told through dual timelines and multiple POVs, the storytelling was seamless and immersive. Each character added depth to the mystery, but I have to say—Poppy completely stole the show for me. Still, every perspective brought something meaningful, and I was fully invested from start to finish.

Some of the twists I saw coming, but that ending? Completely blindsided me in the best way. It was bold, emotional, and pitch-perfect. If you love character-driven thrillers with tangled family secrets and a jaw-dropping finale, this one needs to be at the top of your list. Julie Clark absolutely delivered!

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Ghostwriter kept me on the edge of my seat while reading. The puzzles and games that Vince likes to play kept me analyzing every word and motive. Immediately after finishing I picked up another book by Julie Clark to read because this one was so satisfying to read.

Thank you to Source books, Netgalley, and Julie Clark for letting me read this ARC.

Finished Atmosphere at 2AM. Cried like a baby. Books never make me cry. Would recommend to literally everyone.

4.25 Stars!!

This was such a good, bingeable read!! Perfect if you love small town murder mysteries.

This domestic suspense story kept me engrossed the whole time! It was a bit of a slow burn, but I still flew through it as it had a lot of quick, short chapters.

I loved the intriguing premise as well as the writing style. I also really enjoyed getting Poppy and Vince’s POVs from the past that built upon what details Olivia was discovering about the cold case in the present.

I wouldn’t say the ending was shocking as I had started to guess it throughout the book, but even though I thought that was the direction it would go, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all.

Recommend checking this one out!