Another awesome Julie Clark book! She has become one of my favorite thriller authors. I loved her last couple of books, The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell, so I was excited to get an e-arc of her newest, The Ghostwriter. It is soo good!
Super quick synopsis: Olivia is a ghostwriter for celebrity memoirs. Her estranged father is a famous horror author, and also a suspected murderer. When he gets sick and wants to write a tell-all about his life and secrets, he asks Olivia to come back to Ojai, Cali to write it for him. She goes on a journey to find out who killed his sister and brother back in the 70's, and what role her father played in their deaths. 
I loved the creative way this story was written. It is told from Olivia's perspective while she is writing and researching the book, but then flashes back to her father and aunt's perspectives when they were teenagers. It kept me hooked and is a rare book that I stayed up late to finish.

4.5 stars

I’ve enjoyed all of Julie Clark’s books, but this might be my favorite. It’s nostalgic, atmospheric, suspenseful- everything I love in a mystery/thriller. The story follows Olivia, a ghostwriter, and her estranged father, a popular author, who may or may not have murdered his brother and sister in 1975. I felt like the dual timelines and multiple perspectives really worked well here, and the descriptions of 1975 were great (I wasn’t alive then, but I could really feel the energy of that time through the writing). This was a bit of slow burn for me, which is not a bad thing- the stories all weave together and I found myself staying up late at night to race through the last 100 pages or so. Overall, I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel!

Another 5-star thriller from Julie Clark! The Ghostwriter takes you for a ride through 1975 as present-day Olivia uncovers clues that will help her solve the mystery of who killed her teenage aunt and uncle, Danny and Poppy. I couldn't put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

Wow -- this one surprised me. It grabbed me within the first 10 pages and didn't let go. Honestly, that hasn't happened in a while. The different POVs and different time frames added depth to the story, and while I had an idea of where it might end up, I truly enjoyed the ride. The author's use and inclusion of the Super 8 tapes worked really well.

Good cover, too. Would I read more from the author? Absolutely. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Family Secrets. Ghostwriting. A Murder. SIGN ME UP! This thrilling novel was very intriguing and had me on the edge of my seat from the very first sentence to the very last one.

Everytime I thought I figured out what happened and who did it I was proved wrong! This is a story about how family secrets can change and ruin your life. The storyline was executed perfectly and I love how the story unraveled and more details were shared with each chapter. We didn’t get all the details at once and this allowed the reader to really get into the story and put the pieces together like a treasure hunt.

This is a story sharing the complicated relationship of a father and a daughter. Everything that this father and daughter believes to be true was soon revealed as a lie. Missing evidence, buried lies, and ulterior motives are the theme of this novel! This novel leaves you not knowing who to trust!! Everybody can be a subject! Everybody can have a role to play!

Thank you to Net Galley and Julie Clark for allowing me to read this ARC copy of the novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to read the next novel by Julie Clark!

Rounded up from 4.5 stars.

I sat down to read The Ghostwriter intending to read a few chapters before dinner and wound up reading the entire thing in one sitting. I could not put this book down! Julia Clark has woven a beautiful, intricately plotted novel that had me totally engaged from the first page.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter in dire financial straits. When she receives a request to ghostwrite a novel for the her estranged father, famous horror author Vincent Taylor, who has long been suspected of murdering his two teenage siblings in 1975. She quickly learns that the project is not for a novel, but a memoir. Vincent is finally ready to share what happened in 1975.

WHAT READERS CAN EXPECT:
-Family drama
-Twists and turns
-Non-linear timeline
-Multiple POVs

I haven't been this wrapped up in a thriller in a long time. There isn't a single moment that drags or feels unnecessary in this novel, which is so rare for a thriller. "Delightful" feels like the wrong word to describe a book about the gruesome murder of two teenagers, but it really was so thrilling to try to unravel the mystery throughout the book. The puzzle of the Taylor family tragedy

What makes this novel truly stellar, though, is the emotional depth. The fifty year old murder of Olivia's aunt and uncle have ravaged her family and she's borne the weight of its fallout her entire life. She's confronted with questions about what could have been, with questions about the kind of person her father is, and who is lying.

This is a twisty, turny mystery that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I can't wait until this comes out so I can talk about it with everyone I know.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter that has spent her adult life hiding the fact that her dad is a famous writer due to speculation that he killed his siblings when he was in his teens. She is at the bottom of her career due to being 'cancelled' by another famous writer when she gets a request to ghostwrite a new book for her dad.
Her dad is finally ready to break his silence after all this time, but she's not sure if he is ready to tell the truth, or if she is even ready to work with him. It took me some time to read the book as the story was more of a slow burn. It did pick up once things finally started moving.
Thank you to #netgalley for this #arc.

This book was soo good. It kept my attention and kept me guessing the entire time. I was at least 50% in and was still wondering what the truth would be.

Thank you NetGalley & Julie Clark for the opportunity to read this ARC! I will be reading more from this author and this is on my recommendation list !

Julie Clark's, The Ghostwriter, is a compelling tale of family secrets and suspense with a dual timeline between the present and the 1970's. Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter, who is on the brink of financial ruin is coerced into penning her estranged father's memoir. Olivia's father is a famous horror writer who is not only famous for his books but his infamous past. Many have speculated that her father, Vincent, was the murderer of his siblings despite an airtight alibi.
While some might say the story is a slow-burn, at no time was I bored and absolutely loved the pacing and split timeline between today and 1975 using the multiple perspectives of Olivia, her father and his sister - each one making the clues a little clearer. I thought the style was very clever and I was completely engaged the whole time. and on a deeper level the story of family and love shined through in a way I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the privilege of reading an e-ARC in exchange for my honest and personal review.

This thriller pulls you in from the start. The plot is riveting and characters are engrossing. Be prepared to not put this down.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire life distancing herself from her childhood, especially for her father and his history. She is the only child of Vincent Taylor, a horror author, who is also notorious for being the only suspect in the brutal murder of his two siblings. Olivia has made it her life’s work to tell the stories of famous, prominent women until one mistake ruins everything.

Now, she has no work prospects, is in danger of selling her house, and owes someone a lot of money. Left with little to no options, she hesitantly agrees to ghostwrite her father’s next book under the guise that she will be just revising an already completed fiction, horror manuscript. What actually awaits Olivia in Ojai, California is something entirely different.

Through dual timelines and multiple perspectives, Clarke tells a thoughtful mystery that has you question everything you think you know. This is a story about family, hardships, death, and how secrets and lies can ruin lives. The flow for the Ghostwriter was perfect, forcing me to forgo all responsibilities so I could finish immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc. Pub date is June 3.

Overall this was a great suspense novel. It kept me guessing and was twisty and suspenseful. At times I got a little confused because there are three different timelines. For the most part the timelines were separated but there was a bit of a third timeline that threw me off sometimes. Towards the end it started to drag a little but I think the good twists made up for that. Like I said, overall it’s a great book!

I was so excited to receive a copy of Ghostwriter, a new thriller by Julie Clark!

A struggling ghostwriter is pitched an opportunity to ghostwrite a book for a famous horror writer…who is her estranged father.

I was immediately sucked in and couldn’t put Ghostwriter down! I found this book fun and loved the twists and turns. Not many can’t write a great thriller like Julie Clark!

I’ve loved all of Julie Clark’s books and Ghostwriter maybe my new favorite of hers! I will be recommending this to anyone looking for a fun thriller this summer! I can’t wait to read what Julie writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you you Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC. Written from different perspectives and different times, you slowly learn what happened back in 1975 to 3 siblings and how 2 lost their lives. I thought I had it figured it out but there was a twist I did not see coming! The Ghostwriter was a great read.

2.5 stars
It pains me to have to write this review. I was so excited to get an advance copy of Julie Clark’s upcoming release. I’ve loved her other books! This one, however, was a hot mess for me. Olivia is hiding her identity and connection to a famous author. Amid personal struggles, she’s hired to help write about the deaths of the author’s brother and sister. Everyone has suspected he got away with murder. He has a terminal illness so it’s time to set the record straight before it’s too late. The almost 50yr old mystery set up was decent but the unraveling of the story wasn’t compelling enough to keep it all together at the end. I suspect most people will like the book but I doubt it will be anyone’s favorite by comparison. That said, I’m still looking forward to reading what she writes next!
*Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley

There is a saying that secrets have long shadows. This book is ultimately about childhood secrets. In this case, some of the secrets are terrible ones. It is also about the sacrifices people will make for those they love. Olivia is a ghostwriter who loves to lose herself in other people’s stories because she does not want to deal with her family’s past. However, circumstances dictate that she ends up doing just that.

Olivia Dumont is a ghostwriter living under a new name to distance herself from her father, Vincent Taylor—a famous horror author accused of murdering his siblings in 1975. On the verge of being canceled after an incident with another author, Olivia gets an unexpected call: Vince wants her to write his final book, a memoir. Hesitantly, she returns to Ojai to face the past and uncover the truth.

This book was masterfully executed. The plot was twisty yet realistic, and the character development was top-notch—I felt like I truly knew every character, which isn’t easy to pull off. The depiction of 1975 added a nostalgic feel I loved, with vivid references to music, current events, and the way the world worked back then. I’ve read four of Clark’s novels, and this is my favorite so far.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a story about going home. It tells the story of a ghostwriter, Olivia Dumont, who has come from a broken past through no fault of her own. Her father is the famous horror writer, Vincent Taylor, and her mother, Lydia, left when she was only five with no real explanation as to why.

Olivia also learns why people do not seem to like her when she is about ten. The kids in school are eager to explain that her father is a murderer, He was once accused of killing is brother, Danny and his sister, Poppy, but had an alibi. This did not seem to matter to the people of the town. They knew what they knew, and no one could talk them down.

Olivia and Vincent often play mystery games, usually resulting in gifts at the end for Olivia. To heck with the rest of the world and what they say, they have each other. Only as time goes on, Vincent drinks more and more, becoming quite volatile or was he always this way?

Vincent makes Olivia go to school overseas when she is fourteen with no explanation. She feels rejected so she never returns. After college, Olivia refuses to return home even though Vincent wants her to. She goes so far as to change her name in hopes of never being found.

Twenty years later, after some financial and legal failures, Olivia finally has a writing job after being shunned from the writing community. Her father commissions her to write his final memoir about the final night when her aunt and uncle are killed. But how do they solve it and what is the truth? Are ethical lines blurred and memories failing? You will have to read the book and go on with all the twists and turns that Clark has created.

I can not praise Clark enough in storytelling ability. She made me like the characters of Poppy and Olivia. I was not a fan of the ERA or feminism. It was just a crock to busy and confuse us, I cannot throw a sledgehammer as good as a man, you cannot make me want to. But through the eyes of Olivia and Poppy, I could see that they had a vision, one that I can at least respect and understand.

I loved the memories of the eighties that Clark brought back to life. It was like I was sitting at my house with all my friends at a bonfire without one worry about police or parents to speak about. Just at a party having fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for giving me the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. Of course, all the opinions are proudly my own, why does that even need to be said, I have freedom of speech!

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!!! This book was so intense, dysfunctional, and simply stunning and brilliant!! It was also a very moving story about siblings and the lives they lead thru thick and thin! A love story too about the secrets we keep for the ones we love! So brilliant! This book has everything you can imagine!! Run to the bookstore when this one comes out!! A book that you don't want to miss for 2025!!!!

Olivia’s career is ghostwriting. She’s being sued so financially has to take a job writing a memoir for her estranged dad who is an author. In 1975 her dad’s siblings were killed in the home and the murder was never solved. The book is written from 3 perspectives, Olivia, her dad Vincent, and Poppy who was Vincent’s sister. Once Olivia finds out the truth of the deaths, she and her dad decide not to reveal the truth in the book. Very unexpected ending.