What did I just read? This is my first book by Julie Clark and it will definitely not be my last. The dual timeline was done so well.
Vincent Taylor is a horror writer accused of the murder of his twin sisters in 1975. Now in poor health he wants one more book written. One book that tells what happened that night, and he wants his estranged daughter Olivia Dumont to write it.
This was a page turner. I am so in my mystery/suspense era, and this book gave me everything I wanted,

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC 🤍

I do enjoy a good thriller and the very beginning hooked me. The way things were revealed - her investigating, chapters from the past and her father’s stories - was a great idea, but somewhere in the middle it just started dragging.

The side storylines, Tom and Calder, added nothing to the story for me. I think they contributed to the dragging. It eventually picked back up towards the end. Twists were being revealed with other twists. This lead to minor confusion and some predictability.

The ending wasn’t really satisfying for me. The reveal happening only for it to be like “haha actually THIS is the big reveal” followed by what felt like mostly speculation

I wanted to love this book but unfortunately it was very slow and boring for myself. I did enjoy the two different timelines; past and present. But I also felt as though we were being told every single thing and that did not leave much wonder which is what I enjoy in thrillers. Overall, just not the book for me.

I really enjoyed this book! It felt a little predictable at times, but maybe that’s what the author wanted. Overall a solid 4 stars!
Possible spoilers? Not sure yet (lol)

It was a bit slow at times, but I really love that the author was taking the time to build that backstory and the timeline jumps were put exactly where they needed to be. It didn’t feel random or confusing at all. I also liked that the 1975 POVs are mixed between the kids instead of JUST Vincent or JUST Poppy. We really got the inside scoop on how they acted towards each other and in general on the day to day when they were all kids.

Having the father be I’ll really added an element I didn’t know this story needed! When he thinks his daughter is Lydia threw me way off the first time, but we end up piecing together the story of how everything played out along side Olivia.

Overall great book and I definitely am going to read more books by Julie Clark. :)

I generally have really enjoyed all of Julie Clark's books, but this one was a miss for me! The back and forth between past and present with different narrators was hard to follow, and I didn't feel invested in the story because it felt too unbelievable. Overall most of the characters were unlikeable to me which was a bummer! Giving 3 stars because I did still finish it and it wrapped up okay, but it doesn't hold a candle to Julie Clark's "The Last Flight". Happy to have gotten an advance copy from NetGalley!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Ghostwriter" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was suspenseful and interesting. A family drama with a mystery attached. I kept turn the pages as I needed to know what happened to Poppy and Danny in 1975. Overall a good book that kept me guessing.

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a taut, smartly written psychological thriller that delivers both emotional depth and gripping suspense. Known for her deft storytelling and layered characters, Clark once again proves she’s a master of the genre.

At the heart of the novel is a complex and compelling premise: a ghostwriter hired to tell someone else’s story uncovers more than she bargained for—and becomes tangled in a web of secrets, lies, and moral dilemmas. Clark's protagonist is sharp, flawed, and deeply human, and readers will find themselves rooting for her even as the stakes rise and the truth becomes harder to pin down.

What makes The Ghostwriter especially stand out is Clark’s ability to blend a twisty, page-turning plot with real emotional resonance. This isn’t just a thriller for thrill’s sake—it’s a story about identity, trust, and the power of storytelling itself. The layers unfold with precision, each chapter pulling you deeper into the mystery and the characters’ motivations.

The pacing is razor-sharp, with just enough misdirection to keep even seasoned thriller readers guessing. But perhaps most impressive is how Clark uses the ghostwriting profession as both a literal and metaphorical lens—exploring what it means to speak for someone else, and how much of ourselves we give away in the process.

If you're looking for a thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, The Ghostwriter should be at the top of your list. Julie Clark has delivered another winner.

Set in Ojai, California, The Ghostwriter centers on Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter struggling financially who reluctantly agrees to write a memoir for her estranged father, Vincent Taylor. Decades earlier, Vincent was widely suspected of murdering his teenage siblings, Poppy and Danny, in 1975. What Olivia doesn't expect is that the memoir will uncover the truth about that fateful night.

The story shifts between present-day Olivia and flashbacks narrated by Vincent and Poppy in the 1970s. Julie Clark skillfully brings the era to life with vivid detail and atmosphere. She kept me guessing right up until the final pages—just when I thought I had it figured out, I was still wrong.

This novel is both a character-driven family drama and a gripping mystery. Its exploration of memory, identity, and long-buried secrets will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and slow-burn suspense. The Ghostwriter is the third Julie Clark novel I’ve read, and she’s officially a must-read author for me. I’ll definitely be recommending her books to friends and family.

This book started a bit slow for me, but by the end of the it I couldn't put it down! I love Julie Clark, and this one really impressed me.

This book was amazing, a definite 5 star…. It was literally finding out the truth for a book to get it out there’s but then yet you find out the truth that you wrote wasn’t the actual truth of what actually happened. It was a great, one sitting read… definitely worth it!!!

Really liked the concept and it started out very strong. It definitely dragged a bit and felt a little too repetitive in the middle though.

Fifty years ago the Taylor family is shattered when 2 of the 3 children are killed on a June night. Now the surviving child, a successful writer, wants to write a memoir and needs the help of his estranged daughter to complete it. As the story unfolds, everything you think might have happened changes into something else. A suspenseful murder mystery that also blends in family drama. Excellent.

Clear your calendar for the next 24 hours! You will thank me later. This book is so gripping with a tight hold that you will not want to put it down. Hands down the best thriller all year! Julie Clark has done it again. No spoilers just add it to your TBR and see for yourself why this book deserves 5 stars all the way. I cannot wait till this book hits the shelf to recommend it to everyone I know!

Thanks Netgalley for this early ARC of Ghostwriters. I wish I could reread it for the first time all over again.

Unputdownable! The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark was an absolute favorite, with a dark, twisty storyline that kept me coming back for more.

I loved the moodiness of this book. The main characters. Olivia (the ghostwriter) and her estranged father, Vincent (the subject) were so intriguing. The alternating voices and the shifting timelines also made the book magic. I kept trying to figure out the twists and got close but did not see some of them coming.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller!

really enjoyed the concept and was looking forward to , but just overall was a bit too slow for me. I think if I were in a better place (slower, mindful) I would have enjoyed more

This wasn't my favorite work from Julie Clark. While the mystery of what happened to Poppy and Danny was engaging, the twists were rather predictable. I found the pace of this work slower than most of her work- with more of a slow burn that I am used to. Overall solid read but was hoping for something a bit more dynamic from an author that I have come to expect that from.

What would you do if your famous horror author father asked you to come home to ghostwrite his memoir for him? A man who you, at the very least, have a complicated relationship with. This is the question Olivia must answer for herself when she is facing a lawsuit for calling out another ghostwriter on his misogyny. Oh wait, her father has also always been believed to have murdered his brother and sister when he was a teenager. Forgot to mention that bit.
A lot of family trauma comes to light in this book. It is well-written and kept me invested in the main character the whole time. I didn't see the final twist coming. All in all, a great book. I would read it again.

This one's edging into a four star by the skin of its teeth and my good graces because I ultimately did find the story satisfying and memorable enough. My intense affection for stories that come together when somebody finds old documents/videos/clues etc. often fights with the inherent unbelievability of same and how it can feel plot contrivance-y when a character just happens to stumble upon something nobody's managed to locate in decades. (When will this be done as well as it was in Possession by A.S. Byatt? I'm still waiting.)

This suffers too from the pace-crippling trope of an MC trying to solve a mystery when the answers are right there in front of them but you can't just have them because then there would be no novel. Making the answer-holder a man in declining health kiiinda made this feel a little more forgivable, but it was also still straight up annoying as a reader. Like I too felt the MC's frustration of being beholden to the whims of a deeply aggravating old guy who was, frankly, still fucking with her after all these years. Yes girl, this is why we go NC with shitty parents.

But, you know, whatever. The MC founds clues and I was like "oooh! neat!" and I liked the way that everything resolved. And the sun is out today. Four stars.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Clark kept me guessing to the end in The Ghostwriter. I was engrossed in its suspect, the crime from years past and the daughter's tumultuous relationship with her father.

Definitely a slow-burn mystery with a mind-blowing ending.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark

Imagine being asked to ghostwrite a novel for your estranged, possibly murderous father—yeah, the setup had me instantly intrigued. Olivia’s secret past, the family chaos, and the steady stream of twists made this a total page-turner. The writing pulls you in fast, and the unhinged family drama keeps things tense and messy in the best way. Perfect vacation read—you won’t want to put it down!