Another hit for Julie Clark! Wanted to read this book because her other books were so great - but this one blew those out of the water!

A family suspense that has it all - murder, estranged family members, parents with memory altering conditions, even an absentee parent.

Lots of twists and turns and even a mildy happy resolution. A really great read;

The Ghostwriter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This cover intrigued me so much that I had to try this latest by Julie Clark when it popped up on @netgalley!

Tragedy struck they Taylor family in the 1970s when two teenagers are brutally murdered and the final sibling survives. Years later, Olivia is Ghostwriting her father’s memoir, the final surviving sibling. Throughout the writing she works to untangle her own complicated past with her father, his failing memory, and the stories of her aunt and uncle who have passed.

I really enjoyed this book! It moved much more quickly than I thought it would originally especially with the short chapters and alternate timelines. Definitely glad I snagged a copy of this ARC from @netgalley!

This is probably my least favorite from Julie Clark, but I still liked it overall! It just wasn't as exciting as her others. I liked the flashbacks of different character's point of views because it helped solve the mystery. Some parts dragged on for a bit and I felt like some things at the end were a bit too convenient. I enjoyed the general plot though.

This is the first book I've read by Julie Clark and I look forward to reading more of her books. This book's characters are well developed and they all blend together seamlessly creating a family tragedy that needs to be revealed by it's main character Olivia Dumont (Taylor) who's writing her father's memoir. Thanks for the ARC!!!

**3.5 rounded up.

"I feel the shifting sands of being both a ghostwriter and a daughter. Fighting-and sometimes failing-to maintain an objective distance."

Well, duh. The premise of #theghostwriter is rather weak - Olivia's career is in shambles b/c of a vindictive misogynist with whom she has an expensive public fight. Trying to save herself and her house, IMO, it stretches credibility that she would take a job ghostwriting for her father, whom everyone thinks killed his siblings many years ago. Getting past that, still, I felt the narrative meandered, spending way too much time repeating the same scenes. By the time I reached the reveal, I was over it.

Dad Vince is all over the place. Olivia can't tell if he's hallucinating, leading her on yet another treasure hunt or telling her the truth. The "did he or didn't he" got tiresome. Every time we get close to something, he has a meltdown.

I very much enjoyed "The Lies I Tell", so very appreciative to score an advanced reader copy. Thank you, #netgalley.

Really enjoyed this book! Great characters, a really intriguing premise, and a storyline that unfolded in a really satisfying way! Loved the multiple POVs of the characters and the ending was really great! Would love to read more by this author!

Such a thrilling read! The story centers around Olivia, who is an accomplished author, being tasked with writing the memoir of famous author, Vincent Taylor. Vincent happens to be her father and he was the only surviving child when his other two siblings were murderd in 1975. Everyone thinks Vincent killed his two siblings, Poppy and Danny. Vincent has been private about the tragedy for years and now he wants to write a memoir about that night and what lead up to those events. He wants his now estranged,
daughter, Olivia to write his memoir…which she agrees.

Olivia’s relationship with her dad has always been challenging. When she begins to ask him needed information to write the memoir, he isn’t always forthcoming. The fact that he has a terminal disease that affects his memory and behavior doesn’t make writing the memoir any easier. Olivia isn’t sure what’s truthful and what’s not. She does know that her father is calculated and isn’t sure if this is just one more of his calculated moves before he passes away. One thing is clear is that the evidence is pointing to her father being guilty. As Olivia unearths more information about that night, she finds many shocking secrets involving sibling rivalry, an unbalanced family, abuse and so much more. The truth is more shocking than what Olivia could have imagined.

I enjoyed this read. It was a page turner, especially the last half of the book. It keeps you in suspense because the murderer is revealed in the final few chapters. I loved the character development. My favorite chapters were the ones back in time with Poppy and Vincent. I like how Olivia’s relationship with her dad improves over time. The ending was great. I felt like Olivia received closure in the end.

Once again, Julie Clark hits one out of the park. This book is about an aging author that signs his estranged daughter on to ghostwrite his memoir. Her father has decided now is as good a time as any to clear up the rumors he murdered his own brother and sister back in 1975. Only dad's memory is failing and nothing he tells her is making sense. Now it's up to Olivia to figure out what really happened on that day 50 years ago. This book is full of surprises and had me guessing all the way up to the end.

It's been 50 years since the brutal murder of Poppy and Danny Taylor and ghostwriter Olivia Dumont believes she as been given the assignment to finish writing Vincent Taylor's last horror book. Vincent, the only surviving sibling of that horrible night is now suffering from a form of dementia and wants Olivia to untangle his mixed up memories of that night, not to finish a horror novel as she was originally told. Suspicion has followed Vincent his entire life and although cleared of the murders of his siblings,Olivia knows that there is much more to his story--after all, she is his only child. ( a fact she keeps from everyone including her publisher.) With a deadline only a few months away and her father's mental state declining, Olivia struggles to piece together the truth of that fateful night and separate it from the truth her estranged father has woven over the years.

Weaving together Olivia's current day investigations with the voices of her then 15,16,and 17 year old aunt and uncles allows readers know how well Olivia is reconstructing the truth and what pieces of information she is still lacking. Readers may draw their own conclusions about that awful night from the evidence that Olivia uncovers, but is it the truth?

THE GHOSTWRITER was a slower paced book but was so unique that I couldn’t put it down. There were so many layers to this story, it kept me interested throughout the whole book. Both a mystery and family drama, the depth and dark elements combined with an unreliable narrator of sorts keeps this book exciting and fresh.

A famous author is seriously ill and before he can no longer remember the past he has requested that his estranged daughter, Olivia, be his ghostwriter. But the story is not just any story, it is the story of his siblings, Danny and Poppy that were murdered and he was long thought to be the murderer. The truth needs to be told and only Olivia can do it justice.
Family drama, dysfunctional parents, relationships gone bad and manipulative behavior are all twisted together to bring the truth to light. A well written book with flawed characters, secrets and a haunting silence that should have never been quiet.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC. I voluntarily read this exceptional book. This review is my opinion.

Facing financial ruin, Olivia agrees to the one job she never thought she’d take: ghostwriting her estranged father's final novel. What begins as a desperate career move quickly morphs into something much darker. As she delves into her father’s twisted imagination, she finds herself confronting the literal and metaphorical ghosts of her family’s past. The lines between fiction and reality blur, and what Olivia uncovers may be more change everything Olivia ever thought about her life.

Olivia is a ghostwriter who helps people write their memoirs, and she is currently in a tough spot after being sued by another ghostwriter for speaking out against him. She owes money everywhere, when she gets an offer to help with a memoir that is the last thing she wants to do. This is the memoir of her estranged father, who is a famed horror novelist and suspected of murdering his two siblings in his teens. Desperate, she agrees and starts to unravel the family history of secrets, lies, and murder.

I devoured this book in one sitting. It was great. I loved the split timelines that gave glimpses into two pasts melding with the present. This was such a fun mystery to unravel. Mixed in with family dynamics, this book is a must read.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC!

This book had me hooked from the first page. It’s part murder mystery, part family drama, and part emotional gut-punch—and it totally worked. The whole “famous horror writer with a horrifying past” setup immediately pulled me in, especially knowing his daughter is the one stuck unraveling it all.

Olivia is such a layered character. She’s broke, bitter, and totally over the whole “your dad is a killer” legacy, especially since she’s spent her life pretending she’s not even related to him. So when she agrees to ghostwrite his “last horror novel,” only to find out it’s actually him trying to finally spill the truth about his siblings’ deaths? Yeah, things get messy.

The pacing is tight, and there’s this constant unease as the story flips between past and present. Every time I thought I had the mystery figured out, another piece would drop and throw me off balance. The father-daughter dynamic is twisted and raw in all the right ways—so much unsaid between them, but also this strange, lingering need for connection.

If you love slow-burn thrillers with family secrets, unreliable narrators, and a mystery that keeps pulling you deeper, this one delivers. I had chills by the end—and not just because of the murder.

Olivia Dumont makes a living as a ghostwriter for other writers. When she is contacted to help bestseller horror author Vincent Taylor write a book her agent is thrilled but not Olivia. What nobody knows is that Vincent is her father, who she hasn’t had anything to do with since he send her to a boarding school when she was a child and had little contact with since. She try’s to tell her agent that she doesn’t know anything about writing horror, but her father isn’t writing another horror novel but an autobiography. When Vincent was a teenager his older brother and younger sister was murdered in their home and for awhile Vincent was a suspect, but he had an alibi and no evidence against him. He has never talked about what happened to his family but is now ready to tell what really happened that night. Another great book from Julie Clark and I love it. Thanks Netgalley for my arc.

This book really keeps you guessing. Surprising characters and great story line. Another great book by Julie Clark.
Thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Ghostwriter.

I was unfamiliar with Julie Clark before reading The Ghostwriter, but I consider myself very fortunate that she is now on my radar. I loved this incredibly complex, deeply moving story of family dynamics in dual timelines. The story builds until you can't turn the pages fast enough, and I certainly didn't want to put the book down! The characters are so real and relatable that my heart was fully engaged in the story. WoW

I received an ARC for free and gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an eARC for an honest review!

I am not sure whether or not it's just the state of mind I've been in recently, but this book was hard for me to put down. The information that you find out is revealed at a steady and enthralling pace, which is why I read about half of the book on a single day. Julie Clark crafted a compelling mystery through and through, and it is one that keeps you wanting answers as much as our protagonist, Olivia. But it also feels unique to some of the genre because of how much focus it puts on the trauma of a tragedy, and not just the immediate trauma, but generational trauma. It manages to be heartbreaking and thrilling simultaneously, which is a difficult balance to achieve. I had a fantastic time with this one, and if you're a fan of mystery, I would say it's a safe bet you'll have a fun ride, just like I did.

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Ghostwriter By Julie Clark
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Huge thanks go out to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this #gifted e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Ghostwriter was a brilliant character-driven thriller that had me completely captivated with its slow-burning suspense. This was my first read by Julie Clark, and now I'm anxious to add all of her books to my TBR list as soon as possible.

I'm beginning to realize how much I thoroughly enjoy character-driven thrillers, which - to me - are those suspenseful reads where there's tension and mystery, but there's also some sort-of family drama and character development that creates emotion amidst the suspense. Clark created this dynamic perfectly in this book!

This story is told from multiple POVS in dual timelines: the mid 1970s and present day. In June of 1975, the Taylor family is changed forever when two teenage siblings, Poppy and Danny, are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, spends much of his life trying to evade the rumors and accusations that HE was the one who killed them. When his career as a best-selling horror author takes off, rumors only grow larger. Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent HER entire professional life hiding the fact she's the daughter of Vincent Taylor. But with nothing left to lose and her career about to disappear, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know is that he isn't wanting her to help him write another horror novel -- he's finally ready to talk about what happened that fateful night in June 1975.

The way that Clark wove these two timelines together so seamlessly made these characters come alive in the pages. The generational story-telling of Olivia in present day -- as she learned family secrets from her dad and dug deeper into hometown research, juxtaposed with the story-telling of Poppy and Vincent in the 1970s -- as they shared stories of their idyllic lives while I knew what horrible fate awaited their family...it was beautifully written. It almost felt as if I was sitting around with friends and family, watching old home movies and swapping stories about our memories.

This book had strong character development, a true crime vibe, mystery, family secrets, suspense, tragedy, returning home after years of being away, and emotion -- all the elements I love in stories that perfectly culminate in a five-star read for me. I even teared up a little bit at the end, both because of the secrets revealed and because I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters. I genuinely recommend The Ghostwriter if you're a fan of slow burn thrillers, character-driven reads, or some good plotlines in your suspense. Be sure you add this one to your bookshelf when it publishes June 3rd!

#TheGhostwriter #JulieClark #SourcebooksLandmark #ARCs #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #bookreviews #bookrecs #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #booklover #bookaddict

I knew I would love this book, and it did not disappoint! I was hooked from the first page and literally found myself inhaling sharply or holding my breath, anxious for what comes next. Weirdly (or not) this sparked an interest in me to try ghostwriting....