this was a really good book! It did remind me a bit of "First Lie Wins" in a good way!! I think it was an interesting concept and the themes of family, past trauma and guild all played well together in this book. I was a fan!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I'm a big fan of Julie Clark's books, but this one was different from her others. It's not a psychological thriller but more of a mystery. I read it quickly and was very engaged in the mystery and finding out what happened. I did guess one of the twists but there were still enough surprises for the ending to be satisfying. Clark is a must read for me!

This book is a masterfully crafted thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The suspense and pacing were impeccable, making it nearly impossible to put down. I loved Olivia, who is dragged into her father’s enigmatic world. Her journey from hiding her true identity to facing her family's demons is both harrowing and compelling. The plot twists were unexpected and thrilling. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws in another curveball that will leave you reeling. The revelation of what truly happened that fateful night in 1975 is both shocking and satisfying, tying together every loose end with expert precision. The author’s ability to weave such a gripping narrative, filled with deep character development and a richly atmospheric setting, is truly commendable.

If you enjoy a suspenseful, well-paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end, "The Ghostwriter" is an absolute must-read.

So I wanted to love this book and give it a 5 star but the pacing was just a bit slow for me. I was expecting im not sure maybe just a few twists earlier to keep attention but its fine. I did love the development and "the answers" explained everything for me

I’ve been a fan of Julie Clark since The Last Flight.

The Ghostwriter is an amazing, tragic story, a story I thought I could predict the outcome of while I was reading it only to find that I hadn’t predicted any of the twists and turns the author created.

I’ve never been a fan of multiple points of view, but Ms. Clark does an amazing job: it’s easy to follow many different points of view, all taking place at different times in history. I was a young teen during the mid 70s and I can remember and recognize the feeling of 1975.

This is one of those stories where you think you know what’s going to happen, you think you know who did what, but I can almost promise you you’ll be wrong. The plot, although easy to follow, was so complex and so full of misdirection and hints, it was like participating in one of the scavenger hunts that played a part in the storyline.

Thanks to Sourcebooks/Landmark for the E-ARC. All opinions are my own. #HighlyRecommend.

This is an early contender for my favorite book of 2025. The Ghostwriter is incredibly well written and has everything I could ask for in a thriller. Each character is carefully crafted and beautifully developed through the entire story. I loved the way Julie Clark showed us both modern day along with flashbacks of what lead up to her aunt and uncles tragic death. This is an excellent thriller that really shows the complexities of family dynamics in an almost beautiful way. The twist was really interesting and I never guessed it which is always a great thing to me, as I love to be shocked.

This page-turner throws the reader into a unique plot construction: a woman, whose professional life has been shattered due to speaking out against a powerful, yet ethically questionable colleague, reluctantly returns home to ghostwrite a final book for her father--who just happens to be a bestselling horror writer. And who also happens to have been present during the terrible double murder of his siblings when he was a teenager. Oh, and who might have been the murderer himself, as the world has speculated about for 50 years. You're hooked, right?

We spend the narrative following Olivia as she tries to figure out what really happened all those years ago--because that's what the book her father wants to write is about. But can she trust him? And can he trust himself? The reason he can't write the book himself is because he has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, which is destroying his physical and mental health.

All in all, a wonderfully submersive tale that keeps you on your toes trying to find the truth. You might suspect the resolution a bit early, but because the journey is interesting, it won't matter one bit.

This was only my first time reading a book by this author, and I'm still undecided if I really liked it or not.
I certainly enjoyed the setting, the ambiance and the initla mystery. The characters were alright, for my taste. So was the writing.
A little too slow but the conclusion was decent, I'd say.
I might try other books by this author in the future, take a look at her backlist.
Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another great by Julie Clark! There is nothing that truly sets the stage like a 17year old who is accused of killing his siblings and in his later years wanting to write a tell all book! Talk about riveting and jaw dropping!

Vincent Taylor a writer himself shooting to the top as a horror writer himself has gone into hiding from illness and calls on his daughter for a favor.

His daughter Olivia the only living child, who is a ghost writer on the verge of a financial crisis gets an offer to write a tell all book about her father’s sordid past!

Whew

Just when you think the crazy has hit you. This book really revs up!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this Arc. I will continue to be amazed by Julie Clark’s crazy tales!

~Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS landmark publishing for giving me the opportunity to read & review this book.~

First off, I loved the writing style of this book. The author did a wonderful job, and made it easy to visualize the scenes that played out. There was never a dull moment in this book. There were lots of details but nothing overpowering. All the characters were extremely like-able. I also enjoyed how the past & present were both involved so we could see multiple POVs. The plot twist towards the end was quite shocking but I really enjoyed the whole story. 5/5 stars for sure.

This was a very suspenseful book! I enjoyed it very much as it had a fascinating and gripping plot. Twists and turns kept me reading late into the night!

I was excited to see a new book from Julie Clark and Ghostwriter did not disappoint! I loved the setting and multiple POVs. Normally I shy away from unreliable narrators but the medical angle made the story more compelling.

I LOVED this book!! The writing style and fast-moving plot kept me at the edge of my seat. Hired to ghostwrite her infamous father;s memoir leads, Olivia returns home after a long absence to find her father very ill and failing mentally. She sets out to find the truth about who killed her aunt and uncle when her father was in his teens. The killer had never been found and her father has lived under the shadow of suspicion his whole life. The lies and secrecy had driven both her mother and Olivia from the small town, but now she is back and feels the truth will help heal her and father and even her faltering career. Who else could be responsible for the gruesome murders of two teenagers? Some say a drifter, but most feel the answer lies closer to home. Olivia starts to piece together the mystery with clues from her father's confused recollections and a search of the house where the murders occurred leads to a startling piece of information on the journey to find a killer.

Thank you so much to Julie Clark, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and NetGalley for this ARC of The Ghostwriter. When I saw this book I immediately added it to my TBR because I loved The Last Flight so much!

If you like a dysfunctional family, this book is for you! This book is so much more than a surface-level thriller. It explores some real family dynamics like the father-daughter relationship. This book is very emotional and thought-provoking. There are so many twists and turns in this book and, surprisingly, these were hard to predict! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and really had me rooting for Olivia to face all that she needs and to uncover the truths that she has been searching for. This book will be a must read of 2025! 5/5 stars!

What a ride! I read this book in one sitting, could not put it down. The story dives into the current issue of a daughter ghostwriting for her estranged father. Then delves into the past which is a murder in her family from 50 years ago. This book kept my attention right from the start.

You are kept guessing who the murder could be as you gain more information little by little. In the current timeline, the dad gives his side of the story, the information he thinks needs to be shared. There are also flashback memories from the deceased that give hints as well.
Excellent mystery that keeps you turning the page and changing your guess of who did it.

What a stellar read! I was hooked from page 1! This is such an engrossing story. There’s many layers that are slowly peeled back. This 50 year old mystery had me at the edge of my seat. I literally turned the pages so quick because I was so captivated and needed to know WHAT HAPPENED. I got more than I bargained for. I didn’t anticipate the turn of events.

I loved following along our main character as she suspects her father and struggles with her own demons. All throughout your left with questions about what happened that fateful night where two teens were murdered. I think toward the end I had my suspicions but the full scope was surprising. I really loved how this played out.

Th Ghostwriter was a strong thriller that delivered exactly what I was looking for from the genre and its description. The story was gripping, and I stayed fully engaged in the world Clark created.

The overall feel of the book matched my expectations perfectly, balancing suspense and depth. Julie Clark’s writing style is impressive, and I’m excited to read more of her work. If you’re looking for a thriller that keeps you hooked, The Ghostwriter is a fantastic choice and I highly recommend adding it to your summer 2025 reading list!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for my free review copy.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @bookmarked for an early copy of The Ghostwriter by @julieclarkauthor. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: June 3rd, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217506549-the-ghostwriter?ref=315

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The Ghostwriter features Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter on the brink of financial ruin. She has spent most of her adult life hiding the fact that she’s the daughter of famous writer Vincent Taylor, who’s the primary suspect in the murder of his siblings in 1975. Vincent hires Olivia to ghostwrite his memoir, after years of no contact with her. Unable to secure a writing job, Olivia reluctantly agrees and finds herself immersed in his father’s POV of the events prior to his siblings Danny and Poppy’s deaths and is filled with doubts about his retelling that she digs into the past herself for another perspective and discover what really happened then.

Though slow in pacing for the majority of the book, I appreciated how Clark plotted each clue and evidence for Olivia to find which held my attention. As a reader, I was initially led to believe that the present Vincent’s memories were unreliable due to his current condition, which added a lot of doubt that Olivia began digging more into the case. I enjoyed how she analyzed every detail, but not too much so that the reader would lose interest in the story. Though very dark and disturbing, the POVs of Vincent and Poppy from 1975 were also interesting and added a lot of insight to the overall story. The ending, though still very disturbing, was shocking and unexpected. The slow burn was definitely worth it!

This book is another masterpiece of Julie Clark’s and I highly recommend picking this up for a thrilling read. This is my first read of 2025 and it did not disappoint!

I’ll start with the positive that this pulled me right in.

However, the culmination of the story is so fast that it leaves a flat, anti-climactic feel to the rest of the story; so much is left but in ways that didn’t feel realistic. It affected my overall enjoyment of the story.


Other readers may love this but it wasn’t a favorite for me. *I will absolutely read more by the author however.



Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC

The Ghostwriter
By: Julie Clark

5 📝 📝📝📝📝
Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont is about to get the assignment that will change her life. She has hidden her true identity to those closest to her, because her dad is a famous author with a past that she wants to forget. He was never really there for her.

She signs a contract to be a ghostwriter, because her bills are piling up. She has no idea that the contract is to ghostwrite her father’s last book. Her father Vincent was once accused of murdering his siblings.

All these years later and he wants to truth to come out about that night. One major problem is he is dealing with something that might not make that possible.

This novel grabbed me the first page and I did not put it down until the last page way after my bedtime. Every line had me waiting for what was next!

Clark’s novels are gripping. Her novel The Last Flight is one of my all time favorites. This novel comes out June 3 and I am preordering soon. Thank you Sourcebooks Lanark for this free e-ARC.