I think I went into this one with a different idea of what this would be like. However, the dual timeline and the idea of a Ghostwriter was intriguing enough to keep me reading. With almost all mysteries, I can predict (somewhat) the end, and this was no different. However, the setting, the family dynamics, the characterization (especially the presence of Lewy Body Dementia) kept me reading well into the night.

Thank you Sourcebook Landmark for my #gifted ebook of The Ghostwriter! #sourcebooks #sourcebookslandmark #TheGhostwriter #JulieClark

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟱★

This book will be one of my favorite mystery/thrillers of the year! This was my first book by Julie Clark and I LOVED it! I will be recommending this book for a very long time. It’s the type of book that keeps you guessing until the very end. The author did such a great job setting up the entire book and I loved the format. It was a slow burn family drama that I could not read quickly enough.

In June 1975, teenagers Danny and Poppy Taylor are found dead in their home. Their brother, Vincent, is the only surviving sibling, and although never convicted of their murder, there have been plenty of whispers and rumors accusing him of being responsible for their death. Since their death, Vincent has become known as a famous horror writer. He has also married and since separated from Lydia, who he was with the night of the murders, who is also the mother of their only child. Olivia. Olivia, however, has spent her entire professional career as a ghostwriter, hiding the fact that she is the child of Vincent Taylor. In fact, she changed her name to Olivia Dumont and has not spoken to her father in years. With her own career failing, she is offered a job to ghostwrite her father’s last book. What she soon finds out that his last book is not a work of fiction, but a memoir, and Vincent is finally ready to talk about what really happened on that June night in 1975.

🔥Family Dynamics
🔥Cold Cases
🔥Multiple POVs
🔥Unreliable Narrators
🔥Lots of Layers & Twists
🔥Complex Characters
🔥Dual Timeline

Posted on Goodreads onJuly 7, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 7, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 7, 2025
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This is a SLOW burn, especially for the first half of the book. I didn’t love the MC, and being stuck for so much time in her internal thoughts wasn’t my fav. There was a lot of her imagining things, remembering and repeating things she knew line for line, and a side plot about her boyfriend that slowed down the already slow pace. The second half was more interesting as the past storyline, by far the more interesting timeline, is finally more of a focus. I was able to predict several twists and while a few others surprised me, there were things that didn’t fully add up to me.

While this wasn’t my fav by the author, I’m still excited to read her next book. Others have loved this one, so it might just not have been the right book at the right time for me.

Thanks Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the DRC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A gripping family drama, The Ghostwriter pulls you into Olivia’s emotional return home as she confronts the complicated legacy of her father and unravels the mystery behind the deaths of Danny and Poppy. The story takes you on a journey of discovery, blending present-day investigation with long-buried secrets from the 1970s.

The atmospheric details and newly uncovered evidence from decades past paint a vivid picture of the Taylor family's hidden turmoil. Julie Clark delivers a suspenseful and emotional read filled with twists, layers of betrayal, and more than one family secret. A strong and compelling story that’s hard to put down.

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! Couldn’t put it down, actually. Riffing on the currently popular genre of the protagonist traveling back to a childhood town to discover the “truth,” Clark has put her own spin on it and created a mystery masterpiece. The plot unfolds effortlessly, with lots of twists and a shocking reveal.
Told through several points of view, the ghostwriter, Olivia Taylor Dumont, has been estranged from her best-selling novelist father for decades. For many reasons, not the least of which is that he was suspected of murdering his two siblings back in 1975. But the crime was never officially solved. So when Olivia’s agent presents her with a contract from her father’s publisher to ghost write his memoir in which he plans to reveal the truth, she accepts. One complication is that Vincent Taylor is dying of Lewy Body Syndrome and is incapable of writing on his own. And due to his disease, she cannot trust his memory.
Clark writes from multiple characters’ POV, including the ghostwriter, as she returns to her childhood home and resumes a relationship with her declining father, following a treasure hunt of clues and false narratives. Eventually the truth is revealed, and it is a shocker! Did not see it coming!
I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time I’ve read this author, and I am now looking forward to exploring more of her work.

The Ghost Writer by Julie Clark. Julie Clark is an automatic read for me. I really enjoyed this book until the end. I feel like the pace was good, the plot kept me reading and the character development was spot on - I just really thought the end left a lot to be interpreted by the reader. I still enjoyed and would recommend the book.

The synopsis for The Ghostwriter was very compelling, so like everyone else, I added it to my TBR.

For whatever reason, I felt that the pacing was a tad slower than I would have liked to really keep me into the story, but I do think that it is still worth the read. It's filled with family drama galore, multiple unreliable characters, and gives glimpses into the past to help pull the story together.

I would recommend it with the caveat to not expect a gripping-page turning thriller but one that unravels slowly with just enough to keep you wondering.

Olivia Dumont is given a second chance at being a ghost writer - the problem is she is writing for her father; someone she hasn't seen in many years. She learns her father is dying but wants to write a memoir to tell the truth about the murder of his siblings 50 years ago. Olivia comes to see that what she thought about her father may have been wrong and now she wants the truth. This was a quick five hour read for me and it kept me interested the whole time.

I really liked this book. I thought I had it figured out and then I would read something and start questioning EVERYTHING I was thinking. It kept me engaged until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

This is my third Julie Clark book. In general, her books hold the same place for me as books by Janice Hallett or Gillian McAllister - they try something a bit new, a bit different with each of their stories; they are propulsive and compulsively readable, and they have complex characters. This one was just okay for me, but I will always pick up a Julie Clark book.

In 1975, Vincent Taylor's older brother and younger sister were murdered in their home. He would go on to become a famous horror author - a la Stephen King - without ever getting an answer for the crime that helped bolster that horror reputation. Now his daughter, a memoir ghostwriter is on the outs with the publishing industry after calling out a misogynist during a panel event. Her father offers her a way back. Rather than ghostwriting his next fiction book, as she was pitched, he wants to write a memoir and share the truth of what happened 50 years ago. Can she put aside her issues and their long estrangement? Is she willing to risk what she might discover along the way?

In many ways, Clark's plotting and character building here are strong, as expected. There's a really interesting conversation here about how we sometimes as a society mythologize murder victims, as they we owe them adoration in lieu of the life they didn't get. Olivia encounters this when trying to find out what really happened - her father is sharing things about his brother Danny that she is not hearing from anyone else. But is that because her father is an unreliable narrator, or because Danny's best friend has glossed over his flaws? Related to that, there's something about the unreliableness of memories at all. We tend to see them as truth, but memories are always seen through the lens of our own experiences. It was also really interesting to read this right after reading Run for the Hills, which both center on children confronting fathers who are older and more fragile than they are remembered, and how that can be an obstacle to the catharsis those characters hope is waiting for them.

So the overall concept felt very strong. In addition to the notes above, I generally loved the ghostwriting aspect as an entry point for the storytelling and I always love complicated family dynamics. That said, I can't help but be disappointed by the ultimate reveal. I do think there is a truth to these storylines, but I don't think I've ever seen them portrayed in a way that grabbles with that reality and doesn't ultimately feel like it's just been for shock or twist value. It often just ends up feeling like lazy storytelling. That is not necessarily the case in this book, but because of past books and my personal threshhold for the topic, it severely impacted my experience here. Beyond that, there was also A LOT going on, and I didn't feel like all of the threads were necessarily satisfactorily wrapped up. That leads back to just an okay one for me.

Bonus weirdness: I happened to finally read this ARC that I've had for months within days of the 50th anniversary of the murders, which is the focus of Olivia's writing about it.

CW: dementia, parental abandonment, death, animal daeth, alcoholism, sexual assault/rape/CSA

Olivia Dumont, a successful ghostwriter, must confront the legacy of her estranged father, horror novelist Vincent Taylor, as she uncovers long-buried secrets. Clark examines how each revelation about Olivia’s past unravels another layer of her sense of self. The novel shows that the ties binding us to family can be both a source of strength and profound uncertainty.
From the opening chapters, the dual timelines grab you and refuse to let go. Clark alternates between 1975 and the present day, discovering clues through Poppy’s diary entries and Olivia’s investigations. Every new piece of evidence ratchets up the suspense, making it impossible to set the book down until the final twist. This momentum showcases Clark’s gift for crafting an irresistible, character-driven thriller.
The Ghostwriter is ultimately about the quest for truth—and the courage required to face it. Clark reminds us that family bonds, however tangled, are threads that compose the tapestry of who we become. As Olivia peels back each layer of her father’s memoir, readers are compelled to ask: what would we do to learn our own history? This gripping novel proves that sometimes the most haunting stories are the ones we inherit.

I absolutely loved this one! Part thriller part deep family drama. This kept me hooked from the very beginning. It drew you in, kept you hooked, and made you feel all the emotions. I highly recommend!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark is a brilliantly executed slow burn thriller full of secrets and twists. It centers around Olivia Dumont, a famed ghostwriter whose career is in ruins. She is actually Olivia Taylor, only child of infamous author Vincent Taylor. Vincent’s teenage brother and disaster were killed and while a killer was never found, Vincent has long been a suspect. Vincent hires Olivia to write his next book which turns out to a memoir about what actually happened d the night of the murders. What follows is a twisty story told by several unreliable narrators that explores the difference between stories we tell ourselves and the truth. The Ghostwriter is a must read for fans of slow burn mysteries, family drama, or anyone who is a fan of Clark’s previous work.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a readers copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely provided.
A female ghostwriter whose career is in jeopardy due to a lawsuit with another writer is hired (specifically requested) to ghostwrite a book for a famous horror writer. The horror writer turns out to be her estranged father.
When her father was in his teens his two siblings were murdered. Although he was cleared, many still believed he was the killer. Now, suffering from Lewes body, a form of dementia, he is telling his story of what really happened. It is up to his daughter to piece together what is real and what is not.
This story will keep you guessing. The father tells his version of events, but other people remember things quite differently. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This one was just okay for me. I liked the concept, and the mystery kept me curious, but it felt more like following clues to solve the mystery vs a truly gripping novel. Nothing really stood out until the ending — which was strong and definitely redeemed the story a bit, although it was a little convoluted and tied up a little too nicely for my taste. It’s getting rave reviews, and I can see why so many readers are into it! A solid, standard mystery that others will likely enjoy more than I did.

Solid mystery/thriller with a heavy dose of family drama.

The Ghostwriter was fast paced in all the good ways. Some portions felt a little redundant, but it wasn't entirely predictable. Including the Poppy POV chapters was such a great add. The chapters give the reader the impression they have one up on Olivia as she works through solving the mystery of the family murders and unraveling the complex relationship she has with her dad--who the town rumors to be the prime suspect.

Some of the twists were easy to pick up on from a ways off, but a couple of the key twists weren't revealed until you were right on them. Unlike several other mystery/thriller books, the twist didn't feel forced or rushed but rather a natural possibility given the circumstances.

Would recommend for anyone needing a solid mystery without the horror undertones.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

Oh Julie Clark, can you write a twisty mystery!! Fifty years ago, Vincent Taylor's brother and sister were brutally murdered in their home. Everyone thought Vincent did it, but he was never charged, nor was anyone else. Vincent is now a famous author, and hires his daughter to ghostwrite his final book, a memoir, to tell what really happened that night.

Olivia uses this as an opportunity to look into what really happened the night that her aunt and uncle were killed. She slowly pieces the story together, unraveling questions she's had about her past along the way.

There's a lot of family drama, mixed in with the slow burn of Olivia putting together the pieces of what truly happened on that night. The pacing was a little slow at times, but there were faster parts that gave us answers that made up for it. The multiple POVs added to the the plot, especially since one of the POVs was Poppy, one of the victims. We get the true story of the weeks leading up the the murder, along with that night, mixed in with Olivia's present day life.

Julie Clark is amazing at putting together a well thought out, well plotted mystery.

I'm the problem. It's me. I was really excited about the premise of this book, as well as from hearing such great reviews. However, I found the book to be a bit slow and I often found myself drifting away from it. I think that the pace was just dangerously slow. I needed more from the chapters that were based in the past. All in all, it was just a little disappointing for me and I wish that I enjoyed it as much as everyone else is!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Julie Clark for allowing me the opportunity to read the arc of this book.

I really liked this book. It was a slow burn thriller for me but by the end, I couldn’t stop reading to get to the conclusion. A few twists were easy to guess but I still enjoyed it overall.

4/5 ⭐️

This book was surprisingly good!

If you know anything about me, you know I don’t enjoy slow burns… but somehow?
This one worked perfectly.

❤️PROS:

1. Smooth prose, a well-crafted storyline, and lots of clever hints, details, and stylistic touches.

2. Multiple POVs,some set in the past, some in the present, which made the narrative layered and engaging.

3. The hunts and riddles? Loved them.
Present-day Vincent, in his semi-lucid state, added so much to the mystery. His perception made you question how reliable he really was—such a smart move.

4. The ghostwriter angle was brilliant.
She wasn’t portrayed as a genius detective, but it also wasn’t weird that she kept digging for the truth, it’s her family, after all. Everything felt believable and grounded in her role.

5. The family issues, sibling tensions, character development, and that big secret?
All of it added real depth and complexity to the characters and made the story much more layered.


👀CONS:

1. It started a little slow… but once it picked up, I was fully in.

2. The constant reminders of how awful her father was when she was younger? Got a bit repetitive.
Like, we get it. You told us—several times. No need to keep hammering it in.

✒️A smartly written, emotionally layered read with just the right mix of mystery, memory, and family drama.
Definitely recommend!👏

Thanks to @netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review