This book is a cold case thriller with a broken family dynamic. The main character is Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who is estranged from her father, who is himself a famous author who is believed to have killed his brother and sister when he was a teenager. Olivia is tasked with being the ghostwriter on her father's memoir. Using the book as her last chance to get to the bottom of the murders, Olivia must deal with old ghosts and new revelations.

I enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and had several twists and turns. I didn't want to put it down. Overall, I would it 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of this book!

I absolutely loved this book! Once I started reading it, I didn't wan to put it down. If you love a story with lots of twists, then this book is for you. Thank you #NetGalley, #JulieClark and #SourcebooksLandmark for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In 1975, siblings Danny and Poppy Taylor were brutally murdered in their family home. Though their brother, Vincent Taylor, now a bestselling horror novelist, had a verified alibi, suspicion has shadowed him for decades. In the present day, Olivia Taylor returns to her estranged father with a dual purpose: to ghostwrite his memoir and finally uncover the truth of what happened on that fateful night.

This didn’t work for me, not one bit. Dialogue was painful, mystery was lame. Not my favorite Julie Clark, but thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy.

~~ Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a complimentary e-ARC in exchange for an honest review ~~



When I received the notification that I was approved for <i>The Ghostwriter</i> I was so excited and dove right in. All the buzz the book was getting, plus it being the new novel from Julie Clark - I was so ready for the journey I was about to go on... But then the journey ended up being an extremely slow burn that just really didn't hold my attention much and I can't express how sad I was. I was ready to DEVOUR the Taylor family's story and find out what really happened to Daniel and Poppy. The description had all the makings of a great thriller, an unreliable witness/suspect, a 50-year-old murder mystery, and present-day struggles, but it just fell flat for me.



The story does keep you guessing, which was a plus. But to me, it felt like the "big reveal" at the end just wasn't the payoff I was expecting. The book just didn't hit the same as the author's previous works. I would still recommend this one and look forward to future works from Julie Clark as I am sure she will have a comeback in the works.

This novel uses a familiar ghostwriter trope, which I've noticed has been very popular with thrillers lately, to explore a broken family relationship. Olivia shows up in Ojai for a job she desperately needs. Except it turns out her father, suffering from Lewy body dementia, wants her to help him write his memoir. What's the subject? The murders of his siblings in 1975, which he has long been suspected of committing. Olivia must decide whether to tell the story HE wants, or to explore what actually might've happened and uphold her reputation for getting to the bottom of difficult tales. Peppered in between present-moment action are sections from Poppy, his sister, who died, and young Vincent, the father, to show what was actually happening in the crucible of the family. These did add texture and interest, though most of the new information came from Poppy's videos, which she was obsessively recording as the situation between her brothers reached a boiling point. Vincent's girlfriend had recently gotten an abortion, and Poppy suspected the father was her running coach. Danny, the older brother, had been making moves on Lydia, the girlfriend, too. A lot of complicated threads came together, but I was personally disappointed that the motive for the murders was a gay panic. As it turns out, the running coach had been molesting girls and boys, and Danny was a victim. He couldn't stand that Poppy had discovered his gay secret and killed her. Yes, it was the 1970s. Yes, Danny had a hyper-masculine image to uphold. Yes, the running coach ended up going to jail, which puts a nice bow on his misdeeds. But I worry that in today's social culture, the idea that Danny would murder his own sister to keep any "gay" rumors from circulating (a big part of his motivation) goes back to an earlier conflict of being perceived as gay being so terrible that someone would resort to murder. For the purposes of the story, it all tracks, though Olivia's decision to go talk to her mom, who gives her the perfect evidence, after forty years of estrangement, seems to come on very suddenly. But the "gay scandal" at the heart of it gave me pause.

This is a new author for me and I absolutely loved this book. I loved the connection between Olivia and Vincent and that no one knew who they really were to each other as she started this job writing his memoir. I liked the way that the backstory was built in between the chapters, and I was guessing until the end as to what really had taken place.

Thanks so much for the gifted arc!

Horror author Vincent Taylor has been suspected of the murders of his brother and sister for 50 years. Now suffering from Lewy body dementia, he secretly hires his estranged daughter Olivia to ghostwrite his memoir. But as she tries to transcribe his ramblings, she uncovers more secrets than answers.

Alternating chapters from 1975 and the present keep you guessing till the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Calling all fans of twisty crime/thrillers/mysteries. You are going to devour this book.

The ghostwriter in the story is actually daughter, Olivia, who has been estranged from her father, Vincent, for many years. Vincent has reached the status of an esteemed horror writer who is now slowly dying from aggressive Lewy Body Dementia disease. He thinks it's time to write his memoir, but he needs assistance to make sense of his notes. He has his publishing company reach out to his daughter who is a rising ghostwriter in her own right. Olivia only accepts the offer because she herself is in financial distress over a lawsuit with a male writer.

The plot gets juicy because in 1975, Vincent became an only child after his two teenage siblings, younger sister, Poppy, and older brother, Danny, were slain in their very own house the night of the summer carnival in their home town in California. The killer was never found, but many, many people pointed the finger at Vincent even though he was never indicted for the murders.

Things I loved about this book - the dual timeline of 1975 and present day; the dynamic secondary characters; the nostalgic references to the past setting around Ventura, CA; the twists and twists and twists.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for this enthralling ARC. Crime fans, grab this one that came out June 3rd.

This is a wonderfully engaging slow-burn thriller. It is told through dual timelines and POV's , with Vincent and his late sister in 1975 and Olivia in the present day. This format allows readers to slowly uncover the clues and piece things together along with Olivia. The twists were well done and keep the reader guessing. I don't recall reading any books by Clark in the past, but I look forward to future books.

Book Review: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Rating: 4 Stars

I recently finished The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, and it was a captivating read that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story begins in 1975 with the devastating tragedy of the Taylor family—two teenage siblings found dead under mysterious circumstances, leaving the only surviving sibling, Vincent, to bear the weight of suspicion for decades. Vincent grows into a successful horror writer, but the dark rumors surrounding that night never fade.

Enter Olivia Dumont, Vincent’s daughter and a ghostwriter grappling with her own financial struggles. When she’s offered the chance to ghostwrite her father’s final book, she thinks it’s just another novel. However, Vincent has other plans—he wants to finally reveal the truth behind that fateful night after fifty years of silence.

What I really enjoyed about this novel was how well-paced and tightly plotted it was. Julie Clark’s writing style is engaging without being overly complicated, making it an easy and enjoyable read. The characters felt real and multi-dimensional, especially Olivia and Vincent, whose complicated family dynamics added depth to the story.

And I can’t go without mentioning the book’s cover—it’s absolutely stunning and definitely caught my eye before I even started reading. All in all, The Ghostwriter was a solid read that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys suspenseful family dramas with a hint of mystery. I’m giving it four stars because while it was excellent and very entertaining, a couple of plot points could have been explored a bit more deeply. Still, a highly satisfying thriller!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

4-Star Review: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

What it’s about:
When Olivia Dumont is hired to ghostwrite a book for her estranged father, horror novelist Vincent Taylor, she thinks it’s just another job—until she learns he doesn’t want fiction. For the first time, he’s ready to reveal the truth about the night his teenage siblings were murdered in 1975. Long suspected but never charged, Vincent has spent decades in the shadow of that tragedy—building a career on horror while haunted by real-life horror of his own.

My thoughts:
Told in a dual timeline, this is a character-driven thriller with a strong emotional core. The dynamic between Olivia and her infamous father is tense and layered, and I liked how the story explored guilt and the murky line between truth and narrative.

That said, I did find the plot somewhat predictable, and a few twists landed softly. I also found the final chapter a bit underwhelming and had hoped it would land with more impact. Still, I appreciated the steady unraveling of the past and the way the story built momentum toward the end. It’s definitely less about shock value and more about reckoning.

Fans of stories about complicated legacies and long-buried secrets will find this one compelling.

Julie Clark did it again! Her third thriller was so well written. It gripped me from the first page and did not let go until the last! I loved this idea of a ghostwriter going back to finish her father’s memoir. Such a unique premise and so well done! Such a ride from start to finish and it definitely had an ending I was not expecting!

I'm on a huge thriller kick, apparently, and this one from Julie Clark definitely doesn't disappoint. Our main character is Poppy, a ghostwriter who is unexpectedly reunited with her father, a famous novelist with a tragic past from whom she is estranged. Together, they begin slowly unraveling the mystery of the brutal murder that took place in the Ojai Valley when Poppy's father was a teenager - a murder many believed that he was responsible for. Dark, twisty, and atmospheric.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'm not sure how but this was my first Julie Clark novel.

I felt it was a slow start but did pick up for me in the second half. I love some good family secrets and this didn't miss the mark with family secrets.

An emotional story of a dysfunctional family along with a well done, intriguing murder mystery. Told in the past and present in a multigenerational format. Kind of slow going at times but gives the reader a chance to get to know the characters and have secrets slowly revealed. A good thriller, highly recommended.

This is my first Clark read, and I loved it! I loved the unique premises of having a daughter who needs work to accept an offer to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir. Their reconnection at his reclusive estate was taught, and as she begins to dig into his past via interviews, journals, and local snooping, Clark used flashbacks in a perfect way to build the narrative. If you like atmospheric reads with unreliable protagonists, unsolved crimes, and twists and turns, this new release is absolutely one for your summer reading.

As soon as I saw the cover and read the synopsis, I knew I had to read The Ghostwriter immediately. Page turner status right here!

Quick confession: this is actually my first Julie Clark novel. I’ve heard great things about The Lies I Tell and The Last Flight, but just haven’t picked them up yet. If they're anything like this one, I’m in for a real treat.

From the very beginning, I was hooked. I had to keep reading to find out what really happened. The story unfolds in dual timelines — past and present, which kept me fully engaged and added a compelling layer of suspense. I love thrillers that peel back layers this way.
The premise grabbed me right away: two out of three siblings murdered decades ago, and the truth about that night still murky.

Add in a “found footage” element, and the mystery deepens in the best possible way.

Vincent’s diagnosis also added an extra layer of uncertainty. As an unreliable witness, his perspective made me question everything I thought I knew.

I devoured this book and absolutely recommend it—not just to thriller fans, but also to anyone looking to break out of a reading slump.

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book! It's been a long time since a mystery delivered for me, and this one definitely did.

I was NOT expecting this to be as good as it was. Oh my goodness! The Ghostwriter was my first Julie Clark book, but it certainly won't be my last. I was simply unable to stop reading this book until I discovered what really happened all those years ago. The pacing was perfect. It kept me guessing the entire time. Obsessed. 5 stars. Loved.

The Ghostwriter is a tangled knot of unreliable memories, lies, and family drama. I loved trying to untangle the mystery of what happened 50 years ago and seemed to change my theory every few chapters. The only reason this book is a 4.5 star instead of a 5 star is because I struggled to warm up to Olivia. I couldn't understand her motives and actions, and that was a problem for me since she's the main character.

Overall, I loved the jumps between past and present, the multiple POVs, and the ending that required me to reread it several times. The final chapter was such a perfect way to end the story. I absolutely love the new direction Julie Clark took for this book!