I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this novel. I connected with Olivia right away, and wanted to see her happy. However, at times this novel seemed too long and repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Ghostwriter. I am so happy to discover novelist Julie Clark. This is my first time reading one of her novels, although I have some of her books on my "to read" list.

Estranged from her father for twenty years, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont is reluctantly hired to write a memoir for her father, a successful horror novelist who may or may not have murdered his siblings 5o years ago. The story is told in a dual timeline - in the present as Olivia tries to piece together the family history and back in 1975 when the crime took place. We get multiple points of view with chapters narrated by Vince, the father, and Poppy, his sister. which give clues to what may have happened and serve to propel the story forward. There are lots of family secrets in the past and also secrets that Olivia is keeping from her partner. A solid 5 stars!

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, embattled and in desperate need of a job, receives a lucrative offer from horror writer Vincent Taylor. In addition to being a suspect in the murder of his siblings in 1975, Taylor is also Dumont's estranged father. I very much enjoyed Julie Clark's previous books and was very excited to read an ARC of this one and it did not disappoint! It's a twisty, propulsive mystery with a heart and I literally could not put it down-- I read it in the course of a single day. The Ghostwriter will be published on June 3 and I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list.

this started off strong, then really dragged in the middle, the big reveal was predictable and I am kinda bummed overall since I was really excited for this new release, did have great feminist vibes

Deep family secrets, long buried, come to life as Julia ghostwrites her estranged father’s last memoir. As her father’s memory fades, Julia never knows what is real and what is imagine.

This book was a fast, dark and wild ride for the reader. Twists and turns. Past and present. Multiple points of view with excellent character development. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this one! The characters and the complexity- it was really beautifully done. I highly recommend adding this one to your Summer reading list!

Thank you NETGALLEY for the ARC- Julie Clark is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors.

I very much enjoyed Julie Clark’s previous books. She has a way of keeping you hooked and questioning everything. This story about a ghostwriter helping her father tell the story of his murdered siblings in the 1970s had me frustrated at times with the slowness and the decisions made by everyone. This was a trauma train wreck but I kept reading. Three stars for the story but five stars for the cover. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Another Julie Clark, another expertly woven 5 star read. The pacing never let up, the plot was so unique with the “ghostwriting” element where we find out alongside the narrator and try to piece together the “treasure hunt” of clue her father is leaving. With the epitome of unreliable narrator through her father’s dementia and memories, this is the perfect plot device to have us slowly put the store together of what really happened on the fateful June 13th.

Would you take a job ghostwriting a memoir about your own father? What if you had been estranged for many years? What if your writing career had spectacularly imploded and this was the only job you could get?
Olivia Dumont says yes and heads to her childhood home. Her father Vincent is extremely ill, and this might be her only chance to find out the truth about his early life and the murders of his two siblings.
The story is told in the present and in the past. In 1975, Vincent came home and found his siblings dead. No one has ever been arrested, and even though Vincent had an alibi, many people believe that he killed them. Olivia has complicated feelings about her father, but she never believed he was a killer. Now, as she asks him probing questions, she isn’t so sure.
I made multiple guesses regarding who killed Poppy and Danny. I managed to guess part of the truth, but there were definitely more than a few surprises. A really enjoyable treadmill read. I have to say that Poppy was my favorite character. Which really made the fact that she was dead, all the more heartbreaking.

I've been a Julie Clark fan for years, but I think this is her best yet! I have no doubt this will be a breakout novel for her. This was a compulsive and captivating read--once I started, I could not put it down! I will be telling everyone I know to read this--and her backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. I am such a fan of Julie Clark’s work because there’s always a twist that feels of the moment. I liked the setting of this novel and found it to be a page turner.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark tells the story of Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter who is estranged from her father Vincent Taylor a well known horror author. Olivia agrees to be the ghostwriter for her father who is writing a memoir. Her father is under suspicion for murdering his brother and sister when he was a teenager.

Wow! What a story! Told through Olivia’s POV with flashbacks to the 1970s when the murders took place. The story kept me reading because the author has you trying to figure out who did it but only gives bits and pieces of information.

Highly recommend this story and author. I have read her other books and they are just as good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for this ARC book.

This was very good book. I believe many people who have childhood trauma would benefit from reading this book ! a little hard in beginning but really grabs the heart strings. Enjoy Life isn't always pretty!

📚 The Ghostwriter
✍ Julie Clark
📖 Mystery/Thriller
⭐4.25/5

🙏Thank you to Sourcebook Landmark, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of The Ghostwriter. All opinions are my own.

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🎯 What I loved: This was dark, twisty and, for lack of a better word, thrilling. The story was told via a narrative in the present about a daughter ghostwriting a novel for her estranged (and potentially killer) father and a collective account of the months leading up to the gruesome murder of her father's siblings in 1975. Though the conclusion of this book was darker than I anticipated, I felt like the clues came together in a really satisfying way and I was on the edge of my seat trying to put things together. Toward the end, I felt like there was one missing piece of the puzzle/character that hadn't been addressed but, of course, that was the final twist in the story. This was a wild ride but it was plotted well and the treasure hunting tradition was a really clever addition to the story. Definitely recommend!
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Read if you love:
*multiple POVs and dual timeline
*revisiting unsolved crimes from the past
*complicated family dynamics
*writer main characters
*subtle women's rights themes
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See also: A Flicker in the Dark, No One Can Know, Daughter of Mine

I don’t know why, but this is my first Julie Clark novel. The Ghostwriter was an incredibly well done thriller. It’s more of a slow burn before it becomes a fast pace. This was a fascinating family trauma that tore so many lives apart. The main character is struggling and accepts a job she normally would never. It’s for her infamous father and she has talked to him for years.
Complex family dynamic and so many secrets are revealed. Can she save her career and her family or will it all come crashing down? I loved this journey and I will be reading more of Clark’s books. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. This will be a big summer book and you should definitely pre order it ASAP!

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter is a riveting blend of psychological suspense and family drama that explores the intersection of memory, trauma, and long-buried secrets. The novel centers on Olivia Dumont, a skilled ghostwriter who reluctantly accepts a job to pen her estranged father Vincent Taylor’s final book. Vincent, a celebrated author, has lived under the shadow of suspicion for decades after his siblings, Danny and Poppy, were brutally murdered in 1975. Now battling Lewy body dementia, Vincent claims he is ready to reveal the truth about that fateful night—but Olivia must navigate his unreliable recollections and her own conflicted emotions to uncover what really happened.

Clark expertly weaves dual timelines, alternating between Olivia’s present-day investigation and the events of 1975 told through Vincent’s and Poppy’s perspectives. This structure creates layers of misdirection and tension, keeping readers guessing about the true culprit behind the murders. The novel delves deeply into themes of family trauma, memory distortion, and the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the past. Vincent’s deteriorating mental state adds complexity to the narrative, as Olivia struggles to discern fact from fiction in his chaotic notes and conflicting accounts.

The writing is immersive, with Clark painting vivid portraits of both the idyllic yet oppressive small-town setting of Ojai in the 1970s and Olivia’s contemporary struggles with financial ruin and familial estrangement. The characters are richly developed, particularly Olivia, whose journey from avoidance to confrontation is both poignant and relatable. Vincent himself is a fascinating figure—a talented storyteller whose charm is tempered by his flaws and haunting secrets.

While The Ghostwriter has been praised for its emotional depth and intricate plotting, some readers found the pacing uneven, particularly in the middle sections. Additionally, Olivia’s decisions at times feel perplexing, though they ultimately serve to highlight her internal conflict. Despite these minor drawbacks, the novel delivers a satisfying conclusion that balances ambiguity with resolution.

Overall, The Ghostwriter is a compelling and thought-provoking mystery that combines psychological tension with an emotional exploration of family relationships. Julie Clark masterfully examines how time can distort our perceptions of truth while crafting a story filled with twists that will keep readers hooked until the final page. Fans of slow-burn thrillers with rich character development will find this novel deeply rewarding.

Okay, The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark? Total mind trip. This book had me flipping pages like I was solving my own scavenger hunt.

We’ve got a famous horror writer (Vincent Taylor) with a dark past—his siblings were murdered back in 1975, and everyone kinda thinks he did it. Fast-forward a few decades, and his estranged daughter, Olivia, who happens to be a ghostwriter, gets roped into writing his final book. But here’s the kicker: it’s not a novel—Vincent is finally ready to spill the truth about what happened that night. Or at least, his version of it.

The story unfolds like a puzzle, dropping clues and flashbacks that make you question everything. The scavenger hunt dynamic between Olivia and her dad is brilliant—the whole book feels like a game, leading to an ending that is so satisfying. And honestly? The way this book plays with the idea of truth is genius.

"Truth isn’t a fact—it’s the story we choose to believe."

That line sums it up. If you love thrillers with complex family drama, mystery, and a plot that keeps you guessing, The Ghostwriter is a must-read.


Great reminder that our personal perspective will always skew facts as we create our truths.

Olivia, a renowned ghostwriter for her celebrated father, Vincent, a celebrated horror author, discovers that her latest assignment is not merely a fictional narrative. Instead, it delves into a haunting account of a tragic event from her family’s past that has remained concealed for decades.
While the narrative may experience some pacing issues in certain sections, it possesses the potential to evoke a sense of unease and suspense in certain readers. The conclusion is particularly intriguing.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

This is a nice, evenly paced, quiet thriller. There are no great, unbelievable, or even startling revelations. As the story unfolds, everything falls into place and makes sense. The resolution is satisfying and wraps up in a way that doesn't frustrate the reader with unanswered questions.

There may have been a better way to fill in the blank spots than a retrospective first-person narrative from a dead girl, but that is a very minor criticism, and it didn't really bother me.

I'm grateful to Netgalley for suggesting this book. I was unfamiliar with the author and have discovered a wealth of back catalog to dive into.

The Ghostwriter is a delightful “slow-burn page turner”. It is murder mystery, family drama and psychological suspense rolled into a very deftly wrapped package. I absolutely devoured this book.

I enjoyed the setting — Ojai, California (which I visited about 20 years ago), as well as the book's time-flips back into the 70’s — a decade I remember well!

I’ve read the other books by Julie Clark. While I also enjoyed them, I feel that with The Ghostwriter, she has really honed her skills at crafting suspense novels.