Clark did such a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the 70s. I was immediately pulled into this different time and really enjoyed the multiple POVS that slowly unraveled the story. The unreliability of Vince's stories had me questioning everything and I couldn't put it down. The twists were great and I was honestly shocked by how everything transpired in the end. I will definitely be recommending this one. The Ghostwriter was my first Julie Clark book but, immediately after finishing it, I downloaded her others.

Julie Clark's newest novel, The Ghostwriter, is a slow burn mystery with a shocking twist at the end. This is the third book I've read by this author. At this point her books have become must-reads for me.

Olivia Dumont has spent most of her adult life hiding the fact that her father is Vincent Taylor. Although a successful author, Vincent has lived under a shadow of suspicion since the brutal 1975 murder of his two siblings. Now he is dying and is ready to tell the truth about what happened that day. The catch - he wants Olivia, also a writer, to ghostwrite his memoir.

This book is so much more than just a mystery. Alternating between present day and 1975, it mines the kind of family drama and secrets that culminate in the climactic ending I couldn't guess no matter how I tried. I loved every minute of it - highly recommend.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Because I love twisty mysteries about writers, I was eager to read this one and I was not disappointed.

Ghostwriter Olivia is in a deep economic downturn after speaking her mind publicly about a mysoginistic writer and the pitfalls of being a woman ghostwriter in a male-dominated genre. When she is contacted by her agent with a new gig, Olivia is excited until she learns who it's for: her estranged father. But desperate to save her house and career, Olivia agrees to spend a few weeks in Oaji, California, revising her famous wirter/infamous murder suspect father's already-drafted notes into his memoir. However, when she arrives, she discovers her father is ill and is losing his memory, plus his notes are full of just snippets, which she deems as lies. Deciding to look into the real story of why her father was accused of killing his sister and brother in 1975, Olivia begins piecing together information from newspapers, an old diary, interviews, talks with her father, and other found sources. As the story twists and turns, lending credence to one version, then another and another, it offers up a handful of suspects and explanations in a nice, smooth fashion, then pulls the rug out from under each one.; as soon as I was sure I knew who and why and what had really happened, I was proven wrong again and again. A couple of secondary stories also fill in some cracks to support themes of family, shame, trust, secrets, and more, helping to round out the story. This was a fun, well-written read that kept me guessing til the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review Ghostwriter by Julie Clark.

Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has been estranged from her famous father for most of her life. Her father was suspected of brutally killing his siblings, and Olivia has spent years distancing herself from him while building her own name in publishing. When she’s asked to ghostwrite his upcoming novel she reluctantly agrees, leading her to confront her father’s past and their complicated relationship.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the subtle theme that permeated throughout the novel of the double standards between men and women, particularly in publishing. Clark captures what it’s like to be a woman in the industry, where so much more is required to earn the same respect as male colleagues. One misstep for a woman can destroy her career, while men seem to bounce back from even bigger mistakes. This theme added depth to the story and made it feel especially relevant.

The depiction of the estranged father-daughter relationship felt raw and authentic. The story does a good job of showing the lingering effects of generational trauma and how those dynamics shape identity. That said, I struggled with Olivia as a main character. She often got in her own way, wasn’t great at communicating, and came across as whiny at times about her childhood. While she clearly understood the challenges women face, she lacked self-awareness. She is a complicated, sympathetic and also somewhat frustrating character. However, a side character was a standout—empowering, fun, and someone I would’ve loved as a friend growing up.

The Lies I Tell is still my favorite Julie Clark book, but Ghostwriter is great and is worth a read.

Twisty and turny all the way up to the end. One of the most important characteristics of a thriller is that I can’t figure out or guess the e ending until it happens. While I had inklings, the plot kept twisting just enough to keep me guessing. I really liked the build up and couldn’t wait to figure out the big reveal.

Thank you to #netgalley and #JulieClark for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a little too slow. I found myself drifting off at times. The premise was intriguing, so I kept reading.

Julie Clark at her absolute best! The master at suspense, this book had me guessing until the very end. What I loved was that there was constant surprises that kept me turning the pages faster and faster, but their was none of the anxiety that comes with some thrillers. This one just kept leaving me wanting more and more. New favorite author!
-This review was collected as part of a netgalley promotion

This is my first book by this author and I must say it actually sucked me in. I love mystery and thriller so I was very excited to get into this.
Here we have our FMC Olivia Dumont who was hired to ghostwrite her estranged father’s memoir, when she started there were lots of dark mysteries that she comes across. Which involves a crime that that in the 70s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC. My review is my own.

the Taylor family is never the same after two siblings are found dead in their home. after 50 years of silence the only surviving son Vincent hires a ghost writer to tell his story of that night.

Mysterious and twisty. I was hooked from the very first page and couldn't put it down until the the very last page. The plot will just grab you by the throat and have you needing to flip pages until you get there are no more pages to flip! You'll think you have the mystery figures out...think again!

Unfortunately, I was not able to get into this book. I read the first 18% and decided to set it down. I hope others enjoy it!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After loving Julie Clark's other books, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Ghostwriter. I'm pleased to report that Clark again hit the mark and I loved the Ghostwriter. I loved the family dynamic between father and daughter and the exploration of their past. It was well paced, which kept me guessing until the very end.

Amazing. Julie Clark never fails me. She's one of those authors who I'll always, and I mean always, support her books. The mystery was intriguing from beginning to end, the pacing was fast and entertaining and the twists here and there were to die for. Perfect.

This is the third Julie Clark book I have read. It is cleverly written with two connected timelines. The ghostwriter uncovers family secrets while writing her father's memoir. I felt like I was reading an account of investigative journalism rather than a mystery/thriller. It was the back story, in Poppy's words, that kept me turning pages.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. Although this was not my favorite Julie Clark book, I still look forward to reading her next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC of The Ghostwriter in exchange for an honest review.

The NetGalley description of this book is nearly perfect—short, sweet, and completely accurate—so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.

The Ghostwriter does a great job exploring the intersection of family trauma, secrets, memory, and how (to quote Ms. Clark herself) “the stories we tell ourselves are partly true and partly myth that we’ve created as a way to make sense of the world.” It alternates between the events in the present from Olivia’s perspective and the events of Spring of 1975, which are told sometimes from Vincent’s perspective and other times from Poppy’s. The shifting timelines and perspectives allow for a good amount of misdirection. I mean, I probably guessed 8 different people as the killer throughout the story. The revelations at the end of what actually happened walked an almost impossible line of being open to interpretation and yet still very satisfying.

The Ghostwriter is good. Really good. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Highly recommended.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy of Julie Clark's latest #mysterythriller, The Ghostwriter, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheGhostwriter is a slow burn, mystery-thriller that showcases the ripple effect a shared family trauma can wreak on generations thereafter. Set between alternating timelines of the present and 1970s past in Ojai, California, the story focuses on the dysfunctional Taylor family and the events leading up to, during, and after the murder of two out of three of the Taylor siblings; as recounted by the daughter of the surviving sibling when she is hired as a ghostwriter to pen his memoir.

Eponymous protagonist, Olivia Dumont, is a ghostwriter whose career and bank account both nosedive after making some scathing (albeit true), public remarks about a prominent author. Unemployed and on the verge of losing her house, Olivia has no choice, but to accept a ghostwriting job for a famous horror writer who, unbeknownst to her agent and publishing team, happens to be her estranged father, Vincent Taylor.

Olivia arrives at her childhood home only to discover her father has Lewy Body Disease and is dying. Although the two have not spoken in years, the news comes as no surprise to Olivia who had suspected as much when he asked to hire her specifically for the project. What does surprise Olivia, however, is that the project is not for a horror novel, but rather a memoir about the night his siblings were murdered as teens in 1975.

Saddled with a pressing deadline, contractual restraints, deceased witnesses, a fifty-year lapse, and a main subject who is afflicted with a fatal memory-eroding disease, Olivia is on a race against time to complete the novel or else lose her house, flailing career, and last chance to uncover who murdered her deceased aunt and uncle. Though Olivia wavers on whether she wants the whole truth to the latter.

The story is primarily narrated by Olivia, with snippets of the past intertwined from the perspectives of her father and Aunt Poppy. The competing timelines are well-executed and seamlessly blend together, providing readers with a satisfying conclusion. Well, almost. Not a huge fan of the new trend to include podcast mentions in virtually every popular fiction novel, but it was at least done tastefully in this instance.

While I docked a star for predictability, a few tertiary characters, and the jump-scare Zoom meetings (kidding about this final reason), Julie Clark knocked it out of the park overall. Other authors should take note on her methods of deftly incorporating crucial political issues without bashing the reader over the head with their views. Highly recommend for those who enjoy multi-character POVs, intriguing plots, and a fun twist where the audience knows more than the characters by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a mystery this much. Julie Clark does a great job of balancing a slow burn with enough reveal to keep you reeled in. Just when you think you've figured out the answer there's just enough of a twist to make you second guess yourself.

I also appreciate the author's deeper exploration of character development to help us understand motivation. There is definitely a lot going on, with just enough red herrings thrown, not to mention several unreliable narrators, that kept me engaged until the very last page.

I enjoyed this book very much and am now interested in what else this author has written. Definitely recommend.

THE GHOSTWRITER by Julie Clark - 4.5
Vincent, the only surviving sibling of a horrendous night of his brother and sister being found dead in their home, was always thought of killing his sister and brother. Vincent becomes a legend of his own as he becomes a famous horror writer. Olivia, Vincent’s estranged ghostwriter daughter, who is having problems of her own years late,r is asked by Vincent, to ghostwrite his last book but finds out it is his memoir. Being a very substantial amount of money to perform this task, she has no choice but to accept since she has her own problems including being almost financially ruined. Now she finds out about the past.
This is one story you will not be able to put down., It is full of many questions, did he kill them; if not, who did? Why? Julie Clark is a new author to me and I will certainly be looking for more of her books. This one kept me on my toes and I did not want to miss a word. You will enjoy it too.

Loved the latest from Clark! And this cover is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for the early read!

Julie Clark’s The Ghostwriter grabs your attention with a wholly believable and sympathetic main character. Olivia’s a successful ghostwriter, content with writing autobiographies of the rich and famous: her recompense is money, not recognition, and she’s satisfied with her choice. She’s out of work and seriously strapped for cash after loosing a lawsuit brought by another ghostwriter. Olivia receives a mysterious and financially attractive ghostwriting offer, which brings her back into the childhood that she’d purposively left behind: back to her estranged father, back to the unhappy memories of her childhood classmates, and, most of all, back to the mysteries of her murdered aunt and uncle.

Clark writes with seeming ease. The Ghostwriter zips along without many hitches along the way to its conclusion. It’s an highly engaging novel, with a surprising and not wholly satisfying conclusion.

Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and to SourceBooks Landmark for providing an advanced reader’s copy.