Wow, this book really messed with my head. A great twisty read and one, as a writer myself, I could identify with. Cara is suffering from writer’s block and really needs a good idea for her 30th book which her editor and agent are both waiting eagerly for. Then an anonymous letter is put through her letter box and Cara’s world is turned upside down. Slowly she loses her grip on reality with her fictional world merging with her actual one. I didn’t see that ending coming. Riveting.

Another great read from Valerie Keogh . Does keep you guessing till the end look forward to the next book .

“The Writer” is a thriller by Valerie Keogh. My one problem with this book was the pacing - it started slowly and it remained slow. While I understood what Ms. Keogh was trying to do (blurring the lines between reality and fantasy) it just didn’t always read well on the page for me. This was an interesting idea, but for me, it wasn’t this author’s best work. It could just be me -so take this review with a grain of salt. Others have enjoyed it more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Writer by Valerie Keogh due to be published July 15, 2025.

Cara Jenkins is a successful author about to embark on her thirtieth novel. Will she finish it before her apparent “stalker” gets her?

This was a confusing book at first. Cara starts out trying to complete her thirtieth novel under terrible pressure – from her husband, her publisher, her friends, and herself. Someone from her past begins stalking her, she is not sure about something her husband did before they were married was legit or not, and she is also receiving threatening letters through her mail slot so she just starts randomly writing her novel. Her novel starts to intertwine with her real life and her paranoia about several things.

The story alternated between chapters titled “His” and “Her” – Cara and her stalker. It did have a satisfying ending that tied the story together and ended the confusion. Was the stalker and the person sending the threatening letters the same person? You will have to read and discover for yourself!

#NetGalley #ValerieKeogh #The Writer #BoldwoodBooks

What a rollercoaster! A really unique read that is perfect for the author's thirtieth book. Full of suspense and shocking twists and turns. You will find yourself questioning what is real. Brilliant!

The Writer by Valerie Keogh is a slow-burning psychological thriller that delves into the mind of a novelist on the edge. Cara Jenkins, a bestselling author, is facing the ultimate creative crisis as she attempts to start her thirtieth book. Struck with writer’s block and mounting pressure from deadlines, she begins to unravel—both personally and professionally.

What starts as harmless, anonymous letters quickly escalates into a chilling psychological game. Cara’s sense of safety slips as the messages turn darker and more invasive. Her husband, Artie, dismisses her concerns, but Cara is haunted by a past she has never fully confronted. The lines between fiction and reality begin to blur, and the reader is left questioning how much of what unfolds is real and how much stems from a mind spiraling into paranoia.

Keogh masterfully creates an atmosphere of unease, exploring the fragile balance between creativity and madness. The pacing is steady, the tension builds gradually, and the final chapters deliver a satisfying conclusion that leaves you reflecting on the cost of obsession and the unreliability of perception.

With relatable themes for readers and writers alike, The Writer is a suspenseful and thought-provoking novel that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers with a literary twist.

We are introduced to Cara, a successful thriller author on the verge of starting a new book. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem for her—stories flow from her fingers like water from a tap. Only this time, the tap seems completely shut off and not a single drop comes out...

Then those terrible letters start arriving, but all in all, they seem to be a blessing in disguise. They become the tool that gets the creative tap running again.

At the beginning, I was completely on board with the story. I understood Cara’s desire to find out who the letter writer was, and the way she went about it put a smile on my face. I could picture it so vividly. :) She draws several conclusions, but are they the right ones?

The issue I had started later in the book. Cara struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality—and I totally believed that. I had the same struggle, and that made it confusing for me, but not in a way I like. I prefer things to be clear, and I didn’t get that here. I have to honestly admit that I still don’t really know what actually happened—but that could be entirely on me.

Personally, I felt that “he” took something way too seriously—something that happened many years ago and that I found rather trivial. But this shows that you never know how someone will react to something, and that you should always be careful.

I thought the idea behind the story was very good, but apparently my brain just doesn’t digest this kind of story very well. 3.5 stars.

A thriller, so eerie.
This time her deadline has never felt so deadly.
Author Cara Jenkins is running out of ideas, is this the end of her story?
Letters start coming and her husband Artie call them a stupid prank.
But seriously the paranoia strikes.
Someone wants to finish her.
Someone is watching.
Someone wants her story to end. Someone is stalking.
Someone wants payback.
It's been twenty fives years,
For the last ten she has been a successful writer with her thirtieth psychological thriller book,with glaring blank pages waiting to be filled.
Oh my this is so different from this author.
Mind-blowing gripping unputdownable.
Right through to THE END.
Loved it.

Cara Jenkins is an author, she is involved in writing her thirtieth novel much to the excitement of her publishing team, who are planning on a special promotion for the book. However, Cara has a problem, her writing has come to a standstill, no plot, no characters and no ideas. Her team are putting Cara under lots of pressure to get the book finished. Her husband Artie is sympathetic, but unable to help. Cara struggles each day to put words on paper, but nothing is happening for her. Then she receives an anonymous letter. Artie tells her to ignore it as a silly prank, but Cara feels the letter has to have a meaning, if she can just discover what the meaning is.
In an attempt to sort her thoughts out, Cara writes down the message, and as more letters arrive, what she knows about them, or guesses, and suddenly, a book is started, As Cara tries to determine the meaning of the letters, the plot of the book and what is reality starts to blur. Family and friends become suspects, and when Cara is physically attacked one day, she becomes very afraid of what will happen next.
I really enjoyed this book, but then Valerie Keogh never disappoints. The plot twists and turns, and like Cara herself, I was never absolutely sure of what was Cara's reality or her writing work. I did not see the ending coming in this roller coaster read. Highly recommended. Thank you for the advance copy.

Cara has so much going on in her real life and yet cannot come up for an idear for her latest book.
Great drama with some very unlikeable characters.
Always a good read from this talented author.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Cara Jenkins is a successful author about to embark on her thirtieth novel. But as she sits at her desk to write, she realizes that she has no ideas left. And as the pressure mounts for her to deliver, she begins to fear that her career is over. Then the letters start. At first, they seem harmless. But as the messages grow darker, Cara becomes convinced that someone is watching her, waiting for their moment to strike! Great read! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! It had great suspense, mystery, murder, intriguing, and a few chilling twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sharing this book with me!

I always enjoy reading this author's books so was quite looking forward to this one , it started as a slow burner and while the book was gripping, the pace stayed the same, Cara the main character is an author who towards the middle of the story is finding it difficult to tell what's fictional and what's her real life and there were a few moments when I had the same feeling.

Cara is under pressure to deliver her 30th novel but she is suffering from writer's block. When anonymous letters start to arrive, she decides to base her novel on the events happening in her life. Soon fact and fiction become blurred and the plot twists and turns to a shocking ending.
A great read for fans of psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, another suspenseful, fast-paced and impossible to put down book by Valerie Keogh. I love this authors writing style and she never writes a bad book each one just keeps on getting better! I was hooked from the first line!

I devoured this in a day as I raced through the pages dying to know what would happen next. It was fast- paced with many twists and turns throughout that kept me enthralled.

I’d highly recommend this book you definitely won’t regret reading it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love a Valerie Keogh book, and this one was no exception! A proper good, 'mess with your mind' psychological thriller. The characters were depicted so perfectly. I really liked the chapters dedicated to the background for 'him'. It was perfect to understand his motivation, thoughts and feelings. I think without this, the motive would have seemed a bit far fetched but you really got a really good understanding of the character and how he had got to where it was. Similarly, the evolution of Cara slowly going insane was portrayed really well, you could really see her brain working on overdrive and getting lost on fact and fiction.

There were so many twists and turns at the end it was like watching a tennis match! You didn't know who or what to believe! Highly recommend this one to all those psychological thriller fans out there, a great read!

When Cara Jenkins, a writer, stars receiving anonymous threating letters, her husband Artie her dismisses her fears. It's probably a prank, he says. Her best friend Trinny worries about her but, what can she do? Cara's life soon starts to unravel and she loses her grip on reality... who's behing the letters and how do they know about Cara's big secret??

This was SO GOOD, absolutely unputdownable! The twist was SHOCKING! I gasped out loud. I highly recommend this book!

Another fantastic psychological thriller by Valerie. Had me gripped. Loved the plot and the ending was unexpected.

Not much is better than the mind blowing suspense of
anything written by this Author. I’m still wrapped up in
the final acts, while reviewing the entire scenario and
it’s so well crafted~just enough information and tidbits
are added leaving the reader to have to stop and breathe
as we try to think:What could possibly happen NOW!?!
Well, since no one told me, I’m not going to tell you, but
it’s SPECTACULAR !
My thanks to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for the
download copy,of,the book for review purposes.

I really enjoy Valerie Keogh's books. There are many twists and often surprise endings. This was no exception.
However, Cara Jenkins, the author, found it difficult to separate real life and fiction - I had the same problem at times.
I found Cara to be gullible, and far too trusting.
The "Him" in the book, held a grudge and blamed Cara for an awful long time, for 'ruining his life'. I personally found that was a bit weird.

A quick and entertaining read.

I just finished an engaging read. The Writer by Valerie Keogh kept me turning the pages until the very last one!