The Photographer
A Novel
by Mary Dixie Carter
St. Martin's Press
You Like Them
Minotaur Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 25 May 2021 | Archive Date 08 Jun 2021

This debut author caught my attention right away! Enthralling story and plot. I could not put it down.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

4 star

I gave up about 20% in. It felt too predictable and too similar to other story lines. I also didn't care for the SUPER detail-oriented writing style. It may have been because of the backgrounds of the main characters (architects and photographer), but it was not for me.

I really enjoyed reading this book. All of the facets--the characters, the plot and the unexpected ending. All the way through, I thought I had it figured out. Nope! I would recommend this book to anyone, and I would like to read more novels from this author. I really like her style of writing.

The Photographer tells the story of Delta Dawn, a photographer for New York's 1%, and how she becomes "close" with the Straub family. I will not say more for fear of spoiling it.

This book definitely had creep factor. It was interesting seeing the story from Delta's perspective. This is one of those books that makes you think long and hard about what people's motives are. My only complaint is that the book needed a few more twists. I was hoping that some of the nuggets that were left in the story were somehow flushed out. This was a super easy read and help my attention the whole time. The ending was especially shocking for me. I was left with many "why" questions at the end but it left me thinking about it for a long time for that exact reason.

The Photographer
By @marydixiecarter

What in the world?!?! This book is beyond creepy yet, I could not put it down!! Sometimes I found myself shaking my head and thinking REALLY....... are people this crazy?

The protagonist, Delta Dawn, develops a stalkerish obsession with the Straub family! They are a wealthy family and used to getting what they want. Be prepared when you start reading this book to be hooked!! It’s a slow burn but I’m sure that’s what the author wanted. The build up makes this dark, twisty, creepy story worth reading!

I think you will like it a lot 📸

Wow! What a ride! A roller coaster slowly creeping towards the apex, and then suddenly crashes. Carter is a master at weaving the reader in and out of doubt about the main character’s reliability. She is also able to capture the essence of a character in one sentence. I was hooked from the beginning and all the way through. A great suspense thriller.

I wanted to love this one, but it is way too slow. I even tried listening to the audiobook thinking that might help, it didn't. I wasn't loving it, so I gave up after trying to force myself through it over several weeks.

Thank you to @minotaur_books for my #gifted copy and for the coolest accessory- a throwback Viewfinder !

Delta Dawn is a photographer with a past. After photographing the birthday party of a wealthy 11 year old, she becomes fixated with the family and works to integrate herself into the very core of their lives.

This is a book about obsession. I liked the “real world” set up of the scenario. While it may not seem logical to let a stranger into you life so quickly, we are constantly doing that when we order food, hop in an Uber ... And you never know what could happen ....

It’s a quick and entertaining read. I love the psychology behind people’s actions, so I personally wanted more creepiness and more backstory into the Delta, Amelia and Fitz so I could better understand their actions.

3.5 rounded up

This one was a bit disappointing for me. I was hoping there was going to be some big reason for Delta's behavior but I was disappointed when there wasn't a resolution. The whole concept for me was just a bit weird after not having some huge reveal that I hadn't already figured out. Might be an okay read for someone who doesn't read thrillers a lot.

This book is an intense psychological thriller. While it’s a definite page turner, some of it was a stretch to be believable. As a photographer specializing in children, delta Dawn finds herself in an upscale home after being hired to photograph 11 year old Natalie’s birthday party. She gets involved with the family and they have what she wants. An obsessive and twisty plot and characters.

Whoa! This book checked all the boxes on the creepiness scale.

One seemingly sane main character. Check!
One narcissistic with a "faux" persona. Check!
One clueless dad. Check!

Delta is a beautiful but damaged young woman with a vibrant imaginary life. She could probably have many of the scenarios that play out in her mind, but it gives her satisfaction to create the little photo montages that put her at the center of her clients' lives. She becomes particularly obsessed with her current clients, Amelia, Fritz and their daughter Natalie. As she ingratiates herself more and more into their lives, she comes up with a plan to make her presence more permanent.

How many lies can you tell before they start to unravel? Throw one suspicious boyfriend and an inquisitive pre-teen in the mix and the answer is "not very long!" The author does a fantastic job of building toward the perfect ending!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an advanced reader's copy for review.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter was one of those books where you think "No Way! She did not just do that!!!" But you can't stop reading the book because you have to see what will happen next! Delta Dawn is a photographer in NYC and takes a lot of pictures of children. She has a way with them. In this story she is taking pictures at Natalie Straub's 11th birthday party. She ends up staying after the party to babysit for her when their sitter cancels. Delta wants to do more than just be this family's photographer! This is obsession taken to a new level! Hard to put down!

Although others have described this as a slow burn, I wouldn't necessarily characterize it that way because I felt like this moved pretty fast and really captured my interest. I love a narrator that you cant quite trust because they're going to lead you down a psychological maze and this was definitely one of those narrators for me. I can only describe the main character as deeply disturbed, obsessive, and manipulative. She really didn't have many redeeming qualities but she was a villain I was excited to watch work her magic. I do wish we had got more of her backstory and why she was as disturbed as she was overall I liked her story. The ending was both surprising and unsurprising to me in different ways but I was satisfied for the most part. Parts of this are definitely unbelievable but I don't read fiction for believability so I enjoyed it. Thank you to Minotaur and Mary Dixie Carter for my gifted copy, provided through NetGalley.

I was so excited to receive an e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan/Minotaur. The premise sounded so interesting to me, and it did not disappoint!

I think it's best to go into this book blind, so I'm not going to summarize the plot in this review.

This is not a typical thriller with tons of twists or shocking revelations, but that didn't make it any less interesting. In fact, I had a hard time putting this one down at all. It's a quick read and kept my interest throughout. Most of the characters are unlikeable, but for some reason that actually really worked for this story. In a weird way, it made me like Delta more. She's a very flawed person, but she's unapologetic about it and completely confident in who she is. I was so drawn into her story, and if the book left me wanting anything, it was more of her backstory. There were a few instances where the story alluded to some things that may have happened in her past, but it was left vague. I would have liked to have seen that explored a little more to gain a better understanding of what made Delta the way she was.

One thing that was a bit strange to me was a few different scenes where animals in the book reacted a bit aggressively towards Delta, and it was never really explained why that was. It left me wondering if there was an explanation in the original manuscript that was then removed. Those scenes in the book felt unnecessary and unconnected to any other part of the story.

I felt the book was well-written and the tension was palpable at several points in the book. I kept wondering where the story was going to go. While I did feel that the ending was a bit abrupt, I can't really say that anything was left unfinished. I think overall I enjoyed the story so much that I just wanted it to last a bit longer.

A Killer Debut. #ThePhotographer devoured me!

Delta Dawn is like no character you will ever meet. She is delusional, narcissistic, devious, and twisted. This is a psychological thriller that belongs on the "Best Debut of 2021 list!"

Stellar! I read #ThePhotographer in one sitting and stayed up the entire night, and finished at 6 am! Mary Dixie Carter, a winner out of the gate! I will be a fan for life. Heck, she could write anything (check out her bio!). Everything about this one was flawless. LOVE THIS AUTHOR.

Delta Dawn is a fabulously evil character. She is envious, smart, savvy, freaky, manipulative, and obsessive. She also is a smart cookie with good taste.

She grew up in Orlando, FL, and her parents were janitors at Disney. Delta has always been determined to break out of her class. She wants nothing more than to be accepted into the proper social circles. She wants their life. She craves their life.

Delta will do anything to manipulate and create a world she sees and imagines through her own camera lens.

"People like me created useful stories to paste over other stories. Because the real stories would take you on a deep dive to Hell."

Delta sees herself and her talent as a photographer as multidimensional. She likes to create moments, seeing herself as a director. She is an artist who could translate ALL into a photograph. (also things that are not as they seem)

Egocentric, Delta moved to New York and has become one of the most popular and sought-after photographers of children and their families. Of course, they must be affluent to give that picture-perfect appearance.

If her clients are having a bad day, or a frown, no problem, she can fix anything with the magic of Photoshop or other software to manipulate it as she sees it in her world. She can even make them do whatever she deems fit in a photograph. We are talking down and dirty crazy here. She is one delusional and perverted chick!

She wants a family. She says she has a son named Jasper that lives with his dad in California. However, is he real? What is true, and what is a lie? You cannot believe anything she says.

She meets this prominent family through a birthday party gig to photograph the Straubs — interior designer and top architects. Fritz, Amelia, and daughter, Natalie.

They have a beautiful home to die for and a beautiful garden apartment featured in top design magazines and one that would be would, of course, be perfect for her. In fact, it was made for her. (she will make sure of it and oh the schemes to get rid of the current tenant).

She was hired to photograph Natalie, the eleven-year-old daughter's birthday party, and soon interjects herself into their lives. She befriends the daughter, mom, and dad. From babysitting, house-sitting, watering plants, and dreaming, this family cannot do without her. She even goes as far as to date their business partner (plus so much more). OMG!

Unlike most stalkers, she wants more than the husband; she likes the woman too and the daughter. She wants to be a part of them. With continued schemes and manipulation, she finds more ways to be become engrossed in their lives.

She finds one thing that she thinks may lock in her permanently and tie her to them. She needs the power. This is her key. Amelia has had several miscarriages and wants another baby. The light goes on. This is her in. She will have the power.

However, she overlooks one thing. . .

Now, you must read to see what happens and the dangerous lengths she will go to get that "perfect life."

An addictive read, I could not put this one down! There was never a lull. With each page turn, there is something else to make your jaw drop. It grips you from the first page to the last. The author is highly creative, savvy, and humorous. (in my opinion, humor is key for a good psychological thriller).

I was thinking I could stop reading and go to bed around 86%; however, I flipped the page when Ian told Delta, he had just met her son, Jasper, I about died!!! (I laughed so hard) The best part and could picture her face. No way I was stopping. It was full throttle ahead to the satisfying conclusion.

Highly entertaining, an author to watch. THE PHOTOGRAPHER is movie-worthy! Top books of 2021. Fans of Kaira Rouda (and her narcissistic characters), as well as Carolina Kepnes (Joe Goldberg), Victoria Helen Stone's (Jane Doe), and Sally Hepworth's (The Good Sister) will devour this gem!

Highly recommend!

A special thank you to St Martins Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for a print and digital advanced reading copy. Also purchased the audiobook narrated by the author (a must-listen).

#JDCMustReadBooks

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author, Mary Dixie Carter. This was a great read. It didn't start off slow at all and it maintained that speed throughout. The things some people do is beyond me!!! I read this book with my eyes popped open and flipping digital pages so fast. This is a book that should be read if you love books of obsession. Gosh, people are crazy.

Thank you again!!

Wow, wow, wow! Now this is a debut novel! Dark, twisted and so well written. I couldn’t put this one down, it was literally everything I want in a psychological thriller. Just trust me, read this one!

Delta Dawn, what a disturbing little trip you just took us on.

She is a New York photographer to all the wealthy families. And then she discovers the Straub family while photographing their daughter, Natalie’s, birthday party. A weird, twisty game propels the rest of this novel at rapid speeds. What is the truth and who is to be trusted?

I enjoyed the fast pace and twists of the novel. I felt overall it was a little lacking though as I couldn’t seem to get invested in any of the characters. I would recommend this book to lovers of domestic suspense who are looking for a quick read. Also, it has vibes somewhat similar to “You.” So if you liked that, give it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this novel in advance.

This is one of the weirdest and wildest books I’ve read in a while. I was so deeply disturbed by Delta and her actions/thoughts. I was also confused as to what parent just lets a stranger watch their child on a whim.

This is definitely a psychological twister that will leave you feeling uneasy. There’s not really any suspense but just reading the way our main character’s mind works was enough to freak me out.

The Photographer is an unsettling Psychological thriller. Delta is a lonely, delusional stalker. She becomes obsessed with Amelia and her family. She wants to BE their family. She doesn’t only manipulate the photographs she takes of them but she insets herself in their everyday life. Going as far as becoming a surrogate for Amelia and her husband.

While their were parts that intrigued me and many that shocked me (Delta was BOLD), nothing really surprising happened; it ended exactly how I expected it to; no big surprise or twist in my opinion.

Narration was ok; the parts of Amelia sounded really overdone (overly dramatic).