This story is about obsession and wow is it crazy how someone could just weasel their way in to a family like this! I was expecting a bit more craziness to happen. But it was pretty crazy. I’m not entirely sure what really motivated Delta. It felt like her objectives changed. I feel like it was a solid read and it was well written but i did want a little more from it. I think Delta was definitely deranged but then so was Amelia. Her obsession with having a child perhaps made her so blinded. I liked this story but i think it could have been elevated a little more. I wanted more backstory on Delta. I wanted to know what made her tick. What led her to where she was and why she was doing this. And we got little tidbits of her past and while i grew very untrusting of her, i wondered what happened in her past. I would be interested in a second book that dove deeper into her character

Happy, happy pub day to @marydixiecarter and @minotaur_books! The Photographer is out today, May 25. Many thanks to @netgalley for the gifted e-ARC, and to Minotaur for the gifted physical copy.

Images seen through the lens of Delta’s camera are not always the truth. She has a knack of capturing moments in time, and transforming them into perfection—perfection that is often an outright lie. When Delta meets a new family who has hired her as a photographer, she becomes obsessed with them, and realizes she can not only manipulate photographs, but people as well.

WHAT I LIKED:
*I never lost interest in finding out Delta’s motives, and her real back story
*The writing style was engaging
*Despite being a slow burn thriller, it kept my attention and was a quick read
*This book had an original concept I’ve never read before

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
*Despite this being a work of fiction, there were some illogical things that happened with the characters. You definitely need a suspension of disbelief to go along with this one
*I wanted a little more of a deep dive into Delta’s background that what was given

Overall, The Photographer is an entertaining, suspenseful thriller that I would recommend for a quick read, perfect for a day at the beach!

Dark and disturbing, The Photographer is the story of Delta Dawn, a successful New York event photographer whose damaged childhood makes her want a family. Not her own. Theirs.

She finds that family when she is hired to photograph 11 year old Natalie Straub’s birthday party. Her parents, Amelia and Fritz, are architects (“celebritects”) with many work and social commitments. With careful planning and devious manipulation, Natalie is soon a “family friend” waiting to be “a part of our family”. When she learns the Straub’s deepest secret, she uses it to her advantage and is nearly successful.

The Photographer is a perfect storm of obsession and illusion. The characters are all well drawn especially vulnerable Natalie, who combines a childish love of unicorns with an uncanny capability to understand the true feelings of the adults around her. Her description of how she feels about her aging dog is beautifully written. Delta deliberately remains mysterious, hidden behind a wall of deception. A final twist in the epilogue is both shocking and sad. This is a first novel! Who knows what Mary Dixie Carter will do next? 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Mary Dixie Carter for this ARC.

Dark Tale of Light and Images

The major character is Delta Dawn, really, the famous ballad sung by Tanya Tucker. For much of the book, the song played in my head. I’m not sure why the author chose the name Delta Dawn, but it is unforgettable.

Delta is a beautiful young woman, and the reader is well aware from the beginning of the novel to question what is true and what is not. The book opens when Delta is photographing a children’s birthday party. The girl is Natalie Straub, eleven years old. Delta has a very special talent. She is an excellent interpreter of how her customers want to see themselves, their homes and their children. Her photography transforms mediocre homes into luxurious ones; crying children into happy, smiling party-goers She is talented, conniving, and envious.

The Straub’s are a wealthy family and Delta desperately wants to be part of their lives. She offers to baby sit for Natalie, any task, to give her entrée into their home. We never know the specifics of Delta’s past. When she recalls incidents to the reader, they are vague, or mean, or envious.

The complexity of Delta’s talent, her superb use of light is equal to her ability to take chances to become closer and closer to the family. Not only can she transfigure photos into images of happiness, she can adapt her personality, her altered past and present into the beauty she observes.

It is an interesting concept. Carter cleverly crafted the main characters, despite their beauty, into flawed human beings, like most of us. Delta has a plan and nothing will deter her, despite obstacle after obstacle. Her obsessions can either bring her happiness or total despair.


My gratitude to NetGalley and Macmillan-Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Delta Dawn is a photographer and specializes in children’s parties. She is a master of illusion, manipulating her photos so that everyone looks happy and the events looks perfect. She is hired by Fritz and Amelia Straub to photograph their 11-year-old daughter Natalie’s birthday party. Once she enters their beautiful Greek Revival brownstone in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, she becomes obsessed with them and their lifestyle. Delta is a keen observer and figures out how to infiltrate herself in their lives. She becomes a babysitter to Natalie and is soon someone they rely heavily on. When Delta learns that the couple is desperate to have a second child after a series of miscarriages, she is intrigued that they are seeking a surrogate. Let the crazy begin.

After you read The Photographer, you’ll be extra careful as to who you let in your home. Author Mary Dixie Carter has created a tense and engaging story that is as creepy as can be and suspension of disbelief is required. You probably won’t be shocked by this thriller but you will be entertained. (And yes, the character was named after the song Delta Dawn made famous by Tanya Tucker, Helen Reddy and Bette Midler.)

Photographer Delta Dawn loves photographing elite New York families, and transforming imperfect moments into perfect memories. After photographing eleven-year-old Natalie Straub’s birthday party, Delta becomes fixated on the family, and becoming a part of their lives.

This book is one step away from a Lifetime Movie, with a crazy, obsessive woman, but Delta was not quite crazy and obsessive enough to make Lifetime status. While I enjoyed the book, and Delta is clearly disturbed, I think the story lacked suspense and unpredictability. However, overall it was a quick read, and a solid debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I started and finished this book in one day over two sittings - and it probably would have been one sitting if I didn't have to take a break to drive somewhere in the middle.

The Photographer follows Delta Dawn, a photographer, who becomes obsessed with a family after photographing their daughter's birthday party. She starts doing everything she can to spend as much time with the family as possible. She even fanaticizes about becoming a part of the family.

This was a medium- to fast-paced domestic thriller that while never being particularly dark, has a sinister feel.

I love that it was from Delta's POV! An unreliable narrator whose behavior isn't fueled by alcohol or drugs is one of my FAVORITE thriller formats when it is executed well. And in this case it is definitely executed well.

This is a DEBUT novel and I will definitely be following Mary Dixie Carter's books in the future!

Thank you to Minotar Books/St. Martin's Press for the free NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Delta is a photographer for the elite society that she lives near. She is a very talented photographer in that she can turn any situation into something that may not even have been real. Delta photographs Natalie's birthday party and ends up becoming a babysitter for Natalie after Amelia and Fritz have a cancellation. Delta bonds quickly with the entire Straub family and soon cannot picture her life without them, and her son Jasper. However, a picture is worth a thousand words. What about the pictures that are edited? Sometimes pictures are not always what they seem.

This was a domestic suspense following Delta and her life with the Straubs. I was hooked from the beginning and it was very suspenseful in that I needed to know what came next. However I felt that it just fell flat for me. It seemed to have lengthy passages where it felt like Delta was just rambling to herself. The back and forth timelines and blurred reality lines were not as clear as they could have been and it felt very confusing. The ending felt kind of abrupt, but almost like there was more to come, but not enough. The story seemed very familiar in the girl obsessed with a family theme and wants that family to be hers, with lying and manipulation. The adoption and surrogacy part almost seemed forced to add another layer of drama, but it didn't have depth to it.

This is the perfect book for a suspenseful family drama and some people will really love this. However, this was not my idea of a must read. It was okay and kept me needing to know more, but it fell short in a few areas.

The Photographer was an interesting read. It was definitely interesting enough to keep my attention but I felt like I wanted more from it. I kept expecting a big twist and it never quite got there. It's labeled as a psychological thriller, but I would say it's more of a domestic suspense. It did not feel thrilling to me. Again, no major twists or gasp out loud moments. It was lacking some of those thriller elements for me, but I still found it entertaining.

If you like a very quick read, this would be a great book to pick up. I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours. An easy and intriguing read that you could get through quickly.

I feel like I needed a bit more in terms of character development. The main character was certainly quite crazy, but I didn't find the other characters in the book very likeable. Overall, it was a decent read and I enjoyed it enough but I just felt like I needed and wanted a bit more from it.

The Photographer is a domestic thriller by Mary Dixie Carter.

"Delta Dawn is an event photographer - lots of children's birthday parties in NYC. When she is hired to take photos of Natalie Straub she finds herself drawn to the mother, Amelia. Delta Dawn quickly insinuates herself into the family's schedule - babysitting and running errands. Delta Dawn believes the Straubs are the family that can change her life. Amelia is overjoyed when Delta agrees to help out in an unusual way. But Delta has secrets that need to stay buried..."

Do you like jacked-up, delusional characters? That's what you get here. Delta Dawn has a tenuous grasp on reality. So much of what is in her head is fantasy. Lots of One Hour Photo and Single White Female vibes here. And she's a sociopath. A dangerous combination. The reader never knows just how far she is willing to go.

The character has some excellent Photoshop skills. I love the discussion of light and angles and the photography skills that Delta Dawn has.

I would like to see more of Delta's backstory. There are several hints along the way but I want more.

Good choice for a summer beach read, especially if you like messed-up characters.

Nice debut novel from Mary Dixie Carter.

I love me some crazy unreliable narrators but Delta let me down. I kept waiting for some crazy shenanigans to happen and it never came. Besides that, I did find it amusing and enjoyed it overall!

"It's amazing what you can do with visualization. All you need to do is create memories...Memories are images we create in our minds...Who's to say that the memory I create is any less "true" than the original one?"

Delta Dawn (yes just like the song) believes every word of the above quote in the very disturbing The Photographer by debut author Mary Dixie Carter.

Delta is a talented photographer making her living taking pictures of wealthy NYC families. She can make the most brattiest kid look angelic during their birthday party.

When Delta infiltrates herself into the lives of the Straub family we start to realize she can manipulate more than just pictures. She subtlety makes herself indispensable to them as she takes over their lives. At least that is the image in her mind.

This story emphasizes the psychological in psychological thriller. There aren't huge WTF moments or twisty turns but there is creepiness in Delta's obsessions.

I also listened to the Audiobook which is superbly narrated by the author. She is an actress so reading this first person account of her own words was a tour de force in acting. She brought a whole new level to Delta's delusions that gave me chills. There is also a great discussion between the author and writer Jennifer Hillier included in the audio.

We learn that Delta's parents were janitors at Disneyland. All I could think was there is not a better education in illusions then growing up in Disneyland. I thought this was brilliant background to Delta's upbringing.
This writer has created a character that is compelling, mesmerizing, creepy and the definition of manipulation.

I received a free copy of this book and audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley
for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a unique story! This wasn't bad for a debut thriller, but the ending made me a little crazy. I wasn't left with a satisfied wrapped up story this time around, and I really wanted one here! It was entertaining and written well which didn't leave me completely disappointed. This is a true obsession story that will be highly talked about this summer.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter is dark, smart, and compelling. The writing is sparse and creepy -- a window into a devious, obsessive mind -- and I was here for every minute of it. I loved the wild premise, loved the sharp execution.

The Photographer is an unsettling psychological thriller. The main character, Delta, is a photographer for New York City’s elite. When she is hired to photograph Natalie Straub’s 11th birthday, she starts to picture herself living the Straub’s elegant life. Delta befriends Natalie’s mother, Amelia, and begins learning all of the intimate details of their lives.

Delta uses her photography to meticulously show her clients the lives they want to see. She is obsessive, and will do what it takes to insert herself into the Straub’s lives. The Photographer is a fast read, and you will quickly be able to understand Delta’s motives. Very few parts left me surprised because I was already expecting Delta to make questionable decisions. She was not a likable character, but I actually found myself liking her more than Amelia who so often didn’t care about her daughter’s feelings. I was hoping to be more shocked by the twists, but I enjoyed the creepy vibes of the story. The Photographer is an entertaining psychological thriller.

This was DARK!
In a good way. This is a perfect read for anyone who like's their stories dark, twisty and a bit creepy. I don't want to give anything away, but if you are a fan of a Gone Girl type book...pick this one up!

“The Photographer” by Mary Dixie Carter
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 5/25/21

I received this ARC from Netgalley! This book had zero thrill until the last 15%. I felt it lacked character connections. The main character is a liar, stalker, and a manipulator. Very unlikeable to the reader, but is such a good liar the other characters are in the dark to her lies. I would have liked to see this from different POV. It became a little repeat I’ve since it’s only from Delta Dawn the photographer POV.
Delta is such a good manipulator that she is hired to take photographs of these wealthy children’s birthday parties and gains the trust of these families. She’s been looking for the perfect family to squirm her way into and become welcomed. When she is hired for 11 year old Natalie Straub’s birthday she instantly is in love with this family of three. She becomes obesssive and wants to spend all of her time with them. She has to quickly become accepted into their lives. She wants the family she’s been creating for years. The problem is you never know if Delta is telling the truth or a lie. It’s almost too late when the Straub’s learn the truth.

I was left a bit disappointed.

I was hoping the main character would give me single white female crazy but honestly she wasn't too crazy at all. Okay, Delta was Lifetime movie type of obsessed but it wasn't anything to drop your jaw over. Besides that nothing ever really happened. I was waiting for that one big twisted moment and it never came. It was predictable. So yes, while I flew through it it wasn't my favorite.

Thank you @minotaur_books for gifting me this ARC. The Photographer is out tomorrow!

Book review 🙌🏻💫
The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter
Pub date: May 25th, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for my gifted eARC of The Photographer, in exchange for an honest review.
This book..... ugh I loved it so much. Creepy, obsessed, odd, delusional... That is how I would describe Delta.. our protagonist &.. The Photographer 😄
I really don’t want to say too much more, this is a book I feel would be wonderful to dive into without knowing much. Just read it. It’s creepy and wonderful.

I really hate giving books bad reviews, but absolutely none of this book was to my taste. Spoiled rich people, an obsessive stalker, and a child caught in the middle? If I had read reviews prior to downloading on Netgalley I probably would have passed.