This was creepy with a capital C but unfortunately not in the good sense.

Photographer, Delta, becomes obsessed with the Straub family after photographing them and finds a way to ingratiate herself into their lives. She is an excellent photographer but an even better photo editor and takes her editing of photos to the extreme.

I thought the premise of this story was really interesting and I’m normally a fan of an unreliable narrator but there was something about this one that just wasn’t for me.

The author’s writing style was excellent and the book flowed really well but I really disliked all of the characters which made it difficult to root for or empathise with any of them. The Straub’s daughter Natalie was the only likeable one of the whole bunch. I wish that it had been later before we’d seen just how unstable Delta was, as the fact that we found out so early I felt made it very easy to guess where the story was going.

I wanted to love this one but unfortunately Delta’s increasingly bizarre behaviour and the book as a whole just left me feeling unsettled.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

This was a shorter novel so I sailed through it, but the story telling itself was slow in pace until the end. You have to sort of suspend all belief in what people would actually do in real life. I liked the writing though and would read another by Carter. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

THE PHOTOGRAPHER was a really fun book to read and definitely kept me guessing throughout. I could see this being the perfect beach read for the summer. I wish it had had a couple more twists and turns--I guessed The Big Plot Twist fairly early on and was hoping for more of an unexpected jolt to come along but I will definitely be chatting this book up!

“I didn’t want Fritz or Amelia to have a personal life separate from me. The further I burrowed myself into them, both of them, the less likely I’d ever have to return to my own existence. The less likely they could disentangle themselves from me.”

Delta Dawn is a skilled photographer for the NYC elite, snapping pics of their children’s birthday parties and family events. She has an uncanny ability to tweak the pictures in post production to portray what she thinks the parents want to see, altering facial expressions or gestures to create the “perfect” shot. Then she is hired to photograph Natalie Straub’s 11th birthday party and Delta decides that she 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓼 to be part of this family. Will a set of perfectly photoshopped pictures give her the in she needs to infiltrate the Straub household?

The Photographer gave me some 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 The Hand That Rocks The Cradle vibes, but in the digital age. It is creepy, disturbing, and frightening, and Delta’s obsessive behavior had my hair standing on end. But her character was also a bit superficial. She’s deranged, yes, but there is no back story or in depth look into her psyche to explain why. I was fascinated by the descriptive elements of photoshop and how she used it both professionally (generally accepted) and personally (very stalkerish). I just wish that Delta had a little more depth, a bit more of an explanation for her deranged behavior. Overall an entertaining read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur, and St Martin’s Press, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel makes for an engaging and quick read. The titular character meets the Straub family as she works to photograph their daughter's birthday party. But it's not long before Delta comes off as an unreliable narrator... she becomes more and more obsessed with inserting herself in their lives, eager to be the most important person to each of the three-person family.

It's unsettling and certainly keeps your attention with her not-so subtle manipulations. Delta's actions make her pretty unlikable, as well - and while she may be unreliable, she's not really that much less likable than the other characters. The relationships all seem pretty unhealthy here, And while the photoshopping angle makes this feel modern, it seems like some of Delta's falsehoods would have been rapidly uncovered by social media... So there are some holes there.

But, it's a fast read and I think it would be a good discussion starter amongst readers. Antiheroes and heroines always make for an interesting place to start talking! But also because of the narrator, I didn't feel as connected as I could have to the story. I'm personally not a huge fan of unreliable narrators in general, so that could be why I never found myself loving this one, It is solidly written, though, and I am curious to see what Carter will write next!

Delta is a very good photographer. She takes beautiful pictures of children, and their parents are always thrilled. Not only does she understand how to compose a picture, but she is also adept at editing. A Delta Dawn photograph will make your child seem perfect and validate your perfect life.
Delta has some unusual hobbies though. She doesn't have much of a life away from work, so she inserts herself into her client's lives through pictures. After she finishes editing her work, Yep creates a world where she is part of the picture. After all, who is she hurting? She doesn't share these photos on social media or with anyone, it is just something that makes her feel better.
Then she books a job for the Straub family. Amelia, Fritz, and their daughter Natalie are smart and live in a gorgeous house. But there are cracks in their facade, and Delta is very good at inserting herself into them. They need a babysitter, no problem. Some pictures of a building project, no problem. Their dry cleaning picked up, yep, it is no problem for Delta. Oh, and they also need a surrogate, who would be better suited than their new friend Delta, who just wants to help this family. But does Delta really want to belong or does she have a hidden agenda?
Spending time in Delta's head was like riding the scariest rollercoaster you can imagine. By the time I finished The Photographer, I had questioned everything, and I mean everything Delta had said and done. Is that even her real name? I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn this was just another false face. I was not expecting that ending, though in hindsight, maybe I should have. Well done, Mary Dixie Carter. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and I was not disappointed.4.5 stars.

The Photographer is a slow-burn psychological thriller starring a professional photographer who envisions herself in her clients' lives.

Like, literally -- she secretly Photoshops herself into images she's taken of clients in intimate settings. And also does what she can to insinuate herself in their lives.

This was a fast read for me, but I couldn't help feeling like it was missing something. I expected to be more creeped out than I was, or held in greater suspense. (This may be the result of reading a lot of thrillers -- it's possible others will get the creepy vibes more so than I did!)

Author Mary Dixie Carter did a great job painting main character Delta Dawn as understandable, despite her inappropriate behavior. Delta's targets were so unlikeable, perhaps that's why I didn't feel scared on their behalf? Looking forward to whatever Carter writes next; here's hoping for more drama or more of the "creep" factor (or both)!

Delta Dawn is a photographer, She takes wonderful pictures for childrens birthday parties, family gatherings...sometimes, she mixes them together.....

When Delta meets The Straubs, no ones life will be the same. Amelia Straub wants a child, tho she hardly pays attention to the daughter, Natalie, she has. Delta takes photos of Natalies birthday party. She becomes friendly with Natalie's Mom, Dad, even a co worker of the Straubs. Once she works her way into the family, things begin to change, and not for the better! I would read another book by this author! She kept the pace going.

Delta Dawn is very smart but also maniacal. When she is introduced to the Straub family she becomes hyper focused in weaving herself into their inner circle and family. She is very talented at her craft and even more with her photoshopping skills. She will scan through the hundreds of photos to cut and paste pieces like a puzzle to create a masterpiece of the perfect family. Her lifestyle photos of parties could be ones that would be in magazines.

While reading this book I imagined Delta Dawn being played by Rosamund Mary Ellen Pike (Gone Girl actress).

This would be a great book if you want a quick thriller read on vacation.

3.5 ⭐️

Pros:
Page turner to find out what kind of crazy Delta will do next.
Quick read, less than 300 pages.

Cons:
You need some suspicion of disbelief with the Straub family given their status.
Wished the book had more character development, especially with Delta.

Given this is the first novel by Mary Dixie Carter, it wasn’t great but also not terrible. While I did enjoy reading, it’s not one I would reread and it’s easily forgettable.

Mary Dixie Carter also is the narrator of the audiobook and does a good job. I always love it when the narrator is the author.

I will grab her next book when one comes out.

The Photographer By Mary Dixie Carter

I want to thank St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and the author for the advanced copy for an honest review.

This was a quick read about how far you will go to 'create memories'! With the right light anything is possible and Delta Dawn will make sure of that. To want something so badly, you'll pull out all stops to get into frame.

A page turner with all the right angles.

4 of 5 stars. Recommend.

Never 'has the idiom 'Beware who you invite into your lives' has never been more true! Creepy, twisty and thrilling domestic drama where you don't see the crazy right away. A fantastic debut novel from Mary Dixie Carter - cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for this ARC!

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter is what I would call a suspenseful, psychological thriller. Delta Dawn is a photographer, primarily of childrens parties. It is during one of these parties that she meets Natalie, the little girl she is there to take pictures of. When later on the babysitter doesn't arrive she offers to babysit Natalie and her parents, Amelia and Fritz take her up on that offer. From there it gets downright creepy, how Delta is able to ingratiate herself into their lives. This is a pretty good debut novel, I enjoyed the creepy part of it. And when I say creepy, I mean creepy! It does get a little predictable, but that didn't bother me, because I enjoyed finding out how the author was going to tell the story. 3.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Mary Dixie Carter for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Delta Dawn is a photographer that from the outside seems perfectly normal as she work at children's birthday parties and edits her work in a way that parents only see the best version of their hosted events. But the book takes a sudden turn when she is photographing a family that she suddenly feels the urge to be a part of rather than feeling like she is on the outside.

In my opinion, there were not enough twists and turns which left me feeling like the book was too predictable. I had high hopes based on the description, but I felt like it needed some more substance to make it a true psychological thriller.

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for an electronic advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shades of Single White Female. I was not sure how this was going to end but knew it was not good. The dning was a surprise. It was creepy and stalkerish..

This was an entertaining and suspenseful story that I flew through in one day. That being said, a lot of it was unbelievable and decisions that the characters made didn’t make sense. There were some parts that I thought were just bizarre. I was hoping for a more surprising ending than what I got and I felt like it was a tad abrupt.
Overall, this is a good domestic suspense novel and it’s a good fit if you’re looking for a quick page-turner that’s not too intense.

This definitely gave me “One Hour Photo” vibes !
It was well done and kept my interest - I also agree with what I think is the moral of the story - our minds are very powerful and we choose what we see and believe and we often alter reality to fit what we want The final sentence “the picture was real because they wanted it to be” is the perfect summary and conclusion. Well done @marydixiecarter and thank you @minotaur_books

This book Photographer takes on a whole new level of “stalker”. A whole new level of psychological thriller for sure!! We start off at a 11 year old’s birthday party for Natalie and her mom hires Delta Dawn to be her photographer at the party. Shortly after, Delta Dawn becomes their babysitter and house sits for them while they are out of town and is very stalkerish (is this a word?). This book keeps you on the edge of your seat as to what is going to come next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Holy crap was this a twisted one. Zero likable characters and a real glimpse into serious mental illness.

What an outstanding debut! This plot is just plausible enough to be terrifying. I never considered how we, as a society, are so at the mercy of all of the editing apps until Carter pulled back the curtain in this unnerving plot. The story is fast-paced and engaging. Although I was left with a number of questions about Delta's past and Ian's silence, Carter nevertheless bought her story to a satisfying end. The Photographer brought a fresh twist to a recurring theme. Obsession, manipulation, and tribulation abound. If you like psychological thrillers, I would recommend adding The Photographer to your reading list!

One of the most bizarre books I have read this year, I just could not put this down.

Delta Dawn is a photographer that specializes in children. When she is asked to photograph Natalie Straub’s birthday party, she sets down a dark and twisty road.

Nothing about Delta is what it appears to be, but one thing is true she has her eyes set on ingratiating herself with the Straub’s in a borderline obsessive manner. She quickly builds the trust of everyone of the Straub’s until it culminates into an offer she cannot refuse.

This was a thriller, but mostly because you just feel so unsettled most of the time. As I read, I was thinking what I am reading, yet I finished this in less than 2 hrs. Surprising and terrific ending, that pulled everything together. I cannot recommend this one enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.