As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City’s elite: snapping photos of their children’s birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long. But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub’s eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn’t behind the lens but a part of the scene―in the Straub family’s gorgeous home and elegant life. That’s when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting for Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; finding chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she’s bathing in the master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren’t all she can manipulate..

I was SO excited to read this book and was SO disappointed once I started reading it. I think I lost interest right off the bat when the Straub’s asked Delta to babysit their one and only child in their very expensive home after only knowing her for a few hours. Who does this in today’s world - NO ONE! I found myself skipping paragraphs and at one point skipping entire pages - and not really missing any of the story. Sad to say this was a slow burning read that was not even close to being the kind of psychological thriller that I crave.

What the HECK did I just read?? This is one of the better psychological thrillers I’ve read and it definitely took me on a rollercoaster ride of creepy obsessive craziness!

Our story centers on Delta Dawn, an accomplished photographer who photographs children’s parties and other events for her affluent clients and soon becomes obsessively infatuated with her new clients the Straubs when she’s hired to photograph their daughters birthday party.

It was crazy the lengths she would go to to insert herself into the family’s lives; and I kept thinking what was it about THIS family that made her so obsessed instead of her other clients??

These characters were so unlikeable!! I really did not like the Straubs, especially how they treated their daughter. Even with how unstable Delta was I felt empathetic towards her at times during the course of the book. Natalie was one of my favorite characters. I loved her growth in the book!

I give it 4 stars, it was an interesting twisty creepy thriller sure to entertain the reader who loves thrillers!

Thank you #netgalley for the arc of this book :)

I needed some heavy-duty suspenders for my disbelief on this one, but it had its moments!

Delta Dawn is a successful children’s photographer for the wealthy set in NYC, who’s invited by Amelia and Fritz Straub, two successful architects, to photograph their 11-year-old daughter Natalie’s birthday party. Within seeming minutes of meeting the Straubs, she develops insta-love ‘gotta be part of this family forever, I’ll blindly do anything they ask whenever they ask it, please need me’ devotion to them, which sets the tone for everything that follows. This devotion is so immediate - in fact - that at the end of this party, when Amelia and Fritz have a work meeting and suddenly find themselves without a babysitter for Natalie, Delta jumps at the chance to do it, and the Straubs - apparently impressed by her skill at creating balloon animals (this really happened), say “Sure! We completely trust you in our expensive home with our only child you just met! Thanks!”

OK … they didn’t really say those words, but you get the idea. Character logic was pretty weak.

The psychodrama only gets worse as Delta embeds herself deeper and deeper into the Straubs’ lives, while secretly creating impossible Photoshop montages of herself in every imaginable appropriate and inappropriate scenario with each of the family members. It’s never really explained why she feels this strong connection to them, but the book does imply this isn’t the first family she’s “edited” herself into. Having grown up in humble circumstances, I guess it can be assumed that she just wants the life she doesn’t have. As her desire to elevate her social position and integrate herself into this family reaches its peak, she devises her ultimate plan to make sure she’ll always be part of their lives. Does her plan work? You’ll have to read to find out!

I think if you just go with the flow on this one and accept that entertainment seems to be a higher priority than believability, you might enjoy it. It’s a quick read that kept me invested, if for no other reason than sheer curiosity at how things would play out. I can’t say that there were any real surprises on that front, but it was fun enough! I’d definitely watch for other books by this author.

★★★ ½

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and author Mary Dixie Carter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This will publish on May 25, 2021.

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter is a superb read with a well defined plot and characters. Well worth the read!

This was so so good. It was beyond creepy. It was a tale of ultimate obsession. The main character was so twisted but seemed so normal. Everything she did had an agenda and it was delicious. This was an overall winner from start to finish.

The overall writing style was great and the book was entertaining. There were times when it felt a little slow moving but overall a fast read.

The main characters name is Delta Dawn, if that does not put the song in your head then you just don’t know the song. She is a little bat shit crazy to say the least. She fixates on people and wants to insert her life into their‘s. She is a photographer and takes photos of people’s life events. She takes photos of a birthday party for this one family and all of a sudden she is now babysitting and hanging out with them. I don’t know that I would call this a psychological thriller but rather a domestic drama. So if you like a little bit of a domestic drama you might like this unstable family/babysitter combo.

A fast paced suspense. I finished this book in a day. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Pub date: 5/25/21- highly recommend!

“The picture is real because they want it to be”

You know the gif from Blink182’s, “First Date” where the girl scrapes her retainer on the street and Tom DeLonge says, “WTF”? You know the one. That’s my entire face while reading The Photographer.

Mary Dixie Carter is a phenomenal writer. I thought the reader was even better. Then, I realized the reader IS Mary Dixie Carter as well. Mind completely blown. It was so well done and executed so well, I think the audio truly gave me the jeebies that I got from The Photographer. This toxic fascination and obsession with Amelia and Fritz was off the charts.

I will say, about 85% or so I didn’t know exactly where we’d be taking this journey. I liked the build up to get there, I just didn’t know if there was going to more, or we’d see what Delta’s big final plan was. Like, what’s the end game? Just to be in their life? And, why? I realize then Delta Dawn just wanted some friends y’all. A very bizarre way to get them, but she just wanted some company! She didn’t mean much harm!

If you are a fan of “You” and Joe Goldberg, or loved that Robin Williams movie “One Hour Photo” y’all need to meet Delta in the Photographer! She’s the gentler version. You kind of feel for the gal, like c’mon Amelia, be her friend. Thank you Minotaur and MacMillan Audio for the gifted copy. The Photographer is out May 25th.

What is real here? We follow the narrator as she photographs parties, especially those for children. She seems to have a knack for bringing out the best in them and that translates to happy parents, more sales, more photo jobs. But are the pictures real? Well, not always real, but... Like she says, she has a talent.

Does this talent also go along with her ability to fit in with the parents, including those she wants to be close to? She has a convincing story, but how much can we believe? She has become a central part of one family of very successful architects and their emotionally starved daughter. Why? We aren't really sure, but it is a need she has that is overwhelming. How successful she is at that role is in danger of crashing several times, but can she pull off what she desires most?

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Photographer was a quick and easy read that I flew through in two sittings! A solid domestic suspense novel about a photographer, Delta Dawn, who grew up as self-proclaimed "white trash". Now, she captures photos of NYC's affluent families (birthday parties, etc.) and becomes obsessed with one family in particular. Delta is willing to do anything (and she most definitely does some odd things!) to be a part of their lives. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline and, although predictable, the ending was satisfying! I would have loved to get into the minds of the characters a bit more and learned more about why behind everything so the second half fell a little flat for me. But overall, it was a good read that I would recommend to those who enjoy a good character-driven suspense novel!

A professional home photographer meets a wealthy family and becomes a bit too close. Delta is a photographer in NYC and meets a wealthy couple Amelia and Fritz and their daughter Natalie. The book was a solid read as far as stalker thrillers go but there were a few inconsistencies. Mostly they could be overlooked because I enjoyed the writing and the storyline.

I'm finding this book very hard to get into. I'm going to stop reading it, and come back to it at another time.

What a weird, disturbing, suspenseful work of art. Delta is such an unreliable narrator who makes you feel unsettled the entire story line.⁣
⁣
Delta is a brilliant photographer but she’s like a hawk, keeping an eye on her prey, watching and analyzing their every move, finding their weaknesses and using them in her favor. She was a bit insane and inserted herself into people’s lives and became obsessed with them.⁣
⁣
This story held my attention, kept me interested and was a quick psychological read. ⁣
⁣
Thank you @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for an ARC for my honest review. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such an interesting book. Delta was such an interesting character, I was so curious what was going on in her head. I thought she had such a creepy mind, I am not sure how I feel about her. This is such a quick and fast paced read. You are not going to be able to put this one down. I recommend checking this one out!

This is Mary Dixie Carter’s first novel, and it is a solid debut.

The story is a super creepy psychological thriller, and I enjoyed it. The one qualm I had was it was a bit slow in parts, but it was still quite the page turner. I was enthralled by how creepy Delta was, and kept reading to see what happened next.

In certain ways, Delta reminded me of Joe Goldberg from “YOU”. If you’re a fan of the Netflix series, you may enjoy this book.

What did I just read?! You know those car wrecks that you know you should look at, but you do anyways? Yeah, this is like that!

At the root of the story is a photographer with an obsession and a devious desire to twist the truth too far. Delta Dawn, a manipulative and envious photographer charms her way into the lives of clients she idolizes and permanently alters the course of all their lives. Like me, you’ll keep reading because you think she’ll get caught and you want retribution. You see, Delta Dawn is adept at photo alteration software! At times you’ll be so frustrated with the skillful manipulation that you’ll want to yell at the Straubs to set some boundaries. Delta Dawn is such a formidable force and will make you doubt that seeing is ever believing! I think what scares readers the most is that the author is holding a mirror up to our obsessions and showing us what we could be capable of if we allow social media and the concept of perfection to permeate our thoughts and actions. After all, isn’t that what social media is all about? Convincing us that everyone else’s life is perfect and ours falls short? Curating and presenting the perfect picture; we’re all guilty.

If you want a read that makes you yell “no way!” throughout the story right to the last sentence and unnerves you to no end, this one’s for you.

I think congratulations are in order for this debut author and her tension-filled tale of envy and deception.

I was gifted this book by Mary Dixie Carter, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Publishes May 25, 2021.

I feel like The Photographer was the thriller I had been waiting for for awhile now.

Carter starts out the story at a high, creepy level and I wasn’t sure if the pace could be maintained throughout the novel or if it could go any further. To my surprise it did for the most part. Delta’s thought process and drive to get as close to the Straub’s as possible was unsettling. Yet I loved to listen to her inner monologues.

There was a point where I wasn’t sure where this was going plot wise and it did seem to slow for just a bit but the entire wrongness of the situation held it afloat until more action could happen.

If you’re a fan of YOU, then you need to pick this up 👏 thank you @netgalley for my arc. The Photographer is out 5/25.

I loved the concept of this book and the writing did not disappoint! It was an intense, slow burn and kept me bracing myself and turning the pages until I reached the fantastic, satisfying ending. I've read a lot of suspense and this one stands out from the crowd.

I enjoyed this book. The first half was a little slow, but still kept me engaged and turning pages. And I couldn’t put it down for about the last quarter. I didn’t guess the twist until right before, which is pretty perfect. 😊 I feel smart, but it doesn’t spoil the book. And I often guess the ending pretty far ahead, so Carter did a good job of placing her clues without being too obvious.

The main character Delta is very complex. She annoyed me sometimes, but there were times when I felt great empathy with her. I don’t agree with other reviewers that she is crazy. I think this book can be taken as an interesting commentary on the relativity of sanity. Delta wouldn’t hide and do such weird things if she could find others who wanted what she wanted. Her desires aren’t that out there. She just doesn’t know how to get them in a “normal” way. She does do things that are wrong, but I think she wouldn’t if our society was more open and accepting. And more equal.

I don’t know if that’s what the author intended, but I’m still pondering this character days later, so she must have done a good job. This is truly a psychological thriller, because it really is about Delta’s desires and twisted thought processes. The lies she tells herself. Or are they lies? You don’t know how far she will go or what she will do if she’s cornered.

I also love the unique details of Delta’s background and how they relate to the theme of the book.

I would happily recommend this book to anyone into psychological thrillers or even character studies. It’s an engrossing story with interesting characters. (Especially Delta and Natalie.)

Delta is a photographer who tends to work for affluent couples photographing kids birthday parties and other such events. Delta has recently been hired to photograph Natalie Straub’s birthday party. Natalie is the daughter of Amelia and Fitz, and quickly Delta becomes infatuated with their home and lifestyle.

Amelia and Fitz have been having infertility issues and this gives Delta an idea of how to insert herself in the family. She quickly becomes obsessed with the Straub family and does whatever it takes to be involved in their daily lives. Amelia and Fitz think Delta interest in their family is strictly innocent but this could be a big mistake.

I was really glad to get the chance to read this one after seeing it all over bookstagram. It might be surprising but it’s rare for my to read a synopsis of a book but will generally decide based on the book cover. I had no expectations going into this one but I really enjoyed it. I finished this in less than a day as I was thoroughly hooked from early on. All the characters are so different but are great and have some real depth to them. I would highly recommend this one but trigger warnings for infertility.