DNF 35% no rating on GR (1 star rating on here because it requires a rating). I am just bored to tears. There is zero personality in any of the characters and I am finding myself dreading picking this up. So that is a sign that this just isn't for me. Bummer and a half.

Title: The Photographer
Author: Mary Dixie Carter
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 5/25/2021

The Photographer is a psychological thriller set in New York City. Delta Dawn (yes – it’s her name!) is a photographer for the elite families in New York City, specializing in children’s birthday parties. When she photographs Natalie Straub at her 11th birthday, she connects with the Straub family. This connection turns into an obsession.

Plot & Pacing: The pacing in this psychological thriller is great. It is a fast-compelling read. Delta just keeps worming her way into the Straub family one creepy move at a time. It feels like it is building up to this great thrill or reveal. However, I was incredibly disappointed by the ending. It did not live up to the tension that the author built in the book. The twist was predictable and mild compared to what the author built me up to. I also thought there was a couple of loose ends that did not get resolved – such as the Ian character.

Character Development: I think that the Natalie character was quite well-developed for a side character. Delta Dawn remains an enigma throughout the novel with tiny tidbits dropped about her growing up in Orlando. She is presented as just a creepy stalker and you have no idea why or what her motivation is. I would have loved some more back story on Fritz and Amelia. We hear a little bit about the history of their business but not how they met or any of the nuances of their relationship.

World-Building: A lot of time is spent in the Straub’s house and I felt like I could view it clearly in my mind based on the descriptions. Both of the Straub’s are architects and that is a heavy factor in this world.

Cover: I loved it! it fits well with the theme and tone of the novel as it gives off a creepy vibe.

I would recommend this to fellow thriller readers who are okay with mildly twisty ending. This might be good for people who are new to the thriller genre. I found the novel to be a quick, fun thriller and might be a great book to read by the pool this summer.

ARC provided to me by St. Martin’s Press, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePhotographer #NetGalley

delta Dawn is a photographer. She is capable of not only taking outstanding photos but of manipulating them to her choosing. A very different story of her life and the lives she tries to become a part of. I felt the ending could lead into a second book. Hopefully there are no Deltas out there that would do anything to add herself into the lives of others at any expence.

The Photographer is a tale of manipulation and illusion as the main character Delta Dawn insinuates herself into the Straub’s lives. She uses her photography to get what she wants.

Amelia Straub hires Delta to take photos of her child Natalie’s birthday party which leads to babysitting and other jobs for the family. Delta is obsessed with them and their extravagant lifestyle, imagining herself as part of their family, even altering their photos to put herself in them. Delta has no boundaries and no qualms, and the reader questions her motive.

I was on edge following Delta as she spins her lies and exploits the family. The characters are sucked into Delta’s maneuvering except for Natalie who almost exposes Delta. I recommend this psychological thriller that will keep the reader guessing until the end. I thank NetGalley for letting me review this advanced copy. I just reviewed The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter. #ThePhotographer #NetGalley

"The Photographer" is a creepy good story. Delta Dawn is an event photographer who excels at capturing the moments her clients want or manipulating the photos to portray the desired effect. She has also become excellent at portraying an image of herself that fits the assumptions she wants others to make concerning her. Delta also has a habit of imagining that she is part of the lives of clients who particularly interest her, digitalizing manipulating photographs to create memories.

The story begins with Delta photographing the eleventh birthday party of Natalie Straub, the daughter of architects Fritz and Amelia Straub. Delta finds herself drawn to the Straubs to a greater degree than other clients, in part because the architectural genius of Fritz and Amelia is in their use of light and lighting, just like a photographer. As Delta is talking to the Straubs after the party, Amelia learns that their babysitter for the night has cancelled. Delta, seeing her chance to prolong her time in the house and in the presence of the Straubs, offers to babysit if it is an emergency. She utilizes the time to get to know Natalie better (and she will develop a true fondness for her), but also to explore the house and learn more about the Straubs.

The story details how she manipulates situations to ingratiate herself with the Straubs and sustain and enhance the connection. The manipulative skills of Delta are quite impressive, both in terms of her words and actions and her manipulation of photographs. However, she does not know herself or her subjects quite as well as she thinks, making some potentially costly mistakes. The author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing as to whether certain aspects of Delta's life are factually accurate (or at least somewhat accurate) or just a figment of her imagination and skills at photo manipulation. At times, it seems that Delta is not entirely sure herself whether parts of her past are real or are constructed memories. The author also does a good job of portraying the various stressors and fragilities of the Straubs that enable Delta's manipulative behavior to go undetected for so long. The reader knows that the manipulation will eventually be discovered and there are hints as to what will likely be the cause of Delta's downfall, but the way it happens is still a surprise. "The Photographer" is definitely worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The premise is interesting and the writing is very descriptive - I really wanted to love this book but it falls flat for me. The depressing story is a bit suspenseful and twisted but various clues are set out that you know where the story is going. Most of the characters were not likeable at all and a bit predicatable which made it hard to keep reading and easy to skim through. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I felt this book both started and ended rather quickly but the story in between was good enough that I still think it’s worth 4 stars. It kept me interested and I never once thought about not finishing it. The only thing keeping me from giving 5 stars is I felt like the way this intense relationship between the main character and the family developed was unrealistic considering how quickly it developed after the first meet. Still would recommend!

For a debut book, I thought the author did a good job, as “The Photographer” was a quick read and a bit entertaining. I felt an opportunity was missed by not digging deeper into the psychology of why the character “Delta” is the way she is, along with more profound insight into the complex life she has carefully weaved into her reality. Overall, “The Photographer” had more potential than it produced, with the first half of the book being a bit repetitive, and an overall predictable storyline.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

The Photographer is a disturbing tale of obsession. Photographer Delta Dawn has made a living taking photos of New York’s elite - particularly of their children. When she is hired to take photos of Natalie Straub’s 11th birthday party, Delta immediately becomes obsessed with the young girl’s parents, Amelia and Fritz. She slowly insinuates herself in their lives, becoming indispensable. As Delta’s obsession becomes more dangerous, she finds she will not be satisfied until she is a part of their family.

So Delta was a lot. She was one of the most truly disturbing characters I have read in a long time. In my opinion, she would even creep Joe Goldberg out. I really enjoyed reading this slow-burn thriller that takes a different approach with the typical stalker trope in thrillers. I never knew what Delta was capable of or how far she was willing to go. The Photographer was a truly gripping read with a very memorable main character.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Delta is a family photographer for the wealthy.
When she arrives at the Straub’s home to photograph a birthday party, she is immediately taken with the family. She is consumed with abject envy of everything around her.

She has to get close to them. She devises a way to insinuate herself into their lives and obsession takes hold....
________________________________

This is another one that I am vascillating between 3.5 and 4 stars.

I both read and listened to this one on audio and to be honest, I almost gave up on it in the beginning. I am glad I stuck with it because, for the most part, it was enjoyable.

The psychology of the book was its saving grace for me.
Although Delta was deeply disturbed, she was intelligent. Her observations and assessments of personality traits and behaviors were incisive and astute, which created opportunity for manipulation.
I appreciated that facet of the story.

Overall, would I recommend? I’d say it’s a good effort for a debut. It’s entertaining, just don’t expect your socks to be knocked off

4 stars for this creepy, twisted debut effort from Mary Dixie Carter!

Delta Dawn is a gifted children’s photographer in NYC. Not only is she skilled at manipulating photographs, she also has a talent for manipulating people to get what she wants. After photographing 11-year-old Natalie Straub’s birthday party, Delta becomes enamored with the entire Straub family and sets out to intertwine her life with theirs. What starts as babysitting and picking up the dry cleaning quickly becomes much more. As Delta’s obsession grows, there’s nothing she won’t do to ingratiate herself into the Straub family and secure her place in their lives.

We get a front-row seat into Delta’s crazy as she spirals out of control, which makes this novel a little less “thrilling” but no less addictive. I love an unreliable narrator, and Delta definitely is unreliable! You’re never entirely sure if Delta’s view of the world is how things are or how she wants them to be. Although there are numerous hints at a dark history, I would have loved to understand Delta’s background and how it shaped her a little better.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Photographer was a good twisted quick read for me. I was floored how Delta is constantly manipulating and playing with peoples’ lives yet I was kind of loving her character and almost rooting for her. Crazy right?!?? I know! I’m not the only one who “felt” that way, the family she was targeting let her quickly and easier.

What a creepy, unhinged photographer. Thriller readers may enjoy it. A tad bit slow. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Photographer was a psychological thriller that really took me on a wild ride!

It was nice to hear that the main character was from Orlando, Florida as that is where I’m also from! Most of the references were correct when talking about Walt Disney World other than saying they lived in cast member housing. There is only cast member housing for those in the college program. I do wish that part of the story was researched better.

I enjoyed how this story took such a unique and metaphorical take on this genre. The references between how we see life in person and how we portray it in photos was thought provoking. It would make for a great string of questions for book club!

There were quite a few twists I was not expecting!

However, I did think some of the plot happened too quickly. The family was too inviting and let her into their inner circle without much convincing. You do have to suspend reality to some extent while reading, but that felt too much. I wish there was more of a wrap up of the story because it kept me wondering what happened. Yet, that could also be the point! To keep us readers guessing!

The writing was delightful and I look forward to reading more from this author!

This psychological thriller posits a female photographer who ingratiates her way into the lives of one of her rich clients by agreeing to babysit their 11 year old daughter and then taking on more and more jobs for them. Delta Dawn grew up white trash in Orlando, Florida. She seeks to move from behind the camera to sharing the lives of this family. She’s obsessed with them, and envisions herself living in their house.
This book took a turn I didn’t see coming. It was obvious that Delta was a loony tune. But I didn’t expect Amelia to be as well. She’s a woman possessed. The only one I felt sorry for was poor Nicole, who has to wonder where she fits in. I also felt a special appreciation for Eliza, the cat, and Itzhak, the dog. They appeared to be the only ones with their wits about them.
For a psychological thriller, the book moves at a pretty slow pace and doesn’t really have any anxiety producing moments. It’s ok, but nothing special. I found the ending especially predictable and unsatisfying.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. What a fantastic debut by this author! It was highly readable and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. I'll definitely seek out more books by this author in the future!

If you're looking for a quick and decent read, look no further than the photographer. The main character just kind of plays with people's lives but doesn't in such a way that you almost are rooting for her! Would definitely recommend this book!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my God this book is so wrong.

Like in a holy crap what’s wrong with these people and why can’t I stop reading kind of way.

The book is good. It’s a super-suspenseful train wreck of wrong personalities and you just can’t stop reading.

Just don’t expect rational behavior. Also, don’t expect that you’ll care a bit that these people are totally irrational. It’s why you’ll keep reading all the way until the holy crap end.

This. Was. Fun.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

A very resounding FIVE STARS. I could not stop reading this book! I actually had to pace myself in order to not finish too quickly.

What a character! Delta Dawn is not your typical “unreliable narrator.” She knows what she’s doing and she lets you in on the secret. You’re just waiting for her to get caught.

Every narrator in a psychological thriller has her "thing," Her fatal flaw. Delta's is one of the most unusual and captivating I have read in recent fiction. I won't get into it here so as not to spoil anything, but it's quite clever and arresting.

The sexual tension parts of the book didn't feel very realistic, but everything else was really well done.

The most disappointing part was that the book ended. Like Caroline Kepnes’ trilogy, there has to be a sequel. Delta Dawn is not done using the world as her playground and she’s not done dragging everyone else down with her—including her own son.

Delta Dawn is one of those psychological thriller narrators I love. Skilled manipulator, accomplished liar, sharp as a razor, and just as cutting as with her words and actions. The first half is excellent. Delta is a child birthday photographer and uses her skills to blur her world with her work and enter the lives of her clients, think actual and figurative photoshopping. I knew we were in for a thrilling, and generously dark and deceptive second half. Which didn’t quite materialize and I wanted more twisted behavior that I was promised earlier on. Still, thoroughly enjoyable 5/5 first half and 3/5 second half do overall a 4. Tempted to reduce half a point as I kept singing the damn song in my head throughput the reading.