Well done. Carter did a really nice job of creating suspense, some of it subtle and some not. I liked the story including the main character, and the writing style. I stayed mostly engaged, and like the author's imagination. Recommended for fans of suspense.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Delta Dawn who is a photographer dreams of living the life of some of families she photographs. Delta befriends one such family. This book dragged a little bit.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of The Photographer in exchange for an honest review.

I've always had an interest in photography and when I saw this title, it immediately piqued my interest. Everything about was right up my alley.

While it was a quick page-turner, purely because I was curious when it was going to get suspenseful, I have to admit I was let down. I can’t get into what’s without giving major plot aspects away, but I have to say I didn’t find any of the aspects surprising. The ending definitely didn't do it for me and I felt like things were still left hanging.

It certainly is creepy to think of a photographer out there doing the things she does (I won’t get into details because it’s a major part of the plot!).

Overall, it was fine. It wasn’t a boring read and it kept me engaged, it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. I'll certainly be on the lookout for more by May Dixie Carter though!

The Photographer is about photographer Delta Dawn and her obsession with the Straub family. She has dreams of living with the Straub family. Delta was hired by the Straub family to photograph Natalie’s birthday party. Delta used this opportunity to get close to them and form a bond with both Amelia and Natalie. Delta captures happy moments turning them into long lasting memories by manipulating the images. Everything Delta believes comes from the images of the pictures she creates. She created a life around the images.
The reader gets a birds eye view into the mind of Delta and her envy for the extravagant lifestyle the Straubs’ have achieved. With exquisite detail of the glorious nature of the rooms and the immaculate view from the windows paints a beautiful picture of a wealthy opulent life.
Delta Dawn wasn’t exposed to the same privileged lifestyle as Natalie growing up. Growing up for Delta held an entirely different meaning.
I learned a great deal about pictures and photography in this book. It was very informative. The illustrated way she expressed her pictures gave the reader a vivid image of art.
Delta’s character is a calculated character having spent quality time studying the Straubs’. She is meticulous and crafty with her artistic talent in photography using it not only as a means of financial gain but as a means to alter reality. Delta is brazen in the way she infiltrates the house with a comfortable ease. She works hard to create memories with her photos. She creates a world with her pictures.
Amelia and Fritz are both architects. Essentially these three characters are artists. It’s interesting how well they fit into each other’s lives. There’s a great amount of respect for their work.
Capturing that intuitive nature through the lens of a camera was fascinating. With the photoshop aspect of her craft and building a clientele I was in awe of the magnitude Mary could reach with her characters. The house itself was like an entity itself. Then add in the features of light and I was blown away by its splendor.
I was impressed with how many original unique ways Mary could manipulate the word photographer to capture more than just an image. It became an essential component to every aspect of these characters relationships.
Mary’s creative imagination was kind of freaky. I’m a little scared by her ability to create this concept and orchestrate the words in such a convincing way.
This is Mary’s debut novel and I must say for a first release I’m impressed. With an honor degree in English Literature it’s apparent where her expertise strives from.
I found the one sided perspective of Delta intriguing and clever on Mary’s part. This form of delivery allowed many possibilities to enter my train of thoughts questioning not only Amelia’s state of mind but that of Delta’s as well.
I was impressed with Mary’s observations regarding her characters behaviors and mannerisms. Every detail was carefully plotted. One things for sure it’s a clever mindf@ckery.

The Photographer was a pretty quick yet kind of creepy read. Photographer Delta Dawn is hired by a wealthy family to take their daughter's birthday party photos and becomes obsessed and wants to insert herself into their lives. She begins by babysitting last minute when their sitter bails, and increasingly involves herself with their daily lives. Honestly, this one freaked me out a bit. Like, makes me hesitant to ever hire a photographer again! Although I'm not rich and doubt anybody would want to live where I do.
I had a hard time putting this one down, but I was cringing the whole time. Delta was a piece of work! One thing that I was disappointed by was how quickly everything was wrapped up. It was too fast and I didn't find it very believable. I would have liked more of Delta's backstory as well. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an early copy of The Photographer. Very disturbing. I didn’t really like the main characters. I couldn’t finish it fast enough.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the arc.

I'll be honest, for me this was a pure entertainment book. If I didn't look at it as pure entertainment, I may have stopped reading because Delta Dawn (yes, that is REALLY her name) made some crazy illogical choices, like just so silly that they almost came off as unbelievable. I was able to look past that though because Carter has a way of really catching you hook, line and sinker to the point where you just can't put the book down. I'm really surprised this is her first book. While Delta Dawn makes some bad choices (like unbelievably bad) and is sort of a twisted woman, I still felt a lot of sympathy for her and in the same breath sort of wanting to hate her. Its a truly unbelievable book but it was still entertaining a very fun to read.

Just finished reading this and left a little confused about my feelings regarding the book. The story was interesting and easy to read, but the characters were not very likable. There was no pull to relate to any of them, except maybe the dog. The main character could have been delved into so much more to make sense of her issues. I’m confused about the ending. I figured it would end that way, but not sure how to interpret it. Either way the ending was a bit abrupt. Sounds like I didn’t like it, but I’m glad I read it. Not a waste of time and I’m thankful to NetGalley for pre release copy for honest review.

You realize right off the bat that the title character (and protagonist) is thoroughly creepy and completely disturbed. And that’s what keeps you hanging on to The Photographer. Delta Dawn (really) is a high-end photographer, mainly hired by upscale parents for their kids parties, etc. Her latest client has piqued her interest, however, and she soon becomes obsessed with their lives. I loved the premise and the character, and the author builds the tension as the creepiness factor keeps increasing as you’re unsure exactly where this is going, which makes for a good read. Enjoyed it. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut novel! Such a disturbing read that I seriously couldn't put it down.

As a compulsive thriller reader, I really appreciated the obsession and young family tropes in this book. It was perfectly creepy, intimate and entertaining, making it a sure 5-star read for me.

The title character in The Photographer, Delta Dawn, is a taken family photographer in New York City. She loves her job and the job loves her, but then... she is hired to photograph an 1--year-old Natalie's birthday party. That is when she realizes that she wishes she could become part of this family. First she becomes Natalie's babysitter, then becomes closer with the mom, and her last step is to become the surrogate mother for the family's second child. It becomes a dark obsession Dawn will do anything to succeed with.

The plot pulled me in immediately, but I stayed for Delta's narration, which is dark, obsessive and unreliable. She definitely reminded me of Jane Doe and Joe Goldberg. Delusional and unpredictable, this was definitely a huge hit.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copies of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quite captivating and well-written I was pulled into this thriller from the very first word.

Mary Mixon Carter writes crazy really well and I look forward to more from her!

I loved reading this story of a young woman photographer that insinuates herself into the lives of a wealthy New York family. A mesmerizing read!

The Photographer is the story of a young woman who becomes obsessed with a family that hires her to photograph their child’s birthday party. While some parts I enjoyed very much, for me there was just too much that was hinted at but never specifically revealed that I just wanted to know. I suppose it’s the sign of a good book that I just wanted more. It’s a good domestic suspense novel with an unreliable narrator, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t normally enjoy that genre.

While “The Photographer” is an easy, enjoyable read, it is not the riveting psychological thriller that I was eagerly anticipating. Obsession carried to the extreme is certainly an enticing storyline—one that drew me in right from the very start—but with regards to this particular book, it just fell a bit flat for my personal tastes. Both the characters and the plot lacked the depth that I crave, and I had to suspend reality on more than one occasion. That said, “The Photographer” was still entertaining, but I would classify it as more “creepy,” as opposed to a thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an early copy of The Photographer. Obsessively weird but interesting! I didn’t want to put it down but the main characters were both very weird. Very fast read, I would really like to know what happened to Ian and also Lana.

Delta is a talented photographer who takes pictures of wealthy family’s. When she starts working with the Straubs, she wants to become closer to them. As she gets closer, she finds more and more ways of settling into their lives.

After reading Alex Six, I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for another stalker type book, but apparently I was! This was more of a psychological buildup. The obsession gradually took form, with the characters and reader diving deeper with every chapter. While Delta is obsessed and manipulative, she still somehow comes across as sympathetic. She doesn’t mean any harm, she really just wants to belong. I’d say this was a pretty slow burn until everything starts to blow up in the latter half. The ending was quite satisfying as well.

“When I was in their house. In their company. I became the person I’d always wanted to be. Possibilities opened up for me. I knew I could help them.”

The Photographer comes out 5/25.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a DARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I seem to have had a run of books where I didn't like any of the characters. I try to set that aside and look at the book on it's own merits. The problem is, if you don't like anyone, and you don't feel any of them have redeeming qualities, it's difficult to care about the outcome. I think I was left with that in this book. I did complete it, and I was glad for the read, but I likely wouldn't purchase it or recommend it to friends.

Delta is a children’s photographer. She is famous for her catching shots which end up in the silver frames carefully dispersed in the luxurious homes of her clients’ perfect families. Delta’s talent is undeniable. Her intentions are less admirable. She pretends to be a divorced mother of a seven year old son called Jasper currently in California with his father when in fact she is a lost soul who likes to infiltrate her clients’ lives, and dreams of what her’s would be if she was one of them. The day Delta enters the home of Amelia and Fritz Straub to photograph their daughter Natalie on her eleven birthday, her prayers are answered. Filling in as baby-sitter, she quickly makes herself indispensable to the busy working parents of Natalie. Delta’s sickly obsession with this family has no limit. Manipulation and deceit are all she thinks about. Not only does she invades Amelia and Frit’s privacy but she gets their trust, friendship and learns about their deepest sorrow. Amelia wants another child desperately. She has tried everything and is herself obsessed by her failure to conceive and bring a baby home. Delta jumps on the occasion of becoming the family’s savior by offering to be the surrogate. Fritz is good-looking and charming. Amelia is smart and passionate. What could be better for Delta than to give birth to such a golden child?. She moves in their beautiful house and is taken care of like a queen. Unfortunately for her, some of the compromising photoshopped pictures she took in their private quarters are revealed to the Straubs and instantly destroy the image of the wonderful supportive, altruist woman she had worked so hard to build. After a heated discussion, Delta falls in the stairs and has what looks like a miscarriage. The family is devastated, broken and falls apart. Without looking back, Delta leaves for California where she lives happily ever after with her son Jasper who will never know he is the son of Amelia and Fritz Straub. Delta has won and happily goes back to her deceitful productive photography.
What a good debut! The plot kept me on my toes. Who can we trust? This is a frightening story which could unfortunately easily happen. It is well written and a page turner. No doubt. Thank you NetGalley for allowing to read this excellent book

Delta Dawn is a sought after photographer for New York’s elite families: snapping photographs at their children’s birthday parties, and then using every available APP to transform tears and pouts into beautiful memories.

She knows it’s VITAL to capture the moment that “Happy Birthday” is sung, the cake is presented and the candles are blown out. She also realizes that the parents want to see themselves as much as they want to see their children. They want to see the proof that they are GOOD parents.

But, when she is hired to photograph Natalie Straub’s 11th birthday party, she meets a family that she isn’t ready to say goodbye to yet.

So like her namesake, from Tanya Tucker’s 1972 hit song, she may have to make her own narrative fit the outcome that she desires.

She may have to “edit” more than the photographs to fit in.
And, count on MANY questions not being asked.

For the most part, the book was COMPULSIVE reading and very ENTERTAINING!

Early on, I had my suspicions on what was true, what was “photoshopped” and where this was leading but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment to read on to see if I was right.

But, when all is said and done, I was no longer singing the lyrics to “Delta Dawn”.
(My mother would play the song, so I actually know them -and the words from the next song mentioned)

I was now singing the 1969 Grammy Award Winning record of the year, “Is That All There Is?” By Peggy Lee.
PLAY NOW on YouTube for dramatic effect!

Because it CAN’T end like this!?!

I would like to thank Minotaur and Mary Dixie Carter for my gifted copy, provided through NetGalley!
It was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

Available May 25th 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Delta is a children's photographer and she was asked to document Natalie's birthday. Delta finds this family fascinating and she wants to know more about them. She finds a way to spend more and more time with them to get closer to them. What is she up to? What does she want? I feel like this author had the build up, the suspense and then nothing. The story was easy to read and kept me entertained but the ending did the book no justice. #thephotographer #marydixiecarter #May2021