An unpredictable, fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing to the end.
Jenny St. John thought she had it made after landing a leading role when she first arrived in Hollywood, but her film was never released and now, 20 years later, she tries to eke out a living as a psychic life coach. After Serge Grumet. the director her film, is murdered, Jenny discovers she is a dead ringer for his ex-wife, Gena, who went missing the night Serge was killed. Jenny finds herself insinuated in Gena's life, trying to find out who killed Serge, what happened to Gena, and whether she is just Gena's doppelganger or has a closer connection to the missing woman. This is the kind of book that gets me speculating (sometimes wildly) about what will happen, and every time I think I have it figured out, Richter provided another clue that threw my theory out the window. I liked Jenny and found the motivations for her actions believable, if not always completely rational. I found the book hard to put down, so 5 stars from me!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I absolutely got more than I expected. It is confusing at times because of the large cast of characters. The mystery kept me guessing and had an aspect I didn't see coming. The ending was great and in a way left things open to interpretation.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Morgan Richter, and Knopf Publishing for my free ebook copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

One hit wonder Jenny St. John starred in a movie called The Divide, 25 years ago. Sadly it was never a huge hit. Now she's been scraping by running her own business that u focused on giving psychic readings to up and coming actors.
Now she has just found out that the movie's director, Serge, has been murdered and his ex wife, Gena, is missing. She only finds out because Gena is her doppelganger and thought she was Gena in disguise. Jenny also finds out that Gena has been taking all the credit for her part in The Divide. Jenny is no on a mission to find out who killed Serge, where is Gena and get the recognition she deserves for her sole movie role.

*Possible Spoiler**

The author was able to keep me intrigued from the beginning. Jenny just seems to have bad luck and there was a few times I just thought Jenny was loco, that maybe she had an identity disorder or something going on. I would recommend this book to someone that loves a drama filled story with a "who done it" plot.

When Jenny, a failed actress turned psychic grifter, gets wrapped up in a case of murder and mistaken identity, she is forced with not only having to avoid a killer, but also face her own dark past.

This book was very different than what I thought it would be with some twists that I wasn’t expecting. Rather than being surprised, it felt like the author wasn’t sure what direction to take the story. That said, it was still an entertaining read and it kept my interest; I had to see where it was all going and I will recommend it to others!

Thank you for the opportunity to read!

A fun, quick read that pulled me in more than I expected! I felt like the plot of this was an interesting concept and the fast pace kept me interested throughout. The mystery was good, but my one issue is that I don't feel like all of the plot points totally resolved themselves in a way that felt satisfying - specifically the details in the Jenny and Gena relationship. All in all, a fun read!

THE DIVIDE by Morgan Richter grabbed me from the very first scene with its powerful voice, a low-level psychic grifter suddenly dragged into a high-stakes, breathless world of celebrity, fame, and fortune where no one can be trusted, appearances are designed to deceive, and past and present entwine in a smart, wonderfully wrought story. I loved every minute, happy to ride the ups and downs of surprises and sudden insights. It's like nothing I've ever read, modern noir with a sense of humor that had me snorting and waking up happy sleepers at the local library. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

This book was a very quick read, I was hooked from the opening chapter. A connection to murder and mysterious doppelgänger sets Jenny on a course to solve the case, even if to only reclaim her fame.

I enjoyed the various suspects and Jenny’s history unraveling, it had my brain working overtime to solve the murder and the mystery. The Hollywood adjacent setting was very catchy, I appreciated keeping it down to earth and not super over the top. The slight psychological and maybe supernatural angle really worked for me as well.

Thank you to Knopf for the review copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Borzoi Bo0ks/Alfred A. Knopf for the ARC of "The Divide" in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn't wait to get into this one for its genre alone......an L.A. contemporary Neo-Noir set amid the semi B-Listers who skim along side the cream of Hollywood strivers, all chasing their dreams of fame fortune, million dollar deals and Iinstagram clicks.
Definitely not in their league is Jenny St. John, a fake psychic barely scraping out enough of a living to pay the rent for the office she has to illegally live in. Back in her early 20's as a fresh-off-the-bus starlet, she caught lightning in a bottle as a star of the independent film "The Divide". But film never saw the light of day, dashing her dreams and leading to her current miserable life. Pouring salt in her wounds - her director Serge Grumet went on to a fabulously successful career and his ex wife Gena, an uncanny look-alike for Jenny claimed she was the actual star of "The Divide"
Then Jenny's stunned to hear of their reversals of fortune - Serge was shot dead in his home and Gena's disappeared. presumed, either dead or on the run as a suspect, depending on who you ask. Through her extraordinary resemblance to Gena and her so called psychic ability, Jenny's accepted into Serge and Gena's coterie of artistic-showbiz friends, enemies and hangers-on. She's hoping to pin down both Serge's murderer and the everlasting hurtful mystery of her would-be doppelganger and career usurper, Gena.
Author Morgan Richter lines up a terrific colorful cast of unusual Hollywood suspects for Jenny to interrogate, but I parted company with the book's fuzzy flirtation with paranormal elements and the all too overused multi-verse stuff, the very thought of which sends me into upward eye rolling. There's no real concrete payoff to those tropes anyway and guaranteed to leave readers interested in that part of it unsatisfied.
But I did fully soak up the Tinseltown whodunit part of "The Divide" which does deliver a fair, logical reveal and a suspenseful climactic showdown for Jenny.. Much to enjoy here and I wouldn't mind seeing Jenny take on more mysteries among the upper and lower L.A. classes.

I enjoyed this upcoming new release from this author. This is the first book I have read by her, but it may not be the last! She can weave a tale that will leave you guessing from start to finish.

Jenny had one role as an actress and is not a psychic life coach. She can do what a good life coach can do by redirecting an individual's expectations and pointing them in the direction they want to go. All is going okay, but not great, until she receives a visit from a detective informing her that the original director from the film has been found dead and his wife is missing. And she is a dead ringer for Jenny. From then on, Jenny is determined to figure out what happened to Gena and why she looks so much like her.

There is a limited cast of characters, so the truth lies with one of these people. Jenny has some joyful reunions with those she worked with on the film, but there are others who have a lot to hide.

I really liked following along as various clues were revealed. Jenny does find herself in some harrowing situations, but she puts the pieces together to reveal what really happened that night.

One situation is never really explained, but I won't go into details because it would spoil part of the story. Despite this one fault with the book, the story is engaging and kept my mind jumping back and forth between potential suspects. The actual killer was quite a surprise because I never suspected this person. It made sense, but I still never suspected them.

Overall, enjoyed this book and we give it 4 paws up.

Thank you, Netgalley, Morgan Richter, and Knopft, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the ebook! This book had me questioning my sanity and I'm still not sure of what I've read or what the outcome was! I'm still questioning everything. A fun and quick read!

This story is set in Hollywood and comes with all of the attending drama. The plot is a murder mystery that sees the main character Jenny taking on the greatest role of her life, trying to solve the murder of the woman who looked like her. The plot is filled with misdirection until the author is ready to reveal the killer.

This story kept me interested from the beginning. Jenny is really having a bad time after the cops come to visit. Apparently, there is a woman missing who looks just like her. They were wondering if she just happened to be the woman trying to lay low. A man has been murdered and the woman is missing. Is she murderer or a victim? Jenny knows the man who was murdered and hasn't seen him for 20 years. As she starts trying to understand what is happening with the woman, she runs into so many others that she knew in the past. Apparently, the woman has been using Jenny's name too. The mystery deepens when the police compare Jenny's DNA to the missing woman's DNA, and they match. She has a twin. How could that be? The more she investigates, the more she uncovers and the more confused she becomes.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This book had me hooked 🙌 until we got to the part where the FMC goes home to visit her mother and then it just dragged and got confusing. 🤔 I’m still a little unsure of the truth about Gena but I think the author intended for it to be left up to the reader’s interpretation. 🫠

Overall I do think it was a good read and do recommend checking it out for yourself, my book peeps! 👀

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was good -- I enjoyed it from the first page. I really liked Jenny as a character -- very well developed. Suddenly we were on a crazy ride and I didn't know how it would end. The ending was very satisfying, which is so rare. If you like thrillers, give it a try!

The Divide comes out next week on August 20, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

I'd forgotten all about the punishing heat just outside the gallery. Now, staring at Genevieve's painting, I felt chilled, like the air conditioning had been cranked up several notches. The sweat that had collected between my shoulder blades slid down my spine in an icy trickle and pooled in the small of my back. If I hadn't been holding the champagne flute, I might've wrapped my arms around myself for warmth.

After moving to Los Angeles to become a star, Jenny lands a lead role in a new film called The Divide, and she works with a great director named Serge. For whatever reason, her career comes to a virtual standstill after this movie, and she tries to survive be being a psychic. Now, twenty years later, Serge has been murdered, Jenny discovers that she greatly resembles Serge’s ex-wife, and the storyline progresses. Although I found many of the events taking place in this novel to be a bit weird, the plot was an interesting one, it moved quickly, and it generally held my interest. All in all, this was a good read. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a compelling and read that blends mystery with a touch of the supernatural. The story is set in a remote and eerie location, which adds to the tension and suspense as the plot unfolds. The characters are well-developed and intriguing, each with their own secrets that keep the reader guessing. While the pacing is deliberate, it allows for a deep dive into the characters' psyches and the unsettling environment around them. Overall, it's a gripping novel that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers with a dark twist.

The Divide was a book that made me think, I wanted to be the one to solve the mystery!! Jenny stared in The Divide but it never made it to the big screen and she never got another part. Now a struggling psychic, she is visited by a detective because she looks like a missing person who may be a murderer. As the story unfolds, Jenny must confront her past and meet any number of new and old "friends" who could all be a potential murderer.

Detective Toni Moreau is investigating the murder of director Serge Grumet and the disappearance of his ex- wife painter Gena Santos. Moreau learns that Gena claims to have been the star of a movie called The Divide. However, the real star of the movie was Jenny St John. Jenny knows Serge from working on the movie and is acquainted with several of the people involved in the project. She cannot understand why Gena would claim she is the star, even though the resemblance between Gena and Jenny is uncanny. Gena’s best friend, Elizabeth Pontifex, AKA Boots, seeks out Jenny, who is now a psychic. She wants to hire Jenny to help find Serge’s murderer, but more important the whereabouts and fate of her friend Gena. While Jenny knows that her psychic abilities are limited, she feels that she is a good reader of people and, therefore, would have some insight into their feelings/motives. She also needs the money. Thus begins Jenny’s journey through a labyrinth of people hiding information and secrets. Jenny begins to feel that among this inner circle of friends and acquaintances there are lots of people with a motive to kill . It is up to Jenny to discover the murderer and Gena’s fate. I found that sometimes I was confused with keeping everything straight because of all the characters, their backgrounds and relationship with Serge and Gena. However, this novel was a real “who done it” and had a great ending.

The Divide kept me absolutely entranced the entire book. I wanted to see how this was going to turn out so I didn’t put this down once and read it in one sitting. Jenny is flawed but lovable. You could really feel her helplessness at times. I loved how this was wrapped up and could have even read more about Jenny!

The Divide was a gripping murder mystery with behind the scenes vibes of Hollywood. I was entertained and enjoyed that the storyline kept moving and didn’t stall out. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I really didn’t figure it out until the ending, which I always appreciate in a mystery. The gritty setting of a grifter who fell off the radar after a film dud who gets catapulted back into the scene and finds out all her old friends have some level of success compared to her was a great storyline to accompany the murder mystery plot. I would have liked to see a clearer resolution and answers to some of the major characters stories such as the Jenny vs Gena relationship but I guess the reader will have to fill in the blanks, which I don’t really love. Overall a good quick murder mystery read and o would suggest as a great choice if you are looking for a palate cleanser book! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.